Happy Pride Month to everyone celebrating! I have been meaning to do this blog post review for some time but given the month, I felt it was right to post it because the two people I have met who are behind this business are partners who are extremely nice and work hard to deliver healthier options of your desired sweets. I will talk more about them in this blog post and of course, a review of the stuff I ate, and more info if you are interested in supporting! Before you read below, make sure to follow me on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for more food content, especially from Scarborough and small businesses! For a visual preview, see below!
About + Location
First Boost Nutrition is a 2SLGBTQ+ owned, women-owned, Asian-owned, Scarborough-based small business that promotes fitness and nutrition by offering protein-packed donuts and shakes, along with low-calorie refreshers and teas. The spot is owned and operated by a couple, Amy and V who are both passionate about being healthier and kind. They also sell other snacks and other health products while promoting fitness journeys. They are located at 4679 Kingston Rd Unit 10, in Scarborough, Toronto at a plaza that has a lot of free parking. It’s really cool to see whenever I go I see that there is always a sense of community present. For example, for one of their customer appreciation events, I saw a group of individuals who were part of a walking club come to the store to enjoy the drinks and treats. I also noticed that besides the POS system, they have business cards from other local businesses like Body Forma (which I posted a video recently for Air Max Day). I remember telling them that their vibe reminded me of my favourite boba spot, Milk and T.
Price
The price is fair given that their food and drink are hand-made and feature special flavours and ingredients while still being a healthier option. A box of six mini donuts was $12 CAD and a “Hocus Pocus” refresher was $10.65 CAD (it’s massive) but because of their combo promotion and discount if you follow them on social media, I spent only $22 after tax for the two. The next time I went was during their Customer Appreciation Day where I got their special which was a grape sangria refresher and Biscoff cookie butter protein shake for $20 CAD and I also added an extra scoop of protein which was free that day. I also ordered a half dozen of the bigger salted caramel donuts which were $17.50 CAD. It’s good to know that they have seasonal and different menu items that they post on their Instagram along with different promotions.
Taste
Although I was intrigued by how their donuts and drinks looked, I was a bit worried about how they would taste because sometimes the healthier or more protein-filled desserts don’t always taste great. Thankfully, these were great, it was soft and the toppings weren’t overly done. I would say that the mini donuts I got for Halloween were much easier to eat than the big donuts because of their size and texture. They are two very different flavors as the spooky sprinkles reminded me of the classic chocolate mini donuts and the salted caramel had a much more premium aesthetic to it with a sweet and savory compliment with each bite. For the drinks, I found the Hocus Pocus the most refreshing, flavourful and I believe it was a loaded tea. It was also the most aesthetically appealing thing I had here. The loaded teas have zero sugar, packed with B vitamins, raw Guarana, and Ginseng for mental clarity while only being 25 calories. Sometimes when drinking teas with ginseng, I find that it can leave a bit of a bitter aftertaste but with the hocus pocus I found it tasted like other fruit teas. The grape sangria wasn’t bad but I did remember that the ginseng was more prevalent in that.
I’m a big fan of the Biscoff cookie so when I saw they had a special protein shake of it I had to try it. Their shakes are meal replacements since ith as a balanced amount of macros & micros that the average person needs in a meal and only consist of 200-250 calories with low sugar content. They created an interesting infographic to convey how their shakes are much healthier and better for you than what you might usually get (e.g., strawberry cheesecake vs. strawberry cheesecake protein shake). I believe this was also a post-workout shake that has whey & casein protein and includes branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and L-Glutamine. I really liked how it tasted like a milkshake/frappe but I remember I added a scoop of protein and I think that was a bit much for me as it was hard to digest overall. I feel like if I just kept it with the original amount of protein, I would have enjoyed it more but everyone has their preferences. Nonetheless, the biscoff flavour was present and had the right amount of sweetness.
Overall
All in all, I am happy to support these two in this endeavor and genuinely wish it was closer to me so I can go more often because their drinks are significantly healthier than the drinks that are available at popular chains. I am also happy to support this small business and I believe if we really do want to support diversity and inclusion, we need to invest in small businesses like this, especially since they are prioritizing health, wellness, and community! Let me know what you think if you go and make sure to follow on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook to be notified of new food content!