When I went to Kroger this week to pick out a product to review, thinkThin bars didn’t even stand out to me on the shelf. But I remembered my friend raving about them, claiming that they were delicious and carefully picking a few to throw into her cart. The flavors seemed unique (they include cinnamon bun white chocolate and chocolate almond brownie, to name a few), and compared to other bars, thinkThin doesn’t have as many calories and isn’t geared toward the body-building type. Taking into account those factors, and my friend’s enthusiasm for the brand, I picked up a couple bars to try.
My overall impression of thinkThin is mixed. Initially I was happily surprised by it, but the more I had, the more pronounced the texture – grainy and heavy - became.
The Lean Protein and Fiber Bars are 150 calories. The Salted Caramel flavor that I tried contains 5 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein (20% DV for both). I’m a little weary of nutrition bars that pack in a lot of protein, because most Americans get more than enough protein from their ordinary diet. So do I think that thinkThin is necessary in helping me reach needed macronutrient levels? Not really; although if you’re a vegetarian like my friend, the protein may be more of a benefit for you than for an omnivore like me.
I was surprised with the taste of thinkThin; I expected something flaky and slim, like Special K Pastry Crisps, or something that I would open and think, “What did I just spend $1.50 on?” But I was happily proven wrong when I opened it. The Salted Caramel bar is dense and covered in chocolate, and it tastes like a dessert - not too shocking looking at the various flavors - but boasts an impressive 5 grams of sugar.
The downside, however, is after a couple bites you can start to taste that grainy protein texture you would expect from a bar like this. By the time you finish it, the initial pleasant surprise with the flavor has worn off, and it starts to taste like a regular dense, sandy protein bar.
Similar to its competitors, these bars don’t come cheap. From Walmart, a 10-pack of the Salted Caramel Lean Protein and Fiber Bar is $37.31. You can purchase them for $1.50 from stores like Kroger, so buying one at a time may be more cost efficient, .
thinkThin: Think Protein
