So, I've mentioned in my prior Atkins reviews that they run promotions on their website from time to time where they give out free products as a way of promoting their "diet". It's a good thing that they do give them out for free, because every time I look at their stuff in the store, I notice the price and then keep on going. But, since it was free and I've had some good experiences, I'm always willing to try something new out and that leads me to this review of the Atkins Advantage Caramel Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bar. This one comes in at a respectable 1.6 ounces and also has a respectable 180 calories with ten grams of protein. It's marketed as a snack and/or light meal bar, so that would definitely make sense when compared to its size proportions.
They market this as a snack and/or light meal bar, but when you look at the wrapper, it seems like this is pretty much a candy bar. After I tore open the wrapper and broke the bar in half for the above photo, it looked like a candy bar as well. It had a peanut butter base layer topped by a layer of sticky and gooey caramel that was mixed with nougat and smallish chunks of peanuts. The entire bar was then encased in a thick and strong smelling chocolate, so when it all boils down to it, this really is a candy bar and the "advantage" here is that you think you are eating something healthy since it has the Atkins label on it and they are associated with diet foods.
Biting into this, it wasn't just the appearance that made it like a candy bar as it tasted like a candy bar as well. It was extremely sweet from the caramel and nougat and the peanut butter provided some additional sweetness along with a lot of hearty character to the bar. The chocolate was also semi-sweet and thick and definitely smacked you in the face with its strength of flavor as you chewed through. The peanut butter was a soft chew and the nougat added a certain doughy composition to the bar as well, while the chocolate was quite thick and heavy in your mouth. Basically, everything about this from appearance, taste and mouthfeel said this was a candy bar.
Buy It or Fly By It? Looking for a candy bar under the guise of being "healthy?" If so, this is your answer. On flavor alone, it gets a BUY IT rating because frankly, it was incredibly delicious. That said, if healthy food is your primary concern, you are probably going to want to look elsewhere. You'll also want to look elsewhere as well if you are sensitive to sweets or don't have a craving for sweets, because the sweetness in this bar is very overpowering. If you are looking for a sweet treat, then this is your answer.
BUY IT!! |
So based on purely taste alone what would you say your top 5 bars are that are at least marketed as being "good for you" even if they may not be the healthiest.
ReplyDeleteI would love to answer that question, but I can't for two reasons:
Delete1. I've had so many bars that I can't remember them all.
2. I don't believe in numerical "rankings." What I believe in is determining whether something is good or bad or whatever, but I don't believe in positioning things in lists of bests or worsts.
Still, without putting a numerical ranking on this, I will say this was ONE OF the best bars I've had.