thinkThin® Bars Review, Guest Post by Andy Harris

CG: This Christmas, the elves at the thinkThin company delivered 2 cases of assorted product to cavegrrl.com headquarters. I’ll preface this post by saying that the line of thinkThin bars are not primal or paleo, but work great if you are an athlete that burns a lot of energy. That’s why I asked Andy if he would be interested in reviewing the bars from a very active person’s point-of-view. I have had the thinkThin products before and I think they are great as a meal replacement/treat. Also, all of the bars we tasted were gluten-free and non-GMO. So, without further delay is Andy’s take on the variety pack we were sent:

I recently sat down with samples of four distinctly different health bars being manufactured and distributed by a company aptly named thinkThin.  These bars are being marketed as low-calorie and gluten-free, with no refined sugar and a really nice balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat.

To preface my review, I will state all four of these bars were unique in their own way, flavorful and satisfying.  I did have my preferences, as I’m sure you will, and I would encourage you to try all their products and see which ones you like best.

The first one I tried was the Caramel Chocolate Dipped Mixed Nuts.  (From their Crunch line) The packaging caught my eye and, not surprisingly, it wound up tasting every bit as good as it looked.  I don’t normally eat peanuts, but the combination of peanuts, almonds and cashews in a chewy format was very good.  This bar would be particularly attractive to a person who is mixing in aerobic exercise with dieting, as the bar is 190 calories with 100 calories coming from fat.  However, this is a very balanced bar, with 12g of fat, 15g of carbohydrate and 10g of protein.

The next one I tried was the Dark Chocolate Coconut. (From their Divine line.)
I couldn’t wait to try this one because of my affinity for coconut, and it did not disappoint.  It was my favorite of the bunch, with immensely rich flavors of coconut and chocolate reminiscent of a Mounds bar.  Here again, this one gets more than half of its calories from fat.  It comes in at 170 calories, which I wouldn’t consider a full meal replacement, although it would make an outstanding post-workout energy bar or in-between meal snack.

Third in line was the Creamy Peanut Butter bar. (From their Protein line.) Like I said before, I don’t normally eat peanuts or anything made out of peanuts, but if you like them, you might like this bar.  The only peculiarity with this bar was that the peanut flavor tasted strange, almost gamey.  You might try it and achieve different findings, and it would not hurt you to try this bar if you enjoy peanut products.  This bar has a very low fat content, 33%, if that’s what you’re looking for, and is quite filling at 240 calories.  If you’re trying to lose weight, this one could function as a full meal replacement, but please beware of the 300mg of sodium, about two to three times the sodium content of the other bars tested for this review.

Last but certainly not least was the Brownie Crunch. (From their Protein line.)  I could envision this bar as being their most popular of the four sampled.  It simply tastes just like a chocolate brownie, including an excellent chewy texture, but without any refined sugar.  The big surprise was that this bar was the leanest of the bunch, with only 70 calories from fat from the entire 240 calorie total.

In summation, I am going to highly recommend this line of products.  They are all made with healthy, natural ingredients and should support an appetite control program with emphasis on exercise and good overall nutrition.

Think Thin bars carry a suggested retail price of $1.99 each, with a box of 10 coming in at $16.90.  If you find a bar you’re particularly enamored with, you can opt for a carton of 6 boxes of 10 bars for $95.40.  With a shelf life of approximately one year, you’re sure to use them during that span.

Think Thin products are widely available at Safeway, Raley’s, Save Mart and FoodsCo., Target, and Trader Joe’s.