FTC Disclosure: Bariatric Foodie, and its representative, were provided free samples of this product for the purpose of this product review. Although samples were provided, all Bariatric Foodie reviews are done in an unbiased manner and reflect the true and honest opinion of the reviewers. Any links contained within this post will direct readers to a different site where the products reviewed are available for purchase. A portion of any sales that proceed from those web links will be paid back to Bariatric Foodie.
So Quest has recently put out TWO new flavors: White
Chocolate Raspberry during the summer and, more recently, Double Chocolate
Chunk.
A few months back it occurred to me that I get all this
great stuff to review but usually I get way too much of it. Don’t get me wrong
free stuff is great. But when free stuff takes up nearly an entire room in your
house, with more stuff coming in, and little hope for consuming what you’ve
already got, free stuff becomes stressful!
So I decided to overhaul the way I do reviews a bit. Because, sure, my opinion
means something to you guys. But I think your other fellow Foodies’ voices are
equally important. That’s why I started a small group of folks who are, like
you, readers of this blog and will review products along with me. I put out a
call some time ago for volunteers and, due to overwhelming response, I don’t
need any more volunteers right now, but I do plan on rotating folks so that
more people get a chance to review products in the future!
But that’s why you have a review by both me and Liz. So here goes! I’ve organized
this into a handy Q&A format with both Liz and my answers. (My apologies for the lack of Liz pics. I wasn't being a ham I just forgot to ask her to take pics!)
So what’d you think about…
…the packaging?
Liz: The packaging is colorful and
informative. The front tells buyers that
these bars contain 1 gram of sugar, are high fiber and are made from non-gluten
containing ingredients.
This is the packaging Nik got - back when the bar was still a prototype!
Nik: I thought the packaging was colorful
and bright (pink!). But it brought out my annoyance at the concept of White
Chocolate cuz…it’s not chocolate!!! Chocolate = roasted cocoa bean. White
Chocolate = unroasted cocoa bean (essentially cocoa butter) with sugar. But,
lacking a better term, I had to get over that to admire the sheer amount of information
they get on the label and the fact that the ingredients list is so short and
understandable!
…the nutritional value?
(Stats: 190 cals, 8g fat, 23g carbs, 17g fiber, 1g sugar, 1g
erythritol [so 5 net grams of carbs], 20g protein)
Liz: The
nutritional content on the back is pretty standard, and based on Nik’s protein rules;
these suckers pack a lot of bang for your buck.
With 20g of protein and 190 calories, these bars offer a little over one
gram of protein for every 10 calories.
Nik: I
think the nutrition on Quest bars in general is great. They use all-natural
ingredients, there’s way less net carbs than protein, there’s not a lot of
sugar OR sugar alcohols (as compared to other protein bars) and the sugar
alcohol they use, erythritol, is actually shown to be the mildest and often
elicits little or no reaction in most humans. I also appreciate the fact that
they list the erythritol count instead of leaving it off or simply saying “sugar
alcohols.” I’m not completely sure but I don’t think they have to list it that
way but I appreciate their forthrightness.
…Aesthetics? (feel, look, smell)
Did Quest pass the "sniff test?"
Liz: I’ve
never been a fan of the look or texture of Quest bars, and these are no
different. In my opinion
they look sort
of like a shiny block of baked cookie dough.
Not really appealing by looks alone, but really, do any protein bars
actually look like something that you’d want to eat??
The
smell isn’t anything to write home about either. While you can definitely make out a raspberry
like scent, that same “protein bar scent” is still present. It’s not offensive, but if you’re like me,
most of the time that smell ends up being the dominant one over the actual
flavor of the bar. Where did Quest score though?? When it comes to the raspberries
and white chocolate, you can’t miss their abundance when looking at these
bars!!
Nik: Unlike
Liz I think I’ve just been in this world too long to pick up on the “protein”
smell although I remember it from my bariatric youth! Another good reason to
get an opinion other than mine in the hat! I smelled the faint whiff of
raspberry and the sugary smell white chocolate seems to have.
As you can see there's lots of stuff in Quest bars! Good, natural stuff!
…Taste?
Liz: Quest
did a nice job with the taste on this bar.
The white chocolate and raspberry flavors shine through and give these
bars an almost cheesecake like flavor.
In fact, they would probably work in a pinch if you were craving a
cheesecake type snack or dessert, without the guilt!
My
only complaint would be that you still get that proteiney flavor on the back
end. I wish there was some way to mask
that!!
Nik: All
around I’m just not the biggest white chocolate fan. I’m just not. It tasted
fine. There was nothing wrong with it. But it always seems a tad sweet to me,
no matter where it shows up. I did like that there were REAL raspberries in
there. That’s been my experience with Quest. You get real food when you eat
Quest!
…Overall
Value?
Liz: After
searching the web it appears that these bars cost approximately $25 for a box
of 12 or around $2 when purchased separately.
In my opinion, that’s sort of a median price for me. A little more than I’d like to spend per bar,
but not so outrageous that I would avoid them like the plague.
Nik: I
think it’s a good value in that you get a good protein “bang for your buck.” I
am, of course, poor and thus rarely buy things that are so immediately finite
as protein bars (I tend toward protein powders) but it is noteworthy that I do
keep an emergency stash of Quest bars at the office and at home for when I “need
a little something.” (You guys know what I’m talking about…)
What’s the final verdict?
Liz: The
Quest White Chocolate Raspberry Protein Bars are a decent source of portable
protein at a pretty reasonable price. I wouldn’t recommend running out to grab one
right at this very moment, but I wouldn’t shy away from them either. If you’re
a fan of other Quest Protein Bars, you may absolutely LOVE these, but I prefer
some of their other flavors over this one. HOWEVER, my husband LOVED these bars
and pretty much inhaled what was left in my box after to two or three that I
ate.
Nik: Being
that I’m not really a White Chocolate person I’d probably opt for my old
stand-by’s BUT if you love White Chocolate this does, in fact, taste like White
Chocolate. It’s got real raspberries too! So if that’s your “thang” I’d say go
for it. It’s a good investment in quality protein at a not-bad-at-all price!
So there you have it! Quest White Chocolate Raspberry! If you'd like to order them, you can do so
here or
here, and both of those sales help keep Bariatric Foodie going!
FTC Disclosure: Bariatric Foodie, and its representative, were provided free samples of this product for the purpose of this product review. Although samples were provided, all Bariatric Foodie reviews are done in an unbiased manner and reflect the true and honest opinion of the reviewers. Any links contained within this post will direct readers to a different site where the products reviewed are available for purchase. A portion of any sales that proceed from those web links will be paid back to Bariatric Foodie.
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