Slim Fast is the latest company to get hit by the 100 calorie bug. In an attempt to portion control and nutritionize (not a real word, I know) a delicious treat, Slim Fast has stuck five little caramel squares in a packet, and is marketing them as Slim Fast Protein Snack Chews. They are available in Peanut Butter and Caramel, which is the one that I tried.
Each "chew" measures is about 1 x 1 inch and comes individually wrapped in yellow paper, which really frightened me when I initially opened the package because I thought each chew was the unnatural yellow. It was very soft, not a tougher taffy which I actually would have preferred to make each piece last longer. It had a grainy texture and the flavor reminded me of a good cookie. I had only planned on only eating one, then I ate the next, and another, till I had powered through the whole pack in just a few minutes.
Nutritionally speaking, 1 serving of Slim Fast Caramel Protein Snack Chews (5 chews) will set you back 100 calories, 3.5 grams of total fat (5% of the recommended daily amount), 0.5 grams of saturated fat (3% of the RDA), 13 grams of total carbohydrates (6 grams from sugar, none from fiber) and a shockingly disappointing 6 grams of protein. That seems ridiculously low for something marketed as a protein product. Also, the chews contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil. While it is not a significant enough amount to add a gram of trans fat, it still will contain some!
On a more positive note, each pack does give you a good portion of many vitamins (10-15% depending on which one) and a really amazing 20% of you calcium needs. These are more calcium chews than protein chews it seems!
While I got them through a free sample, Amazon.com">Amazon.com has a case with 40 packs available for $31.19. Was it a good snack to try for free? Yes. It was a pretty good sweet fix in the moment. Is it a product I will keep in my pantry? Probably not until it hits the clearance shelves.