Kick Those Girl Scouts To The Curb And Say “We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Cookies”!
Written: May 12 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Exceptional taste, great for Zone Diet people, inexpensive.
Cons: So good, you might not be able to stop munching on these!
The Bottom Line: Looking for the perfect blend of chocolate and mint? Look no further than the Zone Perfect Chocolate Mint bar.
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| Freak369's Full Review: |
That’s right! No more waiting all year long to see the little girls in green pandering their cookies on the sidewalk – nope – this freak now has a year round chocolate and mint connection. For a long time I’ve purchased the Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies and hit them around the house, seeing as how they only sell them for a short period of time, I like to stock up when I can. Well, after I took my first bite of the Zone Perfect Chocolate Mint bar, I realized that my obsessive days of purchasing about ten boxes are long gone. Now I can walk in to Target or Wal-Mart and purchase a bar or two and satisfy my craving for the delicious chocolate and mint combination. If you have tried other flavors in this series of bars and liked the overall taste, this is one flavors that you have to check out. I would even go so far as to say this – if someone handed you this bar outside the wrapper – you would have a hard time guessing it was a ‘nutrition’ bar over a candy bar.
What Is It?
First off, this isn’t a meal replacement bar; if that is what you are looking for, pick something that will give you more in exchange for the calories and carbohydrates you’ll be ingesting. One of the main reasons I purchased this bar was to try out the flavor combination of mint and chocolate, not having much luck with the Zone Perfect Chocolate Raspberry Supreme I wasn’t sure how this one would go down, but after eating more than I should have I can honestly say that these are great! I highly suggest these bars for anyone that is looking for a balanced between meal snack, looking to avoid regular candy bars or doing a dedicated Zone diet.
For those not familiar with the Zone Diet, here is a little background about the basics of the diet. The Zone Diet consists of a food plan of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat. For me, these bars are far too high in carbohydrates for me to eat on a regular basis but I do have them on my cheat days of when taking a break from a ketosis cycle. For those doing the Zone Diet, these bars allow you the chance to even out weak spots in your daily diet and help stay on track when you are feeling run down, need something sweet or are bored with the same snacks.
Taste
I’ll admit it, the first bite of the Zone Perfect Chocolate Mint bar reminded me of the Thin Mint cookies that the Girl Scouts sell. That is the total and complete truth – so if you are addicted to these once a year treats, here is a somewhat healthy option to get your fix. I’m not sure if the mint flavor is added to the chocolate or hidden right under it – but the blending of the two is excellent! There is a nice crunch to the bar, something that will help when you are extremely hungry or want something to hold you over until your next meal. There isn’t a nasty aftertaste but you will have the minty flavor in your mouth for about ten to fifteen minutes. Out of all of the bars from Zone, this has to be one of the best chocolate coated ones I’ve tried so far and my boys whole heartedly agree. Anyone that likes the combination of mint and chocolate should most definitely give this bar a try.
Nutritional Values
Listed on the wrapper are all the nutritional values that you will need to know before you consume this. If you are building a certain type of diet, it is important to look at what you will be getting from the calories, carbohydrates and fat as well as the vitamins and minerals. This bar will provide you with 80% of the RDA [recommended daily allowance] of selenium and chromium, 50% zinc and 200% of Vitamin B6. On the low side is calcium at 2% and iron at 10%. As I mentioned earlier, even though this supplies some of the RDA of vitamins and minerals, this shouldn’t be used as a meal replacement bar. The Zone Perfect Chocolate Mint bar has enough calories [210] and carbohydrates [22 grams] to hold you over until you can eat a complete and well-balanced meal but shouldn’t be a substitute for one.
Ingredients
Soy protein nuggets, corn syrup, chocolate coating, milk protein isolate, cocoa butter, sunflower oil, xanthan gum, natural flavor, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, magnesium oxide, ascorbyl palmitate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, fish oil, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, thiamin mononitrate, chromium chloride, folic acid, sodium selenite, sodium molybdate, biotin, cholecalciferol, cyanocobalamin.
Since sunflower oil is listed in the ingredients those that have allergies to any type of peanut should avoid this bar unless this particular product is something that will not effect you. You’ll also see a warning on the package that states “ May contain traces of peanuts. For further information about the ingredients of this bar, feel free to visit the official website at www.zoneperfect.com.
The Bottom Line
This is one of the best tasting bars in the Zone Perfect series and really helps to keep your cravings under control. When I first tried it I knew that it would be a weakness so I didn’t pick up a ton of them. Thanks to the brood and their love of them, I keep a few of them on hand when they get the munchies but I limit these to cheat days or when I need something sweet. In case you are curious about how this bar stacks up against the Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies – I did a little checking and here is what I found. If you try to break it down so that both of them are 50 grams this is the result [Girl Scout Thin Mints are based on eating 4 cookies / 31 grams so I divided the values and added them to the original content]. Calories: Thin Mints: 240 grams Zone Bar: 210. Carbohydrates: Thin Mints: 30 grams Zone Bar: 22 grams. Fat: 12.5 grams Zone Bar: 7 grams. So it’s pretty clear that the Zone Bar is better to chow down on than the Girl Scout Thin Mints and I can say this in all honesty – these two aren’t identical in taste but it’s the closest you’ll be able to find without going off the scale in the calorie, carbohydrate and fat scale.
For more information about the Zone Perfect bars or diet, please visit the official website at www.zoneperfect.com. You can also call the toll free number for assistance in finding a retailer in your area that sells these – [800] 666-6830
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
The Stats
Complete Name: Zone Perfect Bar Chocolate Mint
Expiration Date: Yes, clearly labeled on the inside bottom flap.
Serving Size: 1 bar, 50 grams
Calories: 210
Carbohydrates: 22 grams
Protein: 16 grams
Price: $1.09
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Zone Perfect reviews …
Zone Perfect Fudge Graham Cracker
Zone Perfect Chocolate Raspberry Supreme
Zone Perfect Apple Cinnamon Crunch
Zone Perfect Nutrition Bar
Recommended:
Yes
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