Being on the Atkins diet means that you aren’t going to be able to have many of the foods that you have become accustomed to eating. They do sell snack food that is low in carbs and filled with vitamins. You can have those without cheating on your diet. What do they taste like? I decided to find out.
One of the things I liked about the Atkins diet is that is emphasizes using real, fresh, whole, food. You cannot go to the grocery store and buy frozen Atkins dinners, because they do not exist. The only prepacked food that Atkins makes are snack items.
I wanted to try some of them for two reasons. One, I wanted to know if they were any good. Two, these snacks looked like the type of food I was used to before I started the diet.
Atkins snack foods are located in the diet section of the pharmacy. All of them have the number of net carbs that the food contains listed very clearly on the packaging. It is very obvious that these foods are Atkins brand. If your diet is a secret, then don’t use these foods at work.
So far, I have tried three different flavors of the Atkins Advantage bars, and two different flavors of the Atkins Advantage shakes. I’ve mostly had good results. What follows is a quick review of my thoughts about each variety that I have tried, (so far).
Atkins Advantage Chocolate Chip Granola Bar
These taste good. I was concerned there would be a “vitaminy” taste to it, but that is not the case at all. To me, these tasted just like the granola bars I was eating before I started the diet. There are plenty of chocolate chips. The package the bars come in appears small, but I ended up being full when I ate this for a snack.
Atkins Advantage Caramel Double Chocolate Crunch Bar
These taste fantastic! The outside is coated in a chocolate that is thick enough to flake off. The caramel and the crunch part work together well. It felt like I was eating a candy bar. These bars are great for when you are having a chocolate craving that just won’t go away.
Atkins Advantage Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut Crunch Bar
I am less pleased with this variety. They taste good, but are really sticky and gooey. The packaging stuck to the bar more than I would have liked.
The Atkins Ready to Drink Shakes come in a package of four. Each one is in a square, cardboard, box, that you drink directly out of. They seem small, but have eleven ounces if liquid in them. To me, it felt like the right amount. The Dark Chocolate Royale Shakes are excellent. They blend well when you shake them, and taste nice and chocolatey.
I was disappointed with the one Vanilla Shake I have tried. The actual taste was good, but the texture was horrible. It was clumpy, and I couldn’t get it to blend into something drinkable no matter what I did. Perhaps the other three in the package will be better.
Image by Ayelie on Flickr