Slim-Fast bar Peanut Butter Crunch TimeReading a health newsletter, it recommended the 100-calorie Slim Fast Bars especially Peanut Butter Crunch Time. Not only do I love almost anything peanut butter, but also Butterfinger. It reported these taste like Butterfinger. Sold!

It tastes like Butterfinger all right.

The disappointment of the smaller sized bar lasted until I took that first bite. I wanted more, but I had the satisfaction knowing I didn’t give in to one of the worst “fun size” candy bars according to the folks behind Eat This! Not That! The authors write, “By calling it ‘fun,’ food marketers are cleverly pulling your attention away from the fact that candy bars are flab-inducing logs of concentrated fats and sugars. And Butterfinger is the worst offender — there’s no quicker way to swallow 100 calories.”

100 calories in a fun size. Now you know those fun sizes have barely more than two bites. Slim Fast’ version has at least four good bites for the same amount of calories. The fun size runs wider while Slim-Fast is narrower and a little longer and gives you only 2g more. Something’s amiss.

And there it is. Reading the nutrition information reveals the first two ingredients: sugar and corn syrup. Not good. Plus, no fiber and a teeny bit of protein. Filling, not really. My stomach wanted a more substantial snack. Compare the nutrition info on the Slim-Fast Peanut Butter Crunch Time Snack Bar to a fun size Butterfinger and you don’t feel much better. Slim-Fast has a tad less fat, but more sugars. What in the world prompted Slim-Fast to make this product when having a small Butterfinger barely makes a difference? It’s all this info that shoots the score way down in an otherwise tasty bar.

I looked at the numbers for the other flavors. Chocolate Mint contains less sugars and 3g of fiber. In general, I found most contain less sugars and some a little less fat, but not a big difference. The chocolate mint is the only one to have over 2g fiber. Don’t know if I will try any other 100-calorie bars. I guess Slim-Fast hoped people will buy because of the brand and what it supposedly represents. This time, it doesn’t have the numbers to back up its brand.

Nutrition facts: 100 calories, 3.5g total fat, 1.5g sat fat, 70mg sodium, 16g carbs, 13g sugars and 1g protein.

Verdict

**½