Sofit Soya Milk - Chocolate

In my constant and futile bid to find 'healthy' chocolate, I sometimes buy things like the Sofit Chocolate Soya Milk. And halfway through my first glass, I always reach the conclusion that soy milk is sad indeed and my heart goes out to the lactose intolerant amongst us. However, the chocolate flavour seems to have become better of late or my taste buds are dying.

The change in taste may have something to do with the brand changing hands. Previously a Godrej brand, Sofit has been recently acquired by chocolate giant, Hershey's (India). In fact, Hershey's seems to have taken over two more brands most of us 80s/90s kids will be nostalgic about, viz. Jumpin and Nutrine Maha Lacto. Add to that the world-famous Hershey's syrups.

Coming back to Sofit, it's not all that bad when served chilled, but it cannot compare with good old fashioned chocolate milk. But it has loads of nutrients and health benefits, thanks to no zero cholesterol. It has very little fat too, but one ought to watch out for the sugar, of which there are copious amounts.

Sofit comes in four other flavours, including Natural, Mango, Vanilla and Kesar-Pista, which are available in 200 ml and 1 lt Tetra packs. The 1 lt. pack costs INR 95 and has a shelf life of nine months.

It's a good option if you are lactose intolerant or are just trying to make somewhat healthier food choices.

RATING: 3/5

Clif Energy bar - Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch

I'm not a fan of cereal bars, with the exception of Nature Valley Crunchy Oats & Dark Chocolate Granola Bars, but I couldn't resist the absolutely beautiful package design of this product. Besides, who can say nay when words like chocolate chip and peanut are floating before their eyes? So I picked up this Clif Energy bar from my trusty supermarket, Ratna Stores at Maitri Park, Chembur. These bars came all the way to Chembur from the US of A, where Clif Bar & Company make a host of organic health foods.

The company was set up by Gary Erickson in 1992 and is headquartered in Emeryville, California. Erickson got the idea of the flagship product, a basic health bar, in 1990 during a day-long bike ride. Back in those days, there were hardly any good energy bars and Erickson decided to make his own, starting his experiments in his mom's kitchen. Happy with his formula, he set up the company and named it Clif after his father, Clifford. The rock climber illustration, which is used to this day, was made by his friend, Doug Gilmore, on a napkin over dinner in San Francisco. Wikipedia cites, "in the the first year itself, sales of CLIF Bar exceeded $700,000, fueled primarily by strong sales in bike shops and the growth of the healthy and natural foods movement."

Today, the brand is highly popular not just for its products but also its CSR activities and commitment to organic foods. Clif Bar & Company produces a hot of products today, including nutrition bars for kids, protein bars for body builders, granola bars, fruit & nut bars and special bars for women. The Clif Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Energy Bar is one among their popular categories.

The bar comprises organic brown rice syrup, soy protein isolate, rice flour, barley malt extract, organic rolled oats, organic peanut butter, chocolate chips, cocoa butter and peanuts among other things. The taste of peanut/peanut butter comes through, but the barely-there chocolate chips don't do anything for the bar. The consistency is sticky-soft and the taste is moderately sweet. However, it isn't tasty (as is the case with all healthy foods), and has that unmistakable cardboard-like flavour that raw oats tend to have. Don't ask me when I ate cardboard.

But the taste wasn't the only turn off. Price at an eye-watering INR 210, the 68g bar is hardly affordable for everyday consumption. I would have liked to try their double chocolate bar, but I think it's way too expensive.

RATING: 2.5/5

Gold Standard Extreme Milk Chocolate Whey Protein

Page after web page has been written about the quality and performance of Gold Standard Whey Proteins, and I am a noob as far as fitness nutrition goes. But I feel compelled to write this review simply because of the chocolate angle.

I've been working out religiously for over a year now and I much prefer weight training to cardio (actually, I hate cardio). And since my trainer could not get me to do cardio or diet with any seriousness, he gently pushed me towards the path of protein supplements. I was very skeptical like all beginners, wondering if the supplements would bulk me up. But my trainer assured me that all it would do is build muscle quickly, thus helping me raise my metabolism and burn fat. There was also the question of price; I didn't feel very comfortable investing 6K on something I wasn't very sure about. 

Gold Standard is a product of American company, Optimum Nutrition Inc. (better known as ON), which, in turn, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Glanbia - a leading international cheese and nutritional ingredients group. After reading up a little about it online, I bought a 5 kg jar of Gold Standard Extreme Milk Chocolate Whey Protein, wanting to see what the fuss was all about. The world's best-selling whey couldn't be bad, eh?

I picked the Extreme Milk Chocolate flavour as the safest bet, not knowing what to expect of a protein supplement. But Gold Standard has more than 24 flavours, including unconventional ones like rocky road, root beer float, vanilla chai, and eggnog, besides many fruity flavours. There are variations in chocolate, like chocolate creme, chocolate malt, chocolate mint, double rich chocolate, and mocha cappuccino.

The powder is of a fine flour-like consistency, and the jar has a measuring scoop to help you define portions. A heaped scoop is about 30 g and considered the ideal portion size, especially after a heavy workout. One can have it either with water or milk (preferably low-fat); I've been told to have with with water to minimise fat intake. The powder mixes easily with both water or milk, provided you use a shaker. The label on the jar says it can be mixed well with a spoon too, but I've found it rather difficult.

When mixed only with water, the concoction looks dark brown and is thick, chocolaty, and rather sweet. It definitely tastes better with milk, like a chocolate milk shake would. It is a little creamy and is much more palatable than the water solution. However, one gets used to the water mix as well, due to the overall good taste of the product. From what I read on the Internet, I should find it difficult to appreciate other cheaper brands because I've started with what most call the best in the market. I reckon it is.


RATING 4/5

Bagrry's Choco Delight Healthy Crunch Multi Grain Breakfast Cereal

For a long time, the consumer of breakfast cereal in India had two polar opposite choices. Either you bought the humble Mohun's Cornflakes by the kilo or you cringed at the prices when buying Kelloggs' products. With Bagrry's India Limited, a middle ground has opened up, with the consumer getting a lot more quality and variety in affordable prices. Bagrry's has a range of products including oats, muesli, bran and bran-fortified cornflakes that all come in sugar and 'no added sugar' varieties.

I'm not a great fan of breakfast cereal, but I've had Bagrry's products before and found them satisfying in terms of taste, quality, packaging and price. I recently picked up a refill box (available in large jars as well).of their Choco Delight Healthy Crunch Multi-Grain Breakfast Cereal that additionally has almonds, raisins and ah, CHOCOLATE!

For those who like their breakfast chocolatey, this is an excellent alternative to the sweet, sugary chocolate cereals one finds in the market. Yes, it is not as tasty, and may not appeal to kids as much, but it is so much healthier. Because it has chocolate (9.3%), there is some amount of  sugar (6.2 g/100 g), but as you see, the quantity is not alarming. The chocolate taste is just enough and more than the cereal, you feel it in the residues left behind in the milk.

A 425 g refill pack costs INR 170 and will give you approximately 15 servings. It's a fair deal, I think.

RATING: 3.5/5