Are Think! protein bars healthy? This Think protein bar dietitian review will help you decide if Think protein bars are a healthy addition to your grocery cart. Read on for our dietitian review of taste, nutritional properties, ingredients, use, and cost before you buy.
About Think! Protein bars
Think! Protein bars are low-sugar bars with 20g of protein from soy and milk protein. They are advertised as “a multipurpose nutritional bar that can go from an energy-boosting snack to a meal replacement when paired with a piece of fruit”. Think! Protein Bars are available in four flavors in Canada, and eight flavors in the U. S.
Canadian flavors: Creamy Peanut Butter, Brownie Crunch, Chunky Peanut Butter, and Lemon Delight.
American flavors: Creamy Peanut Butter, Brownie Crunch, Chunky Peanut Butter, Lemon Delight, Chocolate Fudge, Cookies and Cream, White Chocolate, and Chocolate Mint.
Think! Protein Bar Ingredients
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| Brownie Crunch | PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, WATER, ALMOND BUTTER, COCOA BUTTER, ALKALIZED COCOA, CHOCOLATE, SUNFLOWER OIL, LECITHIN, SODIUM, CASEINATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, TAPIOCA STARCH, MILK FAT, SALT. |
| Chocolate Fudge | PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, ALMOND BUTTER, WATER, COCOA BUTTER, CHOCOLATE, ALKALIZED COCOA, SUNFLOWER OIL, NATURAL FLAVOR. LECITHIN, SODIUM CASEINATE, MILK FAT, SALT |
| Chunky Peanut Butter | PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, PEANUTS, WATER, COCOA BUTTER, SUNFLOWER OIL, CHOCOLATE, PEANUT FLOUR, PEANUT OIL, LECITHIN, SODIUM CASEINATE, SALT, TAPIOCA STARCH, MILK FAT, NATURAL FLAVOR. |
| Cookies and Creme | PROTEIN BLEND (WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, PALM KERNEL OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, WATER, ALKALIZED COCOA, UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE, LECITHIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT. |
| Creamy Peanut Butter | PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, PEANUT BUTTER, WATER, COCOA BUTTER, CHOCOLATE, PEANUT FLOUR, SUNFLOWER OIL, PEANUT OIL, LECITHIN, SODIUM CASEINATE, SALT, MILK FAT, NATURAL FLAVOR. |
| Lemon Delight | PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, ALMOND BUTTER, PALM KERNEL OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, LECITHIN, TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT, ASCORBIC ACID, CITRIC ACID. |
| White Chocolate | PROTEIN BLEND (SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, CALCIUM CASEINATE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE), MALTITOL SYRUP, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, ALMOND BUTTER, WATER, PALM KERNEL OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, NATURAL FLAVOR, LECITHIN, TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT. |
| Chocolate Mint | Protein Blend (Soy Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate), Maltitol Syrup, Glycerin, Cocoa Powder (Processed With Alkali), Water, Almond Butter, Cocoa Soy Crisp (Soy Protein Isolate, Alkalized Cocoa Powder, Tapioca Starch), Palm Kernel Oil, Sunflower Oil, Casein, Sunflower And/Or Soy Lecithin, Coconut Oil, Natural Flavor, Unsweetened Chocolate, Salt, Steviol Glycosides, Peppermint Oil. |
Protein blend: soy protein, calcium caseinate (type of milk protein), whey protein (type of milk protein)
Maltitol Syrup: type of sugar alcohol created from sugar. Sugar alcohols are added to low-sugar products as a non-sugar sweetener. They can have a laxative effect if consumed in high doses.
Vegetable Glycerin: produced by hydrolysis of fats and oils. Glycerin has many uses as a food ingredient, including as a sweetener, bulking agent or filler, hydrating agent, and solvent.
Almond Butter: made by puréeing almonds.
Cocoa Butter: the fat that is removed from cocoa beans during processing.
Cocoa: unsweetened form of chocolate. This is the leftover part of the cocoa bean after the cocoa butter has been removed.
Chocolate: added for flavor.
Sunflower Oil: oil from sunflower seeds that is rich in oleic acid (omega-9).
Lecithin: used as an emulsifier to help fats blend with other ingredients. Read more about lecithins in our Lecithin Ingredient Review here.
Sodium caseinate: binder, emulsifier, and stabilizing agent.
Natural flavor: this is a blanket term for any combination of extracts from plant or animal products. Check out our blog post, What are Natural Flavors and Should you Avoid them?, for more information on natural flavors.
Tapioca starch: a gluten-free flour from the cassava plant. Used as a binding and thickening agent in foods.
Milk fat: fat isolated from milk.
Salt: added source of sodium for flavor.
Think! Protein Bar Nutrition Facts
| Brownie Crunch | Chocolate Fudge | Chunky Peanut Butter | Cookies and Creme | Creamy Peanut Butter | Lemon Delight | White Chocolate | Chocolate Mint | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 230 | 230 | 240 | 230 | 230 | 230 | 230 | 230 |
| Fat (g) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Saturated Fat (g) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Sodium (mg) | 190 | 190 | 220 | 200 | 260 | 230 | 200 | 200 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| Fiber (g) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Sugar (g) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Protein (g) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Potassium (mg) | 170 | 150 | 130 | 90 | 110 | 110 | 100 | 170 |
| Calcium (mg) | 120 | 110 | 120 | 110 | 130 | 90 | 110 | 120 |
| Iron (mg) | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 3.3 |
The nutrition facts below are based on the Brownie Crunch flavor, with the range of other flavors in parenthesis. Always check product packaging for the most up to date nutrition and ingredient information before consuming.
Calories: 230 (230-240)
Fat: 8g (7-10g) from almond butter, cocoa butter, and sunflower oil.
Saturated fat: 3g (3-4.5g) from cocoa butter, almond/peanut butter, and palm oil (only some flavors).
Sodium: 190mg (190-260mg) from added salt.
Carbohydrate: 23g (22-24g) from tapioca starch.
Fiber: 1g (0-2g) from trace amounts of fiber found in tapioca starch, nuts, and other ingredients.
Sugar: 0g
Protein: 20g from soy and milk proteins.
Other nutrients: potassium 170mg (90-170mg), calcium 120mg (90-130mg), iron 2mg (1-3mg).
Priority allergens:
Contains tree nuts (almond), milk, and soy. Manufactured in a facility that also processes other tree nuts, milk, and eggs. Always check the product label for up-to-date nutrient and ingredient information before consuming.
Cost
Think! High Protein Bars are available for $13.97 CAD for a 5-pack or $20.49 USD for a 12-pack.
Think! Protein Bar Dietitian Review Continued
Are Think! Protein Bars Healthy?
We gave Think! Protein bars a score of 50 out of 100 (note: protein bars generally score lower than other snack foods due to the use of more processed ingredients). From a macronutrient perspective, Think! bars are a source of unsaturated fats, are high in protein, and low in sugar. On the negative side, they are high in saturated fat and low in fiber.
To make up for the low sugar content, Think! bars contain 11g of maltitol per bar, a sugar alcohol and a non-sugar sweetener. Compared to sugar, maltitol contributes about half of the calories per gram and has a lower glycemic index. However, it can cause adverse gastrointestinal side effects in some individuals, especially those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. See more about maltitol in my maltitol review here.
As far as the other ingredients go, a positive is that peanuts or almond butter are the main source of fat in these bars, both of which are minimally processed ingredients. The exception here is the Cookies N’ Cream flavour, which lists vegetable oils as the main source of fat. Think! protein bars contain some additives such as emulsifiers and stabilizers, however, they contain fewer additives and ultra-processed ingredients than many other bars on the market.
Bottomline:
Overall, Think! protein bars have a suitable macronutrient profile. Although they contain some ultra-processed ingredients, they appear less processed than other low-sugar protein bars on the market. As long as maltitol is well tolerated, Think! protein bars can be a suitable low-sugar protein bar option for occasional use.
Think! Protein Bar Dietitian Review – Frequently Asked Questions
Are Think! Protein bars gluten-free?
Yes, Think protein bars are gluten-free. Always check the product label for up to date nutrition and ingredient information before consuming.
Are Think! Protein bars keto?
Think! Protein bars contain 15-18g of net carbohydrates per bar and are not considered keto.
Are Think! Protein bars vegan?
No, Think! bars contain milk products and are not considered vegan.
Are Think! Protein bars nut-free?
Think! bars contain both tree-nuts and peanuts.
How much protein is in Think! Protein bars?
Think! protein bars have 20g of protein per bar.
Are Think! Protein bars low-carb?
Think! Protein bars contain 15-18g of net carbohydrates per bar which is considered a moderate amount.
Sugar in Think! Protein bars.
Think! protein bars have zero grams of sugar and are sweetened with the non-sugar sweetener Maltitol. Note: Though maltitol has a lower glycemic index than sugar, it does still impact blood sugars.
Related Posts:
- Sugar Free Protein Bars you Can Buy at the Grocery Store
- Are Quest Bars Healthy? Dietitian Review
- Are RXBARs Healthy? Dietitian Review
Additional Sources:
- O’Donnell, K., & Kearsley, M. W. (2012). Sweeteners and sugar alternatives in food technology (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
- Glycerin, Technical Evaluation Report, USDA (2013).
- Bob’s Redmill, What is Tapioca Flour & Where Does it Come from? (2022).
- Sodium Caseinate, Health Canada (2023).
