Stats: Cal 5/ Carb 1g/ Sugars 1g/ Caffeine 30 mg/ Serving Size 8 fl. oz (2 servings per 16.9 fl. oz bottle)/ Available at Whole Foods and Target

Cost: $1.29 - $1.59

Review:

Function Light Weight is a drink that is supposed to help you burn calories. It is “created by physicians” and uses some kind-of formula to help speed up your metabolism.  It has EGCG which is a green tea extract and gymnema extra that reduces the number of calories that you take in.  There is even a red wine extract (resveratrol) to increase energy production.  

The taste isn’t too bad.  I’ve definitely had worse.  But it tastes like a diet drink, frankly.  It’s actually pretty sweet and not as watered down as other diet drinks.  And one good thing: there are no perservatives,.

Pros:

• supposed to burn calories and increase metabolism
• tastes alright

Stats:  Cal 100/Fat 0g/Carb 24g/Protein 0g/Sugars 12g/Fiber 0g/Serving size 3 pieces

Flavors:  Black Cherry, Cola, Cran Razz, Lemon Lime, Margarita, Orange, Pina Colada Strawberr

Cost:  $1.95 per package (6 in each package)

Review:

This was a new product for me, having never needed them in any of my extracurricular activities before.  I packed them for a long walk and found them quite easy to grab and scarf down.  They are pretty tasty and the texture is unique - they are little little square “bloks” of Jello, only not as soft as Jello.  They come in several flavors, my favorite being the black cherry.

One word of caution: they do contain caffeine and I learned the hard way not to eat them on an empty stomach because I quickly got a caffeine buzz which was hard to shake.  Other than that, they are a great, portable burst of energy when you need some help during a long workout. 

Pros:

• Easy to carry and eat
• Tasty
• Made from mostly organic ingredients (Organic Brown Ricy Syrup, Organic evaporated cane juice, Organic sunflower oil, etc.)

Cons:

• Seemed a lot of calories for three little pieces, but maybe that’s the idea

Website:  www.clifbar.com

Rating:  4 Stars

Stats: Serving Size: Calories 130/Fat 5g/Sugars 7g/Fiber 4g/Carb 21g/Protein 2g

Flavors:  Happy Trail Mix, Oatmeal Dark Chocolate, Oatmeal Raisin Flax

Cost: $2.59

Review:  

I think that as long as you eat these cookies with the idea that they are just are not really cookies, then you’ll be okay.  They actually make me think of eating trail mix, which might be where they got the name.  They are definitely not a replacement for traditional cookies, but rather are a healthy version of a cookie.

The taste is actually quite good, I especially like the ones with nuts.  And they definitely have a lot of fiber which makes them healthy and good for you too.  Given the “natural” feel of them, I think they are not too bad.  In fact, I have been known to eat more than just one!

Pro’s:

• Tasty
• Healthy/Nutritious 
• Low calories