Carnation Breakfast Essentials Nutrition Bars, Chocolate, 1.76 Ounce (Pack of 15)

not like the orginal breakfast bars, but it's okay in a pinch. I won't be ordering them again though.

I'm not much of a health nut, and anything that can make my mornings easier is worth looking into, so I was quite happy to try one of these new breakfast bars from Carnation. As long as something fills me up and gives me energy, I'm not too fussy about its contents.Or so I thought. I have to admit that I find it rather disturbing that this "nutrition bar" is being marketed as healthy meal substitute for children. If I want to screw up my mornings with large doses of corn syrup and fake chocolate, so be it I'm an adult and I know better. But don't give it to kids. Even if they're getting Vitamin C and calcium each time they eat one of these bars, I don't think that benefit outweighs the fact that this bar is composed of sugars and starches and is rather a mockery of real food, and not all that beneficial at all.But like I said, I'm an adult and I know it's bad for me. So how was it? The flavor is OK, I guess. The bar itself is crunchy thanks to the soy crisps, and it's covered in a thin layer of mock-chocolate, so the bar reminds me of a souped-up Crunch bar. Perhaps not the best breakfast, but the sugar definitely perks me up. I'm more disappointed by the fact that the bar is pretty messy - the mockolate has a low melting point and little flakes of it tended to fly off the bar and melt onto whatever surface met first contact - the kitchen counter, my blouse, the tiled floor. So this is a no go for me. It doesn't taste bad but the flavor isn't so great that I'm willing to put up with the inconvenient messy factor and dubious nutritional claims.

This could have made a versatile nutrition bar, but why did they have to ruin it with Corn Syrup? Corn Syrup is the first ingredient in a very long list. It's nutritional schizophrenia to do this!One box has 15 individually wrapped bars. Each wrap has the nutritional information and the list of ingredients along with a "Best By" date written in human-readable format (for example 03-SEPT-14). The box is reclosable and if you treat it gingerly you can reuse after you finish these bars.The taste is good given this is a nutritional bar, not a dessert. An acceptable taste prevents one from eating more than one at a time. It has a mild crunch but nothing that could threaten dental work (eg fillings). The sugariness is there, especially if you don't usually eat corn syrupy products.Nutrition-wise, one bar is 200 calories with 7g fat (3g saturated), 10g protein, 24g carbs (2g fiber, 12g sugars), 220mg sodium (8% RDA), and all kinds of vitamins and minerals. The highest are 140% Vitamin C and 50% calcium and 40% phosphorus. The lowest is 10% for many items (including Iron). The list of ingredients is very long and it includes soy, peanuts, and milk.If it wasn't for the corn syrup, this would have made a versatile nutrition bar :(

So, the flavor is highly reminiscent of the Carnation bars of old...I'm talking 20 years ago. The texture is way more crispy, but not off-putting. The flavor IS a bit darker, like more cocoa, and I could see this being a bit on the strong side for kids. All in all, not bad, not great as a purely snack/meal replacement experience.On the nutrition side, the big thing is the 10g of Protein, and the 100% Vitamin C. Aside from that, my preferred Kashi chocolate almond bars have more nutrients, fewer calories, less fat, and taste better (IMHO). Those (light green box, found here on Amazon) have only 8g Protein, and 15% Vitamin C. Otherwise, more fiber, fewer calories, etc. etc.Boilerplate: for my money, I'll finish eating my Vine order, and can't really *complain*, but when it comes time to buy the next box, it'll be Kashi. It's mainly the fat, calories and fiber on the nutrition side, and the strong cocoa flavor on the 'experience' side of the comparison. If you liked the old Carnation bars from days of yore, and also dig a strong cocoa flavor, then these are definitely for you. They aren't bad, but I can't say I prefer them. They're way better than others in the category, and Vit C was particularly impressive, especially if you're thinking of maybe using them during winter or ILO drinking OJ in the morning...great idea, just too fudgey for me.

Carnation Breakfast Essentials Nutrition Bars, Chocolate, 1.76 Ounce (Pack of 15)  do have a little cocoa in the coating but do not really taste like chocolate. They have an odd, but not disagreeable, texture and are a bit too salty. The aftertaste is unpleasant.The nutrition numbers are decent. Compared to  Think Thin Crunch Mixed Nuts Bar (10x1.41 Oz)  for example, they have about the same number of calories, less fat, more sodium, similar amounts of protein, and substantially more carbohydrates. The first ingredient in the Carnation Breakfast Bar is corn syrup and there are a lot of chemicals with unpronounceable names in the ingredients list - not a good sign. There are far worse food choices out there, but there are also much better ones if you are looking for a high protein snack bar.

First, I agree with another three-star reviewer who said that these bars have a weird texture. It's not quite crunchy, but it's certainly not smooth, so if you're texture picky like I am you probably won't care for these too much.Taste-wise, again, they're 'good not great'. They definitely have a chocolatey taste at first, but the aftertaste isn't quite so pleasant. Not bad, just nothing to brag about.Nutrition-wise, these offer a good amount of protein and 100% of one's Vitamin C...but for me, all of that is outweighed by the 'main ingredient' - corn syrup. Really?! At about $1.21 per bar, I expect a bit better than that.

Close to the original from years back! I want more! Not available :(