In May, I wrote a post about nutrition and exercise. With all the energy products on the market — cubes, goo, drinks, bars and more — it gets pretty confusing. In June, I received samples of two products from CalNaturale, you guessed it, an organic and all-natural food company based in California. Yesterday, I wrote a product review of CalNaturale wines. Today, it’s all about their super-tasty energy drink, Svelte.
So here’s my take on Svelte:
1. With A Name Like Svelte, It Can’t Be Fattening, Right? When I first got the Svelte samples, I thought “These are huge! There’s too much in here and whatever good I’ve just done running or biking will be totally negated.”
Once I’d finished making a snap judgment, I looked at the label. Each 15.9 ounce serving (one Tetra Pak) has 260 calories, 10 grams of fat, 35 grams of carbs and 16 grams of protein. That is not a bad ratio and actually not that many more calories than other energy drinks and bars. What’s more, thanks to the soy milk base there is about twice as much protein as in many comparable products. Svelte is also sweetened with stevia, a low-calorie, natural plant extract which helps cut empty calories.
But How Does It Taste? In a word, delicious. My family sampled the four Svelte flavors and we LOVED them. We tried Chocolate, French Vanilla, Cappuccino and Spiced Chai. Each of these drinks was rich, thick and delicious served over ice. We also blended half a package of chocolate with a banana and ice and made an out-of-this-world breakfast smoothie. Blending the banana with French Vanilla Svelte was also delicious, but couldn’t top the banana-chocolate combination.
What About Value? CalNaturale prices Svelte at $2.99 per 15.9 ounce container, but I’ve found it for less at Natural Grocers. Even so, that is a bit pricey for me. But what I quickly learned is that we neither wanted nor needed 15.9 ounces of energy/recovery drink. Poured over ice, 1/2 of the package was a generous serving and totally satisfying. Half the calories and half the price per serving: that, I like!
What Else? On a totally superficial note, I love the packaging. How can you not like a rich chocolate drink that comes in a Tetra Pak with the words “hello beautiful” on the front? I mean, really: who can pass it up? The other great thing about the Tetra Pak is that they are reclosable (perfect for storing the other half you’re saving for tomorrow), crushable when they’re empty and recyclable in some locations.
In addition, Svelte is all-natural, low-glycemic, non-dairy, cholesterol- and gluten-free, and certified kosher. Something (or rather lack of some things) for everyone!
Giveaway Details
To win four 15.9 ounce packages of Svelte (one in each flavor), please leave your name and/or a comment below. For an extra entry follow Svelte on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest and let me know that you did. This giveaway is sponsored by CalNaturale and open only to residents of the United States.
One winner will be chosen in a random drawing on Thursday, August 9th at 8:00 a.m. MDT.
Good luck!
To facilitate these posts on CalNaturale wines and Svelte, I was provided with full-size samples of the products. In addition, CalNaturale is providing 4 packages of Svelte as a giveaway prize. As always, all opinions are my own and are exactly what I would tell me friends and family.
This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Amelia!
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Nancy Kubik says
Bet these would be great for swim meets!
braveskimom says
So great for swim meets! And since they are reclosable, the entire drink doesn’t have to go down at once! Thanks.
keith Bare says
Winner winner!! Or is that WINTER WINTER!!
braveskimom says
Winter winner? Thanks!
Jordan D says
These would be great for me to drink in between my two hour-long yoga classes on Saturday mornings!
jordan.dunne21 (at) gmail (dot) com
braveskimom says
It would be perfect! Enjoy.
Jordan D says
Oh, and I follow Svelte on facebook, twitter, and pinterest 🙂
braveskimom says
Thanks!
Karen Casey says
good info – will give them a second try!
braveskimom says
I hope the second try is the charm! Thanks.
Amelia says
Thanks for introducing me to another great product! My curiosity is piqued! 🙂
braveskimom says
I think you’d like them, especially after running. Like I said, one is big and you don’t need the entire thing, so they end up being more economical than you’d think. Don’t forget the ice!
Thanks.
Tt says
Awesome Giveaway! I would love to win this!!
braveskimom says
Thanks for commenting! Good luck.