PRODUCT REVIEW: Hood Calorie Countdown Chocolate Milk

When it comes to cravings, I have learned that trying to ignore them can make you a bit nutty and even trigger a binge. It is often a better idea to find a way to calm the craving than to try and pretend it doesn't exist. One of my occasional cravings is for chocolate milk. With the high sugar content of regular chocolate milk, this is one of the things I had taken off the menu. I had tried to ignore the times I had cravings for chocolate milk and made myself some coco mocha instead. While it did help a bit, there is something about a super cold glass of chocolate milk that still made me want a glass every time I walked by the dairy section at the grocery store.

Imagine my surprise (and relief) when I saw this at my local Walmart! Did I now have a way to drive the chocolate milk craving out of my head without derailing my weight loss? Plus I had to wonder if the 60% fewer calories, 90% less sugar and 84% fewer carbohydrates than regular chocolate milk would mean it was an undrinkable mess. Since it was only $2.98 for a half gallon, I figured it was worth a try.

I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and creamy the texture was. The flavor was nice and chocolaty. It calmed my chocolate milk craving in no time flat. It is sweetened with Splenda and did have a bit of an artificial sweetener aftertaste. Someone new to Splenda may not like it, but as an artificial sweetener veteran, it wasn't too bothersome. I did notice that the aftertaste was less noticeable the colder the drink is (I am one of those weirdos who puts ice cubes in their milk...once I put the ice in and tasted the Hood chocolate drink again, the Splenda taste was less apparent).

The price isn't too bad for a specialty product and the texture is awesome. Other than the little Splenda twinge, this is a really good product. Next time you get a chocolate milk craving, you may want to give it a try.

Rating (out of 5 stars)
Product ****
Value ****