A few months ago someone pointed out to me that Nutrigrain bars have 52 ingredients. That’s not food, that’s a chemistry experiment!
I took a look for myself to confirm the observation, and then counted that eight, yes eight!, of those ingredients were different names for sugar. I suspect that if you added them all up together, the term “sugar” might have to be the first ingredient. You have to admit that the marketing team came up with a great name, Nutrigrain, but that’s where the attraction ends for me.
Luckily, I’m not the only one who’s noticed how nutritionally bankrupt these kinds of products are. You can find a beautiful “breakfast bar” recipe at the lovely blog Peas and Thank You if you’re so inclined. If you’re not so inclined, then you can just buy Lara bars, which have an ingredient list like this: dates, peanuts, cashews. That’s all, and that’s how you know it’s food:
#1 You could buy all those ingredients in the grocery store,
#2 You could figure out how to make it yourself if you wanted, and
#3 A six-year-old can pronounce all the ingredients.
I’ve included below an actual ingredient list for blueberry Nutrigrain bars so you can see for yourself what I’m talking about. I highlighted all the different kinds of names for sugar.
CRUST: WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SUNFLOWER AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, HONEY, DEXTROSE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEAT BRAN, SALT, CELLULOSE, POTASSIUM BICAR-BONATE (LEAVENING), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, MONO- AND DI-GLYCERIDES, PROPYLENE GLYCOL ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS, SOY LECITHIN, WHEAT GLUTEN, NIACINAMIDE, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, CARRAGEENAN, ZINC OXIDE, REDUCED IRON, GUAR GUM, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID.
FILLING: HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, BLUEBERRY PUREE CONCENTRATE, GLYCERIN, SUGAR, WATER, SODIUM ALGINATE, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, METHYL-CELLULOSE, CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MALIC ACID, RED #40, BLUE #1.
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If you’ve never been on “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, and you’re not sure where to start, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart on preventing diabetes and obesity in yourself and the ones you love!!
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