In an effort to keep eating and living healthily, I subscribed, on a whim, to VitalJuice, "a free daily e-mail that delivers the latest must-read information about fitness, nutrition, beauty and wellness." (Ok, yes, I might also be a bit beauty and wellness product-obsessed.)
One of the first emails I received was about a fabulous new snack: every sweet-tooth's dream, a healthy cookie.
I'll admit, I was intrigued. A "cookie" packed with omega 3s, fiber, and 8 different whole grains, including quinoa and rye? Wait a second, is this really a cookie? Or is this just a less-than-150-calories-per-snack-pack of ... crackers?
My curiosity lead me to the cookie and cereal aisle at Whole Foods a few days later where I selected the most cookie-sounding flavor out of their five options: Oatmeal Raisin. Apple Cinnamon would have been a close second, but my particular Whole Foods was out. The other choices? Cranberry, blueberry, or ... multigrain. Something about a multigrain cookie screams cardboard to me.
I might also add that there's no chocolate anywhere. Not even a trace. I'm still not convinced that if you're a cookie and you don't have chocolate (snickerdoodles and similar-tasting cookies excluded) that you're, indeed, a cookie. But I digress.
The next day at work — where my appetite for snacking is always at its height (and where my coworkers can openly mock my food, prompting much-needed, stress-relieving laughter) — I put the cookies to the test. Could they sate my mid-day cravings? Here's the low-down:
1. No high fructose corn syrup here. Evaporated cane juice only, and it's near the end of the ingredients list. (Yay!)
2. The packaging and copy is heavy with the term "natural" (i.e. Natural Goodness! and All-Natural Whole Grain Snacks!). This term has no validity and no explicit definition in the food industry — or in any industry, really. To me, this screams: Red flag! Red flag!
3. Thorough investigation of the box's fine print reveals that the World of Grains brand is actually distributed by Mars Health and Nutrition, a division of Mars Snackfood. Yes, the same people who bring you Snickers, M&Ms and Dove chocolate. Not sure how well that bodes.
4. They don't actually taste like cardboard. But they don't completely taste like cookies, either. I'd categorize them as healthy, sweet crackers (or maybe ... crookies?).
5. 130 calories is still 130 calories. Fruit and vegetables are always a better snack option no matter how healthy food marketers make you think their product is.
Bottom line: They're definitely no competitor to Ben's Cookies, my all-time favorite cookie, but if you're trying to cut back on your sugar intake and eat with a heightened conscience, but can't completely escape the hold cookies have on your eating psyche, these World of Grains snacks might be worth a try.
Image courtesy of worldofgrains.com