For the Crazy Calorie Queens

Often while in the midst of wandering aimlessly in the grocery aisle, an appealing product draws your attention with vibrant images of decadent fruits and flashy titles claiming to be a "healthy snack" and "low in calories." Immediately, you drop the box in your awaiting buggy. Does this sound familiar?

However, what exactly are calories? To the majority of the population, higher calorie content signifies a greater consumption, resulting in fat gain. So the less you consume, the skinnier you will be right? Wrong.  In reality, calories are merely a unit of energy with the conversion rate of 1 calorie per 0.004184 kilojoules. These calories that we consume consist of the three macronutrient building blocks of our body, carbohydrates (1 gram=4 calories), fats (1 gram=9 calories) and proteins (1 gram=4 calories.)


I was once a crazy calorie queen. However, now that number is insignificant to me because it is replaced by the source of the calorie, the nutrients of the ingredients. Upon first glance, the "healthy" 190 calorie Mixed Berry Nature Valley Greek Yogurt Protein Bar is appealing with the various fruits, assortment of nuts and the coat of greek yogurt; however, one look at the nutrition label will shatter this faux-facade.

Mixed Berry Greek Yogurt Protein Bar. N.d. Photograph. General MillsWeb. 24 Mar 2014. <http://www.naturevalley.com/Snack-Bars/MixedBerryGreekYogurtProteinBar>.

Evan, Amos. Oh-Henry-Split. 2010. Photograph.
Wikipedia the Free EncyclopediaWeb. 25 Mar 2014. 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oh-Henry-Split.jpg>.

With 11 whopping grams of sugar, it consists of over a quarter of the bar and has almost the same amount as a snack-size Oh Henry! chocolate. After inspecting the nutrition table, I will glance over at the ingredients. The components descend in the list by predominance and weight. In  this granola bar, sugar is the third highest ranked in the list followed closely by corn syrup and high maltose corn syrup with are both different forms of unhealthy sugars. At the very bottom of the list are the fruits, blueberries and cranberries. The calories from this "nutrition" bar derive from nuts, but also a large portion from sugars and modified oils such as palm kernel and palm oil. Nature Valley isn't so natural after all. An alternative to this snack could be my personal favorite indulgence, a creamy greek yogurt parfait topped with a generous layer of blueberries and a sprinkle of chopped nuts. However, if you are in search of a quick on-the-go bite, I recommend Kashi Granola Bars which are made of wholesome all natural ingredients and can be purchased for a low price at any Costco store.

So next time you are tempted by a product, check the back label before making the purchase and you will be undoubtedly shocked with some of the information companies discreetly hide from the customer. So to all the crazy calorie queens, hopefully you will convert yourselves into nutty nutrition label nuisances!

For more information on calorie counting, visit the website http://www.policymic.com/articles/57555/5-common-misconceptions-about-counting-calories which will unmask all the common misconceptions.