She Says: Oh my Blog where have I been?
Just off filming some Academy Award caliber videos at Shop Rite. A disclaimer re: the videos – not planned. Mark is not going to like this because he believes in presenting your work with 100% confidence and fabulosity, but as an image conscious female I get to say what I want. So, we were driving over to the market and I said that if we had a video camera it would be cool to do a video post of us shopping for non-HFCS foods at a regular super market. Mark said we could use his camera to make videos and there you have it. Clearly Mark will shave and I will bathe before our next video shoot. Ya know, glam it up a bit for the audience.
Ok now. High Fructose Corn Syrup is in a lot of things.
I know I am a fairly health conscious eater. I shop at Whole Foods and try to get as many whole grains, fruits and vegetables into my diet as possible. I enjoy my bread and the daily occasional sweet treat. I also live with my mom and dad who buy the food and therefore, I have things like this in my house:
High Fructose Corn Syrup Ridden
Sometimes it’s hard not to reach for a handful of those graham bites or eat a veggie burger on a seemingly innocent whole wheat bun. And condiments – hfcs galore! So, I do have to be more aware of what is in what I eat this month.
That being said, my lunch for today is very safe. Salad w/ leftover bean and squash tofu on top, cucumber slices and an apple.
Coming and Going
On each leg of my NJ journey I ate a bar. Again, in an effort to keep track for myself which bars I like and how they keep me full, I am “reviewing” each bar here.
Odwalla Super Protein Bar (RI to NJ)
Nutrition Info: 230 cals, 4.5 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 170 mg Sodium, 200 mg Potassium, 4 g fiber, 16 g sugar, 16 g protein.
Texture: Kind of like a firm but chewy granola bar. Not soft. Not crunchy.
Fullness Factor: The soy protein keeps me full for hours.
Price: $1 at WF
Taste: It’s not too sweet and has a good overall (healthy) flavor.
Bonuses: This is one of my favorite bars. It’s big (62 g) and I love the texture. Many organic and natural ingredients (no artificial sweeteners or HFCS).
Overall: Good for me if I’m hungry and my next meal is a few hours away or good to eat half for a small snack. Eating half of this bar is totally feasible as it breaks in half easily and is not soooo tasty (like the below bar) that eating only half is a form of torture.
Cliff Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Bar (NJ to RI)
This is a cookie disguised as a bar.
I stole this from Mark for my drive home. I was excited because oatmeal cookies are my favorite cookie, but skeptical because I hate raisins in my cookies. Luckily, I was hungry and barely noticed the raisins.
Nutrition: 240 cals, 5 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 130 mg Sodium, 310 mg Potassium, 5 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 10 g protein.
Cost: Stolen from Mark who bought it in a box at Target.
Fullness Factor: Pretty good at keeping me full for 3 or so hours.
Texture: Chewy, very soft, grainy, wonderful. Lots of raisins and chopped walnuts. A little sticky.
Taste: Just like an oatmeal cookie. A little too sweet for me for a bar, but excellent for a cookie!
Bonuses: Natural ingredients, no hfcs or artificial sweeteners. Lots of other good flavors to try (pumpkin pie spice and carrot cake!!)
Overall: This was my first Cliff energy bar experience (although I just went to the website and learned they make Luna bars, too). I was impressed with the taste and texture. It has too much sugar for me for a bar, but I would like a piece for a sweet craving. I’ve seen the mini cliff bars so maybe I’ll try those for a snack.
It’s interesting because I liked the oatmeal taste of the Cliff bar probably a little better than the Odwalla bar, but for the purposes of a bar I definitely prefer the Odwalla bar. The Cliff bar made me feel like I was eating a dessert, which I don’t really want to feel like I am doing in the middle of the day when I am hungry and can’t get to lunch or dinner as quickly as I’d like. It’s a total food psychology issue.
Tags: apple, bars, cliff, cucumbers, food psychology, HFCS, Odwalla, salad, tofu
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Keep the videos coming!! They’re fun!! And I like your HFCS-free product reviews as well
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I totally know what you mean about not feeling like your eating dessert, most bars need to be added with something to really make a meal replacement the bars with the most protein usually hold me over well and a lot of times I will have some nuts on the side to keep me full!
September 2nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
loved the videos! the HFCS thing is really difficult to get around, especially in condiments, i am definitely a ketchup user, and pretending that i “didn’t know it was in there.”
i pretty much refuse to buy/consume bars that i have to split in half, because that is most certainly a “form of torture,” if they taste delicious.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
i’m all for bars when I’m on the go (love Fiber One chocolate and oats bars) but for less cals/fat and more protein and fiber than the Cliff Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Bar, you could have an actual bowl of oatmeal (packet of oats, skim milk, dried cherries and a few nuts)…plus you get all the water from making the oatmeal and the sweet internal hug oatmeal gives ya!
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
WeightingGame: I 100% agree and would always pick a bowl of oatmeal over a bar. My recent bar consumption is because I am student teaching, which I have learned, is an activity where food consumption is not promoted. Sometimes I need to stick something in my mouth very very fast (i.e. on the walk down the hall to pick up the students) in order to get any food at all. I am trying to find things that are not tooooo sugary.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
I’ve been away from my computer a lot during labor day weekend, so I am just now catching up with your great idea to have a HFCS free month. GREAT IDEA!!! It really is crazy all the places that stuff is hiding.
September 2nd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
OOOH, good idea on the no HFCS! I hear it’s the devil, although I probably eat way more of it than I realize. Can’t wait to see the results…
You should try the Cliff Mojo bars! They’re really good.
September 2nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
i am so glad you are doing this challenge – in a way, i feel like i’m cheating because i’m all set to educate myself through your hard work
i’m sure that there are things i’m eating that i would be shocked to find had HFCS in it.
September 2nd, 2008 at 8:52 pm
stay strong and avoid the dreaded HFCS. i hate going to my parents house cause its just full of horrible stuff i never buy for myself so i sneak little bites and always leave feeling sick.
http://www.groundedfitness.com
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:51 am
It’s crazy how much stuff HFCS is in, I’ve been becoming more aware of it lately and trying to choose better options. These monthly challenges are such a great idea!!
I’m a fan of the blueberry crisp cliff bars (and seasonal pear-apple streudal), but don’t go for them that often since I feel like I should be getting more for something that calorie-dense. I guess I feel the same way about the larabars. on the plus side… i found they are filling and a great way to fuel up after a spinning class!