A Bone to Pick with Fiber Bars
I am usually disturbed by the food commercials that appear on television. This is because it is very rare that a food that you actually should eat is actually advertised. Fresh organic peaches from a local farm at the market certainly are not, neither are heirloom beans, nor artisan bakers for that matter. Not only do they do not have the money to pay for ad space during the Today Show, but I also think it must seem ridiculous to the producers of these products to advertise something that in its purity advertises itself. This leaves junk food, or what unfortunately many people think is normal food, to be targeted at millions of people daily.
There is one ad on the television these days that I find particularly offensive. The ad is for a name-brand cereal bar with fiber in it. Even though I am used to the ridiculousness of these commercials, this one threw me over the edge. In it, there is a man who is handing out samples of these bars, which have added fiber in them. They also have chocolate chips, which always seems like a strange addition to supposedly “healthy” foods. Why on earth are there chocolate chips in breakfast bars (why are there breakfast bars?), energy bars, and granola? Anyway, the first woman in line who samples the bar cannot believe that it is that delicious and has fiber. She is convinced that the sample man is playing tricks on her. When a second woman (a similar demographic to the first) comes up to sample, the first one continues to ask in an excited tone what she thinks of the bar. How can it taste good and have fiber in it is the question they ask. The comparison of fiber to “cardboard” is mentioned.
I was stunned when I saw this commercial. The fact that we are so dumb to think that we need a bar with added sugar and who-knows-what-else-in-it to give ourselves a basic nutrient speaks very strongly about the depth of our country’s nutritional crisis. What I find so offensive about the commercial, though, is that the company is convincing the viewers that fiber, in fact, does taste like cardboard, and not like apples, strawberries, oatmeal, rice, beans, beets, almonds, or any other delicious food that is in fact healthy for us. Let me add that these foods are delicious in their natural state or a very basic preparation. It is also trying to persuade us that fiber is this hard to attain star of a nutrient that we can only rely on a bar with chocolate chips to provide us with. I could go on, but I think I made my point.
Do yourself a favor and avoid foods you see advertised on television. Chances are they are not made with your health in mind.
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Comments
Sophia,
I kind of stumbled upon your site and am not one that really blogs a lot – but something in the tone of your writing and the subject matter really called out to me. So instead of saying all these things to myself as I prepared dinner, I decided to write them down. I happen to own a craft beer bar with a simple yet Artisanal restaurant attached. I'm constantly bombarded by people asking me what I consider is Artisanal or craft or whatever other catchphrases surround things like fine foods, wines, and for me beers. I consider all these things art forms, and the things that the artist uses to create the final product are, for lack of a better phrase, his art supplies. Not going to on go on about art and food and all that stuff but rather stick to the subject at hand which I believe is the role advertisement plays in what we consume. In my industry there used to be girls in bikinis, sports stars, and silly fat guys that sold beer. That form of advertisement defined what was produced…crap. The took an ancient art formed that defined communities and broke it down to be unoffensive to all (ergo inspiring to none) and said that is what good beer is...unoffensive,,,that's the power of the media. Beer became something we drank despite the taste but rather just for effect – and since they couldn't (and wouldn't) show people getting the drunk, they showed what drunk people fantasize about. So now decades go by, more people go to college, more people learn to take better care of themselves, and well-crafted goods become more important to the masses. So the media now has to redesign the game plan… we are now bombarded with images of health, well-being, freshness, and, yes, the Artisanal. Before I get too off track, let's get back to your commercial. I've seen this one, and this is about health. We are now bombarded by images of health, healthy things, things made in nature, good things… (I think I needed to put quotes around most of those). But the secret is that most people have forgotten what healthy natural food tastes like… it's become overpriced, underutilized, and believe it or not harder to find in most grocery stores. So people are running around trying to find the quick fix–and this is where these particular advertisers come in… Look, we are people on the go, we couldn't possibly pick up some raw greens or a bunch of broccoli… so what's the big food companies have done for us have minimalized all that effort by using a few key phrases – organic, fiber, nutrients, calcium, enzymes , and my favorite, antioxidants. These are words that seem intelligent, important, and just a bit too difficult (or too time-consuming) for us to really look into. My favorite, being born of Middle Eastern descent, is the discovery of yogurt and pomegranates – two foods that I was raised eating like they were candy. The media now, I should say the corporations that have invested so much time and money in creating the spin, make these items seem like they are new things that we have been missing in our lives. Going back to your fiber bar, this item is created for people that have just heard (or finally got it in their heads) that fiber is an important aspect in a balanced diet. So not knowing what to do, or not wanting to know what to do, they would rather be told what to do… the simple things. You get this fiber bar, which is loaded with tons of tasty “treats”, and this whole fiber issue that you have is now resolved… plus it tastes like a candy bar. It's disguising junk food for nutritional food. Just like the organic craze, it is merely a way to make us feel better about eating food - not saying organic is junk food at all, it is just a term that is dangerously misleading (and still very under defined). Unfortunately, for those that started the junk food craze (i.e. McDonald's) they are so connected to the stigma that they could serve farm grown beet salad without one drop of MSG or preservatives – and it will still be considered junk food… because they made the commitment and there's no going back. Whereas “Joe's Organic Salad in a Bag” could be serving salads using specific chemical-based fertilizers that have not yet gone under proper testing and analysis, and people will think that they are eating lettuce hand-picked from grandmas garden. The thing about it is; I don't think people are stupid (generally), I just think they want what they want – which sometimes isn't really good for them – and if you can give them the means to rationalize their cravings then you're going to sell all whole lot of fiber bars. I'm really sorry for rambling, I'm better at talking about the same sort of thing except with beer. And, believe it or not, this is my first blogging, comment. Best of luck on your site. BTW - they know you will find the ad stupid, thats why you remembered it....
HI Alan, Thank you for taking the time to write what you had to say about all of this. I think you are right on when you say that 'people just want what they want', and they use commercials/nutrition labels to justify them eating "food" that is not really good for them. I appreciated you going through how beer is advertised, because I am not a huge beer drinker, but am a consumer of those commercials. I see now how they have low calorie beer, and advertise it and show how much less you have to work out if you are going to drink it. I would love to know where your bar and restaurant are. We are going to upload a recipe for barley malt ice cream soon. I hope you keep reading out blog (we don't rant too often) and commenting. Also, you mentioned that you are of Middle Eastern descent. I lived in Egypt and Lebanon. Emma has been traveling in Iraq this past year.
I'm with you, Sophia. I find packaged foods of this type ridiculous, not to mention advertisements about them. There's nothing like biting into a fresh peach, munch on raw almonds, flavorful vegetables lightly sauteed. We gravitate to these convenience foods with the lure that they save us time. The reality is that it doesn't take that much more time to prepare foods from scratch. I discovered this over the years as I began to pay more attention to the foods I ate and the joy of preparing meals.Speaking of granola, I found a very satisfying alternative to the granola bar. I eat it for breakfast when I want something quick, healthy and filling. I combine rolled oats, unsweetened shredded coconut, raisens, chopped walnuts, raw pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, dried cranberries. I chop up some apple and add that, and drizzle it all with agave nectar. It's a really quick breakfast and snack, especially if you make a batch for the week... I prepare the dry ingredients and place in a jar. In the morning I add the chopped apple and agave juice and I'm out the door.
Thank you for sharing Alayne. That breakfast sounds really wholesome and delicious. It is ridiculous how we are taught to dislike healthy foods in their natural state, and buy packaged products full of sugar. Let's home more people get on track!
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