Candy Bars in Disguise?

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some takeaways from the book Candyfreak, but I didn’t get a chance to write about one of the other things that caught my attention.

The book includes observations from when the author, Steve Almond, visited several small candy companies and learned about their business. One of the places he visited had found an interesting way to make ends meet – in addition to their candy bars, they contracted to make diet bars for “a well-known weight-loss company.” (p. 134)

As Almond added, “The diet bar consisted of: chocolate, crisped rice, and caramel. I will leave it to the reader to determine just what sort of ‘diet” would encourage the consumption of these ingredients, though it bears mentioning that this product is but one in a tsunami of pseudo-candy bars… [bars that have] only half the guilt, and stand as a monument both to shameless marketing and the American capacity for self-delusion, particularly in matters related to consumption (see also: frozen yogurt, fat-free chips, and low-calorie lard).” (pp. 134-135)

It seems clear where Almond stands on this, and the mention of frozen yogurt reminded me of the show The Good Place, which had plenty of frozen yogurt but no actual ice cream. As Michael said, “There’s something so human about taking something great, and ruining it a little so you can have more of it.”

This got me thinking about the plethora of “bars” on the market: protein bars, diet bars, breakfast bars, granola bars, energy bars, meal replacement bars, and probably more. Are these all just variations of candy bars?

Candy-like bars

I think deciding whether these bars qualify as candy bars is a bit subjective. How do you define something as a candy bar vs. something else? But after poking around a bit online, here are a few of my thoughts.

Many of these bars contain high amounts of sugar. I found a post talking about how most protein bars are really candy bars because the amount of added sugar plus carbs, minus fiber, was more than the amount of protein. That seemed like a reasonable approach, and from that perspective, many of the bars do seem candy-like.

What struck me more, though, was looking at the flavors of many of these different kinds of bars. Here’s a sampling:

• CLIF bars: Caramel Chocolate Chip with Caffeine, Cookies and Crème, Chocolate Chip, Cool Mint Chocolate, Chocolate Brownie Flavor

• Luna bars: Chocolate Cupcake, Chocolate Peppermint Stick, White Chocolate Macadamia, Chocolate Dipped Coconut

• Vitacost diet bars: Peanut Butter Cup, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate Chip

• Perfect bars: Chocolate Brownie, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

• KIND nut bars: Caramel Almond and Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut, Dark Chocolate Almond Mint, Dark Chocolate Chewy Cashew

I could go on, but I’m seeing a certain pattern here, and I’m guessing you are, too. Even if these aren’t billed as candy bars, they’re certainly playing up a lot of those flavors, or at least dessert flavors. It seems that they want people to feel like they can get the taste of a candy bar or other dessert but feel virtuous about it because it’s “healthy”.

In full disclosure, I sometimes have KIND bars because they’re a convenient snack and it feels like they’re more nutritious than a candy bar (though I haven’t done an actual comparison). And while they may have more nutrients than candy bars, I’m not sure they’re quite as healthy as they claim.

Take it with a grain of salt

If you’re looking for a snack and you don’t have time or energy or desire to make something, these kinds of bars probably aren’t the worst thing you could have. But it may be worth remembering that advertising about these bars is just that – advertising – and you should take it with a grain of salt.

Also, if you really want a candy bar, go ahead and have one without feeling guilty. Trying to make candy (or ice cream, or anything else) into a forbidden or bad food gives it too much power over you. It’s better to simply have it when you truly want it than to go for a “healthy” substitute, then later rebel and overeat what you were initially craving.