Smart Girl, Dumb Cookie

A cookie with vitamins? Seriously...

Have you seen Hungry-Girl? Like me, she has a new book out so it's hard to ignore her. She's done an amazing job of creating a large audience of hungry-girls to whom she offers recipes and various tips and tricks on how to eat. It's not really nutritional advice just "opinion" on eating.

Well, today I get an email from Hungry Girl (I have to admit I don't know "her" name) and on it is boldly featured a cookie called a Vitatop. Evidentially, these are cookies with vitamins on or in the chips.

Seriously... no joke.

Now, I love food as I make clear in Chapter 10 of my new book. I support a healthy relationship with all foods--a sort of Nutritional Freedom, the freedom to eat great food and enjoy a high energy, vibrant life. It's quite literally the antidote to dieting (see the 10 Steps to a Lifetime of Nutritional Freedom in my book). I'm not into dieting.

But this sort of "good and bad" strategy really gets me riled up.

If you want a cookie you should be free to eat a cookie--a real, well done, hopefully organic cookie and even two at the right times. If you do already take vitamins, great. You know when to take those. But this "vitamin cookie" disrespects three parties:

First, it takes you for a fool... so dim that you'll fall for eating more of a "bad" food because the vitamin chip "dressing" relieves your guilt. Now, clearly, you've got to be operating slightly below the "full steam" from the neck up to fall for that one.

Second, it disrespects the vitamin... like so many foods and even supplements, this falls into the "pixy dust" approach at best. It's not an effective or quality delivery of any serious vitamins--that's not even it's purpose. It's the equivalent of low calorie water. Nonsensical.

And finally, it totally disrespects the cookie. You have to know that anyone doing this is not fully and deeply committed to making the best cookie. It's a cookie fraud... and vitamins can not possibly enhance the taste.

My advice, from this Fully-Satiated-Guy, don't fall for this trap... eat a real, delicious, home made (or nearly) cookie when it's in your plans and enjoy it from a place of freedom. And take your vitamins at another time.

P.S. Upon further review I came to discover these "cookies" were really "muffin tops" which is essentially the same thing. Right? I just hope someone is paying proper royalties to Seinfeld for this for it was Elaine and her boss Littman who came up with the muffin top concept.

Comments

[Art Lawrence]

I often eat muffing tops, eh, I mean I use to often eat muffing tops and they are nothing like my wife's chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Her's are world famous. Part of my reason for changing direction. Hail the "free day" and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. -Art