Thursday, June 10, 2010

What did I just eat...and why?

Today was not a "hand over the chocolate and nobody gets hurt" kind of day. Rather, it was more about some crunchy salty goodness. But when she got there...the cupboard was bare...yeah, but she didn't have "none"! I spotted a crinkly bag of some sort of frito-lay family chips, Doritos to be exact. Not just any Doritos, the All Night Burger flavor. OK, my 12 year old talked me into these, as he claimed they were "awesome". I guess they are kind of awesome in a "holy crap, what on earth is in these things to make them taste just like a Burger King burger" kind of way. However, that awesome-ness quickly fades as the crunch lives on, and I begin to remember why I don't really go to the BK Lounge anymore. I didn't bother checking the ingredient list as I was certain that would provide no comfort. It took only three chips to seal the deal for me that I'd had enough.

Now the whole idea behind meal flavored chips is a little perplexing to me. Sometimes I like chips with my burger, but not chips that taste like said burger. Plus, if I am in the mood for a burger, a better idea would be for me to just eat one (instead of a bag of chips). It makes me think of the Jetsons with some futuristic food capsule, or Willy Wonka with Mike TV getting his meal flavors out of chewing gum. Ranch flavored chips make sense to me, as they save me the trouble of keeping dip around at all times, and keep the fat content of my indulgence to the chips themselves. I just wish I could see the mystical spice rack that enables the production of the flavor varieties on the shelves. I feel like a scientist when I mix honey and mustard for honey-mustard, and am pretty sure I could time travel when I make pudding or meringue, and see them actually take form!

There was another food finding recently that turned my stomach in another way. My daughter has a fairly strict "no thanks" policy when it comes to eating breakfast, and the realm of breakfast food in general. She mentioned that she tried a Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl at a friend's house, and wanted to obtain some of her very own. The thought of one less battle before 8:00 am held some appeal, so we peered through the glass doors of wonder that are the frozen food section, and there they were! I don't usually hear Jimmy's name thrown around much in the American Heart Association cookbooks we have, so I decided to just quickly scan the nutrition facts. I couldn't focus on the fat content, which is what I was after, because there was the largest number I'd ever seen, on a box panel, flicking me in the eye. It was the cholesterol content..of course I don't remember the grams, but I do remember that the amount was 128% of the recommended DAILY value per serving. Does Jimmy think cholesterol is a good thing? It was almost like having it in plain sight made it ok. I know it's required to have that info on the food, but WOW! Is it just me, or does it seem that product warrants a warning as much as a bottle of wine does?! "The surgeon general warns that you might as well drink bacon grease", or "The Surgeon general recommends that you refill your Lipitor immediately".

I took a moment to come up with my response as my daughter waited (with drooly visions of her bacon, cheese, egg scramble). Then I showed her the numbers on the box, and apologized for being unable to make that purchase. The only concern I had left on the subject was how that information might translate to her friend, who gets to snack with Jimmy after school. A little goofy to think that I can sleep better giving her milk, donut holes and a piece of fruit...breakfast of runner ups?

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