Did Rx bar sleep with Harvey Weinstein for $600 million?

On Friday, news of Harvey Weinstein’s “habits” was everywhere. There was another big news story that you may have missed. In my food centric world it was maj. Rx bar, a nutrition bar company, was bought for $600 million dollars by Kellogg’s. That’s a really big number and I tried to be excited for a company we’ve supported since its infancy. But there’s a problem.Rx bars are notable because they slap a short ingredient list on the front of the package. And they get bonus points for humor by listing “No B.S”. What you see is what you get, we’re honest and genuine.

Facebook commenters alerted me to a  letter RX bar sent to customers (but not their wholesalers). The gist was that even though they sold (out, oops)  you will never know anything was different. Kellogg's likes them just the way they are. But we do know. And I’m not sure it feels honest and genuine to be “in bed” with or married to a company built on B.S. (Pop tarts, Eggo, Froot Loops). Strangely, I couldn't cut and paste the "smart label" for Pop Tart's but here are the ingredients:

ENRICHED FLOUR

SUGAR

CORN SYRUP

SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL (WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS)

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

DEXTROSE

FRUCTOSE

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

MODIFIED CORN STARCH

SALT

BROWN SUGAR SYRUP

LEAVENING 

MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES

SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE

GELATIN

DATEM

SOY LECITHIN

YELLOW 6 LAKE

BLUE 2 LAKE

NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS

YELLOW 5 LAKE

RED 40 LAKE

COLOR ADDED

NIACINAMIDE

REDUCED IRON

VITAMIN A PLAMITATE

VITAMIN B6

VITAMIN B2

Some of my colleagues support this union. After all, this will give RX bars reach and exposure. Just tell me how this is different from an actress saying, OK I’ll jump in the sack (I think he prefers showers, ick) with Harvey because it’s good for my career, for my brand. No, everyone thinks that’s wrong. Sure, it’s a little different, using power to coerce women is different than a corporate merger but not entirely different. As a commenter said on my Instagram post "you can't shtup the devil and claim purity."

Carolyn and I have each had lucrative opportunities with brands we don’t necessarily endorse. Each time, we have lengthy discussions and, at times, try to see if we could make a positive change with our messaging. But we wholeheartedly believe in quality and, for that reason, work with a handful of smaller companies at a time. We turn the majority of tempting offers down. And, for that reason Foodtrainers isn’t worth 600 million dollars (yet). 

What do you think? Is this how natural brands boost themselves? Or, is integrity allowed?

Election Eating? We've got you covered.

Something happened during last week’s debate and I’m not talking about Trump losing his s#!t or the Hillary shimmy. No, the something I’m referring to happened to those of us watching.

The hullabaloo disguised as a debate left viewers unsettled and fearful. I felt as if I had witnessed an accident and posted “I need lavender and chamomile and kava and natural calm...and Xanax”  I wasn’t kidding. I couldn’t sleep with the thought that there are people who support “that”. At this point, it’s not being partisan, it’s being human.

The WSJ called it “political anxiety disorder". Sure enough, when there’s anxiety there’s eating, as my clients the next day attested to. Even Carolyn mentioned a half pint of Halo top disappearing as she tried to calm her “Donalds". We coined these election-induced munchies “debate weight” at the office.  With the VP debate tonight, we have a solution:

Election Survival Kit

It contains: healthy, almond cookies, delicious (grain free!) rosemary crackers, crack-like coffee-almond butter (better than that crackpot candidate), a "soufflé" protein muffin and tasty nuts…because this is all nuts. It all comes wrapped in blue tissue paper. Send one to a friend or family member or our vote..send one to yourself.

Have you had any “election eating” or anxiety? I’d love to hear.

Best protein bars to eat and a couple to skip

We have an online shop and perhaps you know this already. Last week I mentioned, to a friend, “we have those in our shop” and she said, “shop, since when do you have a Foodtrainers’ shop?” Carolyn and I can add that to the list of under promoted, overthought work-related items but I’ll tell you why we have a shop. It’s not really to make money (I recently read the best way to make money is to do something for free for 10 years….almost there). It’s because some of our “Foodtrainers’ Favorites” are small, difficult to find brands. There’s enough to stress about. We don’t need you annoyed with us because you cannot find the protein bar we recommended.

 Speaking of bars, our Monthly Morsels newsletter today featured our top 10 nutrition bars. We didn’t delve too much into flavor specifics but my current loves are the strawberry coconut Yes Bar, peanut butter RX Bar and the chai by Yawp.I will also admit, over the course of a month, I made a good dent in the cranberry Perfect Bars they sent over. And my whole family approved the Clif nut butter filled bars that Carolyn and I brought home from California (Clif presented and had an outdoor yoga class too).

Years ago a frozen yogurt company (hint has a color in its name) sent me a cease and desist letter following a blog post. For this reason, I’m gun-shy about calling brands out I dislike. There are a couple of popular bars I don’t recommend. I don’t like soy protein in bars and so Luna is off our list (we told Clif this). And there’s a very well promoted bar starting with a “Q” with inferior ingredients.

Humor us, check out our shop. Taste test our top 10, there’s a lot of variety and goodness there.

What are your favorite nutrition bars? Any you’d like our opinion of? 

Do your munchkins need munchkins?

Not my boys, boys- I promise

It's a little tricky when you're a mom and a nutritionist. Sadly, I tend to keep my mouth shut when out of the office (when it comes to food-related matters, mouth rarely shuts in general). I say "sadly" because so much of what kids eat at school and after school is pretty crappy. And if that "kids are kids" argument popped into your head, I will say that this "kids are kids" thinking has resulted in a crap overload. And ironically after parenting for 13 and a half years, I can say no where is this junk-a-thon more prevalent that in children's sports.
* 13 year old asked "what am I getting for my half birthday" I said "nothing" and he sulked.

I shouldn't single these out but I will

So, after years of appalling food and sports incidents: one coach felt a pile of candy bars at halftime was a good idea, cookies when games end at noon (how about lunch or a pizza perhaps) or the millions of munchkins my boys have been presented with, I received this from my son's new coach
"I'm thinking of doing away with the snack schedule, each family can bring a snack and water for their own child." I don't dance but mentally the happy dance was happening. I posted this on Facebook and one commenter (of I think 25) said "what did your son think?" The truth is he didn't mention it and we went to lunch following the game. My son was psyched that the team did well which tends to be his area of focus. I will take competitiveness over sugar and not to worry my kids have sugar and burgers and fries.

But you see I have two children. The following week the typical email from a parent showed up in my inbox,  "I'm setting up the team snack schedule, please let me know..." In years' past I would've obligingly picked a date and use it as an opportunity to bring something like this

Or

And before you label me as "that mom" I will tell you that these are generally devoured. My theory is that kids almost roll their eyes at the cookie (that isn't usually a great cookie) or above donuts.
This year, encouraged by the other coach, I said "just throwing it out there but on another team the coach felt snacks weren't necessary, any thoughts?" I received a civil reply that said "I think snacks are something the kids like BUT I will poll the group and get back to you." I wasn't optimistic but waited. In the interim I posted the incident on Facebook. Many parents were worried about being the "mean mom" or "getting dirty looks" if suggesting healthy snacks or snacklessness. But guess what? The snack scheduler emailed "I didn't hear back from any parents so I'm going to scratch the snack schedule, everyone can bring their own."

The moral of this snack story is, voice your opinion to a league or coach or fellow parent. You'd be surprised that many parents are either happy their children aren't having constant crap OR relieved not to have to run out on a Saturday to get snacks for an entire team, "one more thing to think about" one mom said. Wherever you stand on nutrition, getting to the right field at the right time with your child and water should be enough.
Do you recall sports snacks growing up? Do you think I'm being a "mean mom"? I mean I am a mean mom but let's focus on snacks...