The last thing we need is more junk food. But Americans have a love affair with junk food that will not soon be broken. Candy is a $30 billion industry, growing at $1 billion a year.
At Halloween alone about $2.3 billion of candy is sold—an estimated 600 million pounds—and most of it is given to 10 million kids between the ages of 4 and 14. The childhood obesity problem is getting worse, except in New York City where Mayor Michael Bloomberg has restricted access to junk food by banning items like metabolism-blocking trans-fats.
In just seven years, between 2000 and 2008, pre-diabetes and diabetes in teenagers has gone from 9 percent to 23 percent. In the last 15 years, the percentage of new cases of type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult onset diabetes) in children went from 3 percent to almost 50 percent. And when kids get type 2 diabetes, it is more aggressive, and less responsive to medical treatment.
Yet, processed food sales now top $3.2 trillion worldwide. The food industry heavily markets the worst quality foods to children, a practice banned in most other civilized countries.
Almost all our processed and junk food is made by a handful of food giants. The food industry is the second largest employer in the country, after the federal government, and makes up more than 10 percent of our gross domestic product.
A stream of junk food seems to be filling our stores in a flood too strong to change. Or is it? The food industry will not go away, and it has no reason to change its ways while consumers, heavily marketed to and lacking real choices, continue to buy their products.
“Junk” – the ingredients in junk food that promote obesity and diabetes – is cheaper to use than real, whole food ingredients. If we keep eating it, the food industry will keep supplying it. But, if motivated to, they could unjunk their junk food.
Mars recently said that it took them five years and millions of dollars to simply reduce saturated fat in two of their products by 15 percent. Five years and millions of dollars to make two products slightly less junky? Can this really be what it takes?
Perhaps not. A new company UnReal, just might be the help we need in demanding more of the food industry. We are used to “healthier” versions of junk food, but we have to find them at specialty stores, like Whole Foods.
They cost more and, for the average person, taste different than our favorite junk foods, like candy. We generally don’t believe that healthier processed foods can be created with the same great taste and sold at the same price as our favorite junk.
But what if someone could create a new brand that beat the food industry at its own game – hitting the trifecta of the same good taste, better ingredients, and improved nutritional value (i.e. no chemicals, no artificial colors or flavors, no corn syrup or hydrogenated oils, no GMOs, lots less sugar, more protein and fiber, responsibly sourced, real food ingredients), and have it available at the same places at the same low prices. Can’t be done, right?
Well that’s exactly what a very small group of entrepreneurs have done. Innovation most often does not come from within industry, but from a disrupter who changes the game for all.
UnReal may be that disruptive force. It is a brand new kind of food company with a big idea. UnReal‘s goal is not to get kids to eat more candy; it is to be a catalyst to get the big guys to change their practices and show that a few people, with a good idea can create what the food giants say is impossible.
UnReal’s products replicate soem of the top selling favorite candy – Snickers, Reese’s, Milky Way, M&M’s, and Peanut M&M’s. The idea came from a 13-year-old kid, Nicky Bronner, borne out of a fight with his parents over Halloween candy.
After a successful harvest, his parents threw out most of his mother lode. Incensed, he tried to prove his parents wrong – that the candy was not so bad. But a quick search on Google helped him learn the harmful effects of trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup and artificial dyes and chemicals on the human body and nervous system.
And so he asked the question – why can’t we make healthier candy – and it was answered with the creation of UnReal.
The start-up has garnered support from cultural icons including Matt Damon, Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, John Legend, and even Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter. Industry superstars have joined the start-up team. UnReal last week launched a video featuring support from these celebs for their mission.
This game changing candy is being launched in a true revolutionary spirit to disrupt the marketplace by going straight to the heart of the food giants, the checkout counter in 30,000 retail outlets where everyday people typically shop.
Major retailers, including CVS, grocery store chains, Staples, and soon, Target and 7-11, are giving UnReal candy prime space at their checkout counters. They are taking a chance on this idea that we can unjunk our food, and offering alternatives that hit all the buttons on taste, price, and real food ingredients.
The success of this revolutionary idea won’t be in getting kids to eat healthier candy, which is, after all, an oxymoron; it will be in getting adults and kids to ask the question “why?”…”Why does our food need to be made with junk to taste good?”
Getting everyone to recognize the value of eating better foods – fresh whole real foods – more plant-based unprocessed, fresh fruits and vegetables.
But candy and treats and the $3.2 trillion food industry are not going away – this industry is only growing. If consumers vote with their wallets and parents and kids pick the unjunked versions of their favorite treats, then they will motivate the food giants to change their game and innovate.
Some may say that kids will feel free to eat more, undoing the benefits of the better-for- you versions, but that is like saying someone will drive more miles if they switch from a Hummer to a Prius. In fact they might eat less because it doesn’t have the slick combinations of chemicals and processed ingredients that make it addictive.
UnReal is not a company, but a catalyst that will show the world that junk food doesn’t need to have junk in it to taste great and if it can be done with candy, then it can be done with everything else. What’s next from UnReal? Soda? I hope so.
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below – but remember, we can’t offer personal medical advice online, so be sure to limit your comments to those about taking back our health!
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
I saw a display of UnReal candy bars at Staples a couple of days ago. Curiosity made me read the label of one bar, and I couldn’t help laughing at the number of sugars in it. As a recovered sugar addict, I certainly didn’t have the guts to try it for fear of priming. As you probably know, priming is caused by sugar’s effect on the D1 receptor.
I read your newsletters with great interest but honestly can’t see how these products could teach children, or anyone else, about the value of fresh, whole foods or steer them in that direction. Believe me, I’d love to be wrong about this.
Thank you,
Joan Kent
Ph.D., Psychoactive Nutrition
M.S., Exercise Physiology
ACE Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach
Team ICG® Master Trainer
More power to UnReal! It’s always been possible to make processed food without the junk, but no one has been willing to try to do it and make a (obscene) profit doing it.
But now comes the hard part: Educating the buying public on the damage junk food is doing.
Owen
You go, UnReal! Actually, being more natural, with no garbage ingredients, it should be called something like “the real thing”, rather than UN-real, but we all know that THAT has already been taken! ha, ha! Seriously, I pray your idea(s)
take off and turn into a MONSTER success!! Best of luck!
Wendy
As far as educating the public, that SHOULD be easy, with everyone having access to the internet. All they have to do is do what this young person who started UNREAL did….get interested in their health enough to READ a little! If they would do their own reading, instead of believing what the ads say, they would know the truth. Then, it’s a matter of having the desire to change things.
It used to be Americans used to rise to the cause to change politics and economics if either were perceived to harm the welfare of children. Not any more. That is ” unreal” to me and the tragedy of the story about the food industry taking over the welfare of children e.g. pizza in schools is now called a vegetable! Schools are marketing to children junk food so schools have a better revenue stream. Education of nutrtional needs is not taught in schools or at home. Instead education comes from third parties that must compete with billion dollar marketers, like a political campaign that can buy a legislative seat or auction the White House. It took patents to throw out candy and a kid to explore options to creat Unreal. I wish innovation to succeed that leads to healthier eating but kids + candy does not have to equal healthy choice in the first place. P
Bravo Dr. Hyman for passing along this information. It’s time for a sea change. And a good place to start is with the kids. They’ll be happy to inform everyone that they like the flavor, the nutrition and ingredients. I’m still addicted to sugar in all its forms and wish so much not to be. So to see UnReal come along is a whisper of things to come. YAY!
A great start…but Education by parents taking responsibility for their children’ heath and School Systems (including Bloomberg and NYC) making Nutrition/Health as important as English and Math by REQUIRING the subject as primary is the only answer. Legislating “right of choice” away is not. It NEVER works, there are always ways around it (..buy 2 instead of 1), or other poisons (illicit drugs..etc.) to temp children….
Curtail Freedoms rather than putting all REAL EFFORT into Substantive Personal change is good only for “headline” for politicians. We, (Parents and Educator/Teachers) who are responsible for OUR children need to do the “heavy lifting” and work…by winning over the hearts and minds of our children who’s well being we are charged with to protect and nurture….it is only in that way we are going to see permanent change and save many lives…
ps….need more attractive packaging…if they are going to compete they have to employ same marketing tools…
My wife has gone back to school to be a certified health coach. I have fours kids and we have effectively eliminated processed foods and eat most organic real food. I have personally lost 30 lbs and dropped my cholesterol 76 points without medication. We are all so much healthier and it feels great!
My kids were excited when they heard about Unreal and wanted to try it. We found it at our local CVS and they all agreed that Unreal is a product that tastes great! We have bought enough to hand out for Halloween and have shared the product with all our friends. I hope this new candy movement forces change in the industry. I own a medical publication and we have written about the effect of pediatric obesity on joints, muscles and overall health. It is time for change and a big kudos goes out to Unreal.
It is possible to make your own candy and desserts and eat them in moderation. My mother cooked at home and did all that herself, also teaching us at an early age to cook…a very valuabe life skill as I am healthier than most people I know. I still make fudge on occasion. Wouldn’t it be better to educate on healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts, and dates?
Hi Mary,
Of course! Dr Hyman always prefers you choose real, whole foods such as fruit when you want something sweet. Thank you for your response.
I watched the video the other day on “Unreal” candies and had been looking at different locations as I did my shopping. I ran across this candy at Staples tucked away in a rather unobtrusive area of the store but I recognized the logo from the video. I bought the package of 2 peanut butter cups. The intention was to eat one to taste it and if good take the other home to share. Well, it did not make it home- exactly why I do not usually frequent the candy aisle
but it is good and a healthier choice for the special times we just need to have a bit of sweet.
Go UnReal!!! I’d buy one. Hope they bring ‘em to my town. I’ll get the word out.
Great idea. A little confusing in paragraph 9 that you say Unreal is a company and then in paragraph 23 you say it is NOT a company. Best wishes.
Hi Mark, Once again, thanks for bringing this important topic to the forefront. You wouldn’t think that de-junkifying our diets could be so hard. Though one must wonder how they got to be so junked in the first place.
Yes, healthier alternatives to our common foods is an improvement, but insidious issues still lurk beneath the surface.
I have tried to consider what we are missing in this “fight” in A Bushel and A Peck of Things to Address Childhood Obesity.
http://wp.me/p1aUxv-yh.\
Nice Try! Good idea! However, still has the most unhealthiest ingredient of all CANE SUGAR! Come on, I thought you were done pushing sugar. Get off the sugar death machine – kick the habit. I won’t be buying it.
I love the idea of no trans-fats, nothing artificial and no HFCS. However, I am concerned about the fact that they use agave syrup, since that is so high in fructose. Weren’t we supposed to avoid high levels of fructose?
Yes Ann! This is not a green light to eat candy, more a glimpse into that people can do by coming together too demand a better product!
It is a good money making idea. I don’t think it is powerful enough to change the habits of a person.00
I have always been motivated to stay slim out of vanity. My mother was never overweight. My father twice in his life got to the upper edge of normal weight. For me to get from the upper normal to the lower normal range took incredible discipline. I was able to re-learn cooking, portion control, more low fat vegetable recipes, lower fat eating. I didn’t do it by buying Healthy Choice, Weight Watchers or any other brand. I did it by knowing macro nutritional values and balancing them. I also made time to exercise on a regular basis which was’nt easy either in this demanding time constrained work world.
Visit the UnReal website and read the ingredients. Unreal 54, their version of chocolate candy coated peanuts contains cow’s milk. Dr. Hyman says we shouldn’t be consuming cow’s milk. There is cane sugar. These are nearly identical to the major brand they are looking to replace, except for the colorings, which are plant based (bravo for that). They haven’t un-junked junk food nearly enough to make their claims. This is mostly a hyped product. I’m not impressed.
Thank goodness! (pun intended) Way to go UnReal! As a kid, a candy bar was an occasional treat, now they are an everyday part of life. Thanks for taking an idea and running with it, that’s the America I love and remember.
I really don’t like this idea at all and am appalled at your headline! IMHO, it’s still junk and that’s the last thing this country (or any country) needs. I have a few other problems with this. I’ve done an extensive search. It’s easy to find out what NOT in this but nowhere can I find a list of actual ingredients. That leads me to believe, cheap fillers, preservatives etc etc. I also find the comparison of a candy bar to a piece of fruit quite deceptive Yes, they are comparing grams of sugar but there’s a whole lot more to eating whole foods than grams of sugar. They also say they want to keep the price in line with what people are used to paying for candy and they do not use organic ingredients…more proof it is nothing but glorified garbage.
Thank you Dr. Hyman,for sharing such a fascinating product! It is heartening to see an idea that began with regular person questioning the status quo & proving that a better product could be produced & made widely available! It is so hard to watch as the majority of people in North America function as robots in the hand of large industry, food & pharma giants alike. Our lives could all be SO much better and healthier! But people need help! 5 years & Millions for MARS bars to reduce their fatal fat content by 15%??? I wonder if it`s true as well! But apparently UNREAL is proving it can be viably be done!!! Your figures on the increase in teenage Diabetes are frightening, but clearly a result of making so much garbage food cheap, attractive & easily available! How can people help but become addicted? Three cheers for these & encouragement for more healthy alternatives!
These sound great! Wish they were gluten free so I could eat them
.
Dr. Hyman:
YES! I TRIED THIS CANDY!
I searched the candy aisle at CVS while waiting for my prescription order, looking for some kind of “treat” for myself. The whole time I fought with myself to avoid buying any candy “treat”. I spotted the UnReal candy bags (4 different kinds) on the shelf next to the stand-up pouched bags of other candies like M&M’s. I immediately saw “no high fructose corn syrup” on the front of the bag & “No GMO’s”?! WOW!
After reading the ingredients closely, I purchased the peanut covered style (like M&M’s). They tasted more like “Carob” to me, but I was happy enough to get used to the sort of “tangier” taste than all the other well-known chocolate candy brands. A week later, I found a smaller 2 piece package of peanut butter cups at the register in other CVS. I liked them a lot and was glad to see that the portion, as opposed to the large bag style, was so satisfying and just right for an “I need a treat” moment!
The idea was “invented” by a 15 year old whose father is a multi-millionaire. It just goes to show you that the incentive for making money, yes … with money to do so, can be used to help make the world a better place! I’m sure we’ll see more like this, placed in “regular” stores, going forward! Onward and upward and to your health, everyone!
The biblical proverb “Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is older he will not depart from it” expresses the act of a parent actually pressing into the tongue of their child the food they desire them to aquire a taste for. With the overwhelming amount of negative influences on our children today, we must be vigilant in leading them down the path of personal health and wellness; spiritually, physically and emotionally.
I can’t wait! I’m going to spread the word and start asking at stores for this kind of candy and not because I eat a lot of it, I just want people to stop with the junk food.
People are so uneducated. They never read labels. Just yesterday I played golf with a physician who was drinking gatoraide. She was quite heavy and walked slower than the rest of us golfers. I was telling her about my homemade gatoraide, a little orange juice, salt and water.
I can’t believe how lazy people are.
Hi Lois, ditto, great that someone is saying it, people ARE lazy!!!!!! Send this Dr the article by Dr Hyman !!!!
Yes, well, before you begin condemning people for being lazy, are you going to check the ingredients of this new “fab, healthy” candy before raving about it?
Are you sure, Dr. Hyman, that these UnReal candy bars are really that much healthier? I tried one and decided it must be a gimmick because it tasted pretty much like the real ones… How are they healthier?
Hi Carolyn,
It is not so much that these candy bars are healthier, it is simply that they are made without all the “junk” conventinal bars are loaded with- hydrogenated fats, artificial flavorings, colors, additives, preservatives, HFCS etc…
This is not a green light to go eat candy, just a glimpse into the change that is POSSIBLE when people come together and demand a better product!
I checked out the ingredients in UnReal products. Sugar and more sugar… and other unhealthy ingredients. What happened to you, Dr. Hyman? Have you sold your soul to the devil?
I am so happy to see you are featuring this company! I stumbled upon them a few weeks ago while trolling the aisles of Rite Aid. Rather than implore people to stop eating junk food it makes perfect sense to just eat the same food with better ingredients and without the added chemicals. Love it!
What are the ingredients? How much sugar? Why not a green food bar not chocked full of (healthy) sugars? I am a little skeptical because I know that even at Whole Foods, for someone dealing with chronic illness, bars are not available that will not cause problems. I would like to see a healthy bar at Whole Foods.
I think the simple answer has to be no. Whilst it is great to see a product eschewing chemicals, colours and additives none of this addresses the real issues. We are simply replacing one faux food for another, albeit less toxic.
There are a number of obvious issues here.
Unreal’s version of Snickers has 10 grams less carbs. But let’s face it, the bar is almost ten grams smaller than a conventional Snickers so whatever the source of the ingredients we immediately need to take that into account. I can’t find a list of ingredients for the Unreal bar but at the end of the day, real caramel, real nougat, what are these things if not sugars with some additional flavours.
People who exercise often reward themselves disproportionately when if comes to food. Swapping a workout for a treat. I can see a similar instance where if someone thinks they are eating a healthier product they simply give themselves more latitude when if comes to their meals.
You will have to excuse me, I don’t wish to appear cynical. Processed food is processed food. You can couch it any way you like but unless people decide that these things a exceptions within their diet then the outcome is the same, eat things that have little or no long term nutritional value.
The branding for Unreal is very slick, the packaging looks great. I am sure a tremendous amount of time and moeny has gone in to creating a product that sends out their unique selling proposition. But if we don’t get back on board with the fact that cooking meals from raw ingredients is a life skill, not something you do now and again, we abdicate responsibility for our health and well being.
In the UK we are fast becoming a nation who watches cookery shows whilst tucking in to ready meals, whose seductive packaging looks just like the food on offer on TV. But let’s face it, the content couldn’t be further from the meals we watch being made.
A candy bar is a candy bar.
I found the ingredient list for the bar…
Milk Chocolate (cane sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk powder, organic blue agave inulin, skim milk, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), Caramel (tapioca syrup, cane sugar, fructan (prebiotic fiber), organic palm kernel oil, whey, milk protein concentrate, organic cream, vanilla extract, salt, soy lecithin), Peanuts, Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Organic Palm Kernel Oil, Skim Milk, Peanut Flour, Salt, Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Soy Lecithin
I find it hard to get excited about this. Evaporated Cane Syrup?
I picked up one of the peanut butter cups a couple months ago at Walgreen’s, and fell in love with it. It doesn’t taste exactly like a Reese’s, which is great. In my opinion, it tastes better! And the peanut “M&M” type candy is much tastier as well. They taste less “junky” and not as sharply sweet. I’m thrilled they are catching on.
This is a great step in the right direction but I thought it was discovered that agave and palm kernal oil, both highlighted on the Unreal candy ingredient list, are still highly problematic. I am going to research those items further to see if my memory is correct.
I took a look at the numbers on this stuff, and frankly, I’m unimpressed. The candies are generally about 30% smaller. When you adjust for that, they hardly save you any calories, and they still have huge amount of carbohydrates. They may have healthier ingredients, but they look to me to leave you just as fat as you were. Looks to me like the stated benefits are unreal.
Bravo to Unreal and Dr. Hyman. Please also include the ever growing group of celiacs and gluten sensitives. Ellen
What wonderful news for people who actually want to take responsibility for their health and care enough about
our out of control “health care/disease care” national costs to show their concern with action. I REALLY hope
this real food can also be bought in Canada. Thanks Dr. Hyman for sharing this.
When I was a kid, candy was a treat, not a regular occurence. We almost never had soda in the house, except for a party. The nutrition choices of kids have to start from the parents and home. We ate homemade food–we ate fresh vegetables and fruits, GMO foods were not invented yet, and we baked cookies ourselves most of the time, unless mom bought Oreos occassionally. We also went outside to play, especially in the summer. The TV was not allowed to be on until 5pm. Parenting is about rearing children to do the right thing after they grow up. It is NOT about being a child’s best friend and giving them everything they want–a child cannot make good choices on their own.
Dear Dr Hyman,
A billion dollars in candy consumed over Halloween, well you have to wonder who created the candy tradition on holidays. I wonder how Easter compares. No wonder that the average American is consuming 150 Lbs of the stuff annually when a 32oz sweetened iced tea at McDonald’s contains 17.5 teaspoons of sugar. UGG.
There seems to be a false sense of security in “unreal” candy”. I love the whole idea a healthier candy but would love to read the label and ingredients. Looks like sugar is still one of the main ingredients.
JCW
I did not see in your article where the actual ingredients are listed. How can we tell if these new treats are really better than the pre-existing junk without getting an idea of the ingredients used? I have to ask, are you getting a kick back for promoting this new brand on your website?
This must be a paid endorsement. Yeah, it’s better than the typical, junk, but it’s not healthy. It’s not organic and still has lots of sugar. All this amounts to is the lesser of 2 evils. Shame on you.
Please excuse me, I posted this earlier but my commensts seem to has not been recieved. As a regular follower of this blog I would like to add my thoughts to this thread. If there is any issue with the content please feel free to email me.
I think the simple answer has to be no. Whilst it is great to see a product eschewing chemicals, colours and additives none of this addresses the real issues. We are simply replacing one faux food for another, albeit less toxic.
There are a number of obvious issues here.
Unreal’s version of Snickers has 10 grams less carbs. But let’s face it, the bar is almost ten grams smaller than a conventional Snickers so whatever the source of the ingredients we immediately need to take that into account. I can’t find a list of ingredients for the Unreal bar but at the end of the day, real caramel, real nougat, what are these things if not sugars with some additional flavours.
People who exercise often reward themselves disproportionately when if comes to food. Swapping a workout for a treat. I can see a similar instance where if someone thinks they are eating a healthier product they simply give themselves more latitude when if comes to their meals.
You will have to excuse me, I don’t wish to appear cynical. Processed food is processed food. You can couch it any way you like but unless people decide that these things a exceptions within their diet then the outcome is the same, eat things that have little or no long term nutritional value.
The branding for Unreal is very slick, the packaging looks great. I am sure a tremendous amount of time and moeny has gone in to creating a product that sends out their unique selling proposition. But if we don’t get back on board with the fact that cooking meals from raw ingredients is a life skill, not something you do now and again, we abdicate responsibility for our health and well being.
In the UK we are fast becoming a nation who watches cookery shows whilst tucking in to ready meals, whose seductive packaging looks just like the food on offer on TV. But let’s face it, the content couldn’t be further from the meals we watch being made.
A candy bar is a candy bar.
I found the ingredient list for the bar…
Milk Chocolate (cane sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, milk powder, organic blue agave inulin, skim milk, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), Caramel (tapioca syrup, cane sugar, fructan (prebiotic fiber), organic palm kernel oil, whey, milk protein concentrate, organic cream, vanilla extract, salt, soy lecithin), Peanuts, Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Organic Palm Kernel Oil, Skim Milk, Peanut Flour, Salt, Hydrolyzed Milk Protein, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Soy Lecithin
I find it hard to get excited about this. Evaporated Cane Syrup?
WOW I’m surprised dr. hyman would back products that still contain sugar! Why not just eat an apple or a peach? These so-called unjunked food bars, as far as I can see, still contain lots of artificial ingredients, therefore, junk them! Juicing is the only answer! It fills people up with all kinds of nutrients and then we don’t crave sweets!
I think it is a great start but it still has sugar in it. When we need a sweet at our house we enjoy a raw crunch bar from Body Engineering or a sesame seed honey bar from Mariani. Both of these treats are sweetened with honey instead of sugar yet are full of healthy nuts and seeds. Instead of 16 grams of sugar in a bar they have only 5 and 9, respecitvely. And they are delicious!
This is still junk food. What is so unreal, is that there are people trying to make money off a marketing strategy that is still promoting junk food, but they are spinning the idea that they are a catalyst for promoting healthier foods. Ugh! Get REAL, not UnReal!
THANK HEAVENS WE GOT DR. HYMAN THAT CARES ABOUT US. NOT ONLY I WORRY HOW SUGAR IS RUINING EVERYONE. BUT THE ACID FOR RUINING TEETH STRUCTURE. I CURRENTLY HAVE TEETH CRUMBLING AND I THINK IT IS ACIDS OF PURE JUICE OR ACIDS PUT IN MANY JUICES. SO MUCH WRONG ADDITIVES TO PUT UP WITH FROM THE FOOD INDUSTRIES THAT ARE ROBBING US OF GOOD HEALTH AND CREATING UN-WANTED HEALTH BILLS. IT IS LIKE WE ALL NEED TO STUDY NUTRITION ALONG WITH EVERY THING ELSE WE WANT TO KNOW OF. NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT THE LEAST. WE NEED TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE AND PUT OUR FOOT DOWN AGAINST WRONG ADDITIVES IN OUR FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION. WE CAN DO THIS VIA HOW WE BUY OUR ITEMS IN THE STORES. READ ALL LABELS WELL.
There is no such thing as Junk Food.
Food is any substance that supports and maintains the nourishment and well being of our physical bodies.
Junk, on the other hand, is just junk.
By collapsing Junk with Food in our speaking we’ve legitimized this new substance we call “Junk food”.
as edible nourishment fit for human consumption.
The first step in getting rid of this monster we’ve created is to start distinguishing that there is no such thing
as “JunkFood” in our public discourse, everyday rhetoric, and advertising.
We need to wake people up to the absurdity of the connection we’ve allowed between Food and Junk.
Food will always be Food and Junk will always be Junk.
With this distinction under their belts people will do the rest by themselves. They will look at what they are buying with different eyes.
The people I’ve personally shared this distinction with have reported that their shopping habits have become totally transformed as a result of applying the distinction . They read the labels on items more closely.
They ask themselves only one question, “Is this item food or junk?”
I just checked out the Unreal website and clicked on ingredients. There it was: cane sugar! Not evaporated cane juice, fruit juice sweetener, honey, or pure maple syrup, but plain old refined sugar. This is not good stuff. As someone who is very sensitive to white sugar, I know the difference. And it’s not all in my mind. I have had hypoglycemic reactions to hidden sugar — after eating foods that contained white sugar that I did not know about (for example, deviled eggs or pizza sauce). So let’s not kid ourselves about Unreal. Its claims to health are really unreal.
We don’t eat much candy anymore, but the timing is wonderful on this with Halloween coming up! I am more than happy to hand out something with better ingredients!
Cane sugar: better than corn syrup. 30 % of products with high fructose corn syrup in it tested positive for mercury, a neurotoxin.
Non-GMO – better than GMO, which contributes to all sorts of issues such as food allergies, leaky gut syndrome, infertility in animals fed those products in lab tests, etc . . .
No partially hydrogenated oils: better than hydrogenated oils, now associated with all sorts of inflammatory health issues.
No artificial ingredients: better than artificial colors and sodium benzoate, known to be excitotoxins, contributing to ADHD type behaviours – not even allowed in kids products on the other side of the Atlantic!
No, all candies are NOT created equal, all of life exists on a continuum. This is a good addition to the continuum, because it can help displace bad ingredients and help parents recognize that they can make better choices for their children and maybe even proceed beyond picking better candy!
Thank-you Dr. Hyman for the information. I am not a sugar person, but know people who are. Nice to see an alternative. Yet, they have questionable ingredients. For example: salt, skim milk, vanilla extract, icing sugar (?) and hydrolyzed milk protien. The site says no GMO’s, but where did the milk come from? What about the salt? Table salt is not the way to go. Is the vanilla extract, imitation? And what is icing sugar? At the same time, if you eat candy, this can be an alternative. I do not know yet for myself, because I have not see it in my travels to taste it.
Thank-you again
always learning here.
Dr Hyman,
What are your thoughts on this green coffee bean extract? It’s everywhere I go.
Hi paula,
Right now Dr Hyman is not suggesting to take this supplement by itself. However it is included in some of his favorite products for controlling blood sugar and normalizing metabolism.
For more personalized nutrition advice, Dr Hyman’s nutrition coaching team would be happy to work with you on an individual level to help you reach your goals. To work with the nutrition coaching team please go to: http://www.bloodsugarsolution.com/nutrition-coaching/ OR call (800) 892-1443 to get started.
10 million kids between the ages of 4 and 14 eat $2.3 billion worth of candy. This just does not work. You are saying that the average child in this age group eats $2300 of candy at Halloween. I don’t want to minimize the importancfe of this issue, but it seems to me you have a major slip here.
Can you please let me know if my comments are going to be published?
It might be “better”, but there’s still a lot of sugar in that candy. We haven’t yet come to terms with the fact that sugar is addictive and makes us fat.
I applaud Unreal’s effort, but am concerned that people will be chowing down on these things under the impression it’s “healthy”.
The point of this great company is not just to be creating healthier candy… its to change the way the food industry works as a whole. American’s aren’t going to give up there snicker’s… so why not try to smooth the transition to whole foods by starting with a healthier, affordable alternative to snickers that can be bought anywhere. It’s not really healthy, its a healthier candy that, if given the chance, can change the way the food industry works. If UnReal becomes suddenly more popular than the other candy companies, they’ll be forced to make their candy healthier in order to compete. Its not a health food, its a revolution.
I’ll be buying unreal this Halloween, because I would rather give a healthier, alternative treat to children rather than chemicals, preservatives, and twice the sugar.
I admit, I was confused initially why you were supporting unreal, with its sugar and dairy, but I can see now its not about the candy, its about the greater overal change.
I am just going to have to unsubscribe from the newsletter. I do understand that people have to make a living, but I am tired of being advertised to on a continual basis. If you look at the ingredients on the bars I guess you could say they were better for you, but I don’t think you could say they were a healthy choice. In the back of my mind I wonder what connection Dr. Hyman has to this company.
Very clever marketing, but I guess I’m missing the point. Real cane sugar? The natural food stores are full of candy just like this. Sorry, but I think candy is candy no matter what sweetener is used in it. Real cane sugar versus evaporated cane juice, agave syrup versus high fructose corn syrup. These are just the same – they are all sugar and overeating any of them contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes.
How about dried fruit for Halloween? Mixed with seeds and nuts, even better!
Why not support Pure. They are organic, far healthier than unreal and have an even more compelling story: a six year old wanted to be a vegan so her mother helped her create a healthy snack bar. Here’s the story: http://thepurebar.com/our-story/
Great concept! We have to start somewhere to get kids back on track. What I’d love to see is dairy-free dark chocolate in their ingredients rather than milk, so that they could actually get the health benefits from the chocolate. We’re launching dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free organic peanut butter and almond butter cups for the same reason – people will always eat candy, but if we can create something better, it’s a step in the right direction and will encourage change in the industry.
Great Article! We have to make a change to kids snacks. Sugar is addictive and having healthy options available will encourage the kids to eat them. We at AWAREmed Health and Wellness in Myrtle Beach, SC support having nutrtional options for the kids. Great info!
I am disappointed you would endorse a candy bar that has dairy, whey, gluten, and sugar. I think you are confusing all the people that you’ve been lecturing to regarding blood sugar. Sorry Mark, but you have completely sold out this time, I know in your heart you know it’s wrong, they must have offered you a lot to do this.
Thx for the education. I will buy one next time I buy a candy bar. It frustrates me that Americans with, at least for now, the biggest economy in the world, have all the power with these companies and this is the almighty dollar!! Every time I buy something, I view it as a vote or message to that company of what I want. If you don’t want it continue to see something on the shelve, don’t buy it and spread the word along your social network. Why do you think there is so much marketing research to figure out what you want and are willing to spend on. It is great if you are reading Dr. Hyman’s article and know you are never going to eat a candy bar again – good for you!. I doubt I will ever eat that clean so I ‘m okay with getting a candy bar now and then for a treat and I personally would love a healthier alternative with real foods it in like real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup and other man-made crap.
Disappointed you would promote eating candy — of any kind. Unreal may have less damaging ingredients, but it is still candy. If it does not have nutritional value, why promote it? Homemade cookies made with all real ingredients aren’t recommended, so why candy? I have such respect for you and functional medicine in general, and wonder why you are promoting eating candy/have a special interest in this product. Candy, by any name, is still candy.