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Beware! This Ingredient Will Trick You

May 21, 2013   31 Comments

Two years ago, Snack Girl picked on Edy’s Popsicles. Why?

Outshine Popsicles

These popsicles were named “Fruit Bars” and the first two ingredients were water and sugar (where’s the fruit?). You can read the scintillating post here - Don't Be Fooled By This Popsicle Marketing Trick.

I received an e-mail from a reader asking me if I had checked out the NEW fruit bars. I guess I have been asleep at the wheel because Edy’s has revamped their packaging and ingredients.

Would there be more fruit? Here is the label from 2 years ago:

fruitbaringredients

Here is the label from yesterday:

Now the label has “blueberry juice from concentrate” as the second ingredient. Is this an improvement over “sugar”?

I would have to say, “No. It is the same.” I looked it up because I was confused and found that many reliable sources count "fruit juice concentrate" as added sugar.

Here is an excerpt from Mayo Clinic: Nutrition and Healthy Eating:

Despite what you may have heard, there's no nutritional advantage for honey, brown sugar, fruit juice concentrate or other types of sugar over white sugar.

My conclusion, dear reader, is that the new Edy’s is the same as the old Edy’s. The words may be different but the ingredients are essentially the same except for one thing.

More sugar! The new bars have 10 more calories than the old bars and all of them can be attributed to sugar.

oh well.

If you are looking for actual frozen fruit bars, they exist. I have found a couple of different brands in my supermarket.

Have you been tricked by “fruit juice concentrate”?

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31 Comments:

curious...

"Despite what you may have heard, there's no nutritional advantage for honey, brown sugar, fruit juice concentrate or other types of sugar over white sugar."

...mayb not much nutritional advantage but surely being counted as "less grams" of sugar per serving counts for something... right??

It would if there were actually fewer grams of sugar per serving. Both versions have 16 g sugar per serving, so there's really no improvement.

Could you address the difference between soy lecithin and soy protein isolate and the problems with each? I know soy protein isolate is processed soy, stripped of any nutritional value, leaving a concentrated source of phytoestrogen, but am not sure if soy lecithin is the same thing using different terminiology and if it is as bad for us. Thank you!

CHEAPER AND EASY REAL FRUIT AND A PROCESSOR. BY POPSICLE HOLDERS AND THERE YOU GO. ALL NATURAL AND THEY TASTE BETTER.

When it gets hot my husband will start buying these like last year thinking I will approve. He does like the 365 Whole Foods brand. What about the honey, I guess Mayo is saying no nutritional advantage but am I correct in thinking it at least does not spike sugar levels in the body??

I recently tried to buy Popsicle and had a tough time finding any without high fructose corn syrup! Better to make your own. I have read that different sugar sources are processed through the body different as in natural sugar from fruit vs table sugar. I was under the impression that's where the advantage lies in using some sweeteners over others. It keeps blood sugar levels from spiking

But still a better choice than water/corn syrup/food coloring Popsicles, in my opinion.

its not a better choice sugar is still sugar.. if the popsicle was any better the ingredients would state fruit in the first 2 ingreidients instead its fruit juice from concentrate. i would rather make my own and know that im not eating a popsicle that is just juice and sugar..

Why in the heck is there soy lecithin in popsicles? Carob bean gum? Guar gum?

This is ridiculous. I make my own popsicles every summer, using 1 real, organic ingredient... fruit that I puree and pour in popsicle molds. Food does not need to be as difficult, or as unhealthy!, as Edy's is trying to make it.

Just freeze a banana on a stick and eat that - yummy!

Snack Girl, which kinds of actual fruit bars do you recommend? (Gearing up for summer...) :)

It's scary to think about what they are putting in our food and passing it off as healthy. I read the other day that they were changing the name of an artificial sugar to hide it. I don't know if this is true, but I hope it isn't.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give us all of this good information.

I'm reading fruit juice FROM concentrate followed by "juice concentrate and water", so sounds to me like it's RECONSTITUTED fruit juice, but it's back to it's original consistencey (or close to it), and it's NOT still concentrated. So do they get some credit for that? Any difference between reconstituted and fresh squeezed juice as far as grams of sugar? I'm curious about that. I know juice has more sugar than the actual fruit. And I'm sure fresh squeezed has more nutrients than the reconstituted. Thoughts?

Ditto what LitChick said What do recommend and does anyone have a healthy sub for crescent rolls? Thanks!

Try Whole Foods and Trader Joe's they are in a tube also, but do not have hydrogenated oils. Still the can crescent rolls have enriched flour. Lets see if anyone else has a healthier version... our family has for breakfast maybe every 3-6 months, I will open a can. They are so good. Hard to give completely up.

Thanks Lenora! I will try the Whole Foods.

a little more decadent, but REAL fruit - Banana Babies (dark chocolate covered)!

I've always thought that the primary advantage that raw sugars and honey have over white sugar is a lack of the chemicals they add to make it white. That, of course, assumes that your 'raw' sugar is actually raw. From a calorie standpoint, they're about the same, but they aren't bleached or chemically altered.

It all depends on what you (or the kids) might be having for a snack instead. If this bar is replacing real fruit, then not so great. But if it is replacing snack cakes or chips, then I say go for it! Also, it is a matter of convenience. Yes, I can make better bars myself, but do I?

Trader Joe's frozen treats are way better anyway...

Snack Girl,

Even my husband reads you in our inbox now! Your chocolate chip cookies and recently your frozen white grape juice + halved red grape homemade Popsicles were raved about here at home...unanimously! Thank you! Please feel free to feature more homemade REAL fruit Popsicle ideas ( hint hint). :)

I'm with Robi, banana babies are great. Easy to portion control also.

You wrote "If you are looking for actual frozen fruit bars, they exist. I have found a couple of different brands in my supermarket." Can you please share the name of the brands you have found? THANK YOU!

The fact that you think honey has the same nutritional value as sugar has made me decide to unsubcribe from any and all list of yours I may be on. I will make sure to unlike your facebook page as well. Why not do a little research on honey before you have people believing that "there's no nutritional advantage for honey" Google it sometime. Get your facts straight.

I need everyone's help. It seems as if I start over every day with my attempt at healthy eating. Invariably, I start the day well, but by the end I have eaten at least one thing that I shouldn't have. It's always worse when I go to the grocery store; even if I am not hungry, those too-tempting sweet things call to me until I acquiesce. Any advice?

Sandy, it is hard to tame my sweet tooth, too. I chew sugarless gum, a minty flavor. Frozen fruit right out of the bag helps me too. Good Luck! PS. I just cannot buy some items because I cannot control Myself!

Funny I just bought these. Wanted a treat but it was the least offensive of all the ":popsicles". Bu the brand is "Dreyer's" Not "Edy's"

The y are tasting more like water! Not worth buying them!

Their popsicles still taste yummy! Thanks for the heads up, though!

I noticed that outshine some times has 2 different kinds of popicles sticks 1 no name 1 that says outshine on stick the 1 with no name seems to have less pieces of fruit, the one with outshine on it has more fruit pieces, are they made at 2 different plants. why. we really like these, we buy at least 5- 12 count boxes aweek. thanks for the info.

I fell in love with the watermelon popsicles that you came out with. I'm really devastated that I've been to seven stores looking for them and just as your advertising them on commercials as the new watermelon flavor none of the stores are carrying them anymore. Watermelon was my favorite. If I had any idea what you're going to quit selling watermelon flavor. I would have bought them up by the case. Continue making the watermelon. They are the most delicious summer flavor. Sincerely Elizabeth Daugherty

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