Which One Fits?

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10+ years ago I had a toaster pastry habit. Yes, Pop-Tarts to be exact. They were a great breakfast staple, especially when slathered with peanut butter. I remember one day something about that small cardboard-like pocket of all things sugary hit me as odd. What exactly was it? What, really, was I eating? I remember sitting there staring at the Pop-Tart (probably a strawberry one; those were my favorite) and realizing that it wasn't real food. Pop-Tarts never had the same shine for me after that.

Interestingly, Pop-Tarts have enjoyed consistent growth as a breakfast food for over 30 years. Why is that? Well, the Wall Street Journal investigated the not-really-good-for-you phenomenon, and posted a feature article on Pop-Tarts today. Check out the article here.
WSJ on Pop-Tarts

I think the reason these kinds of breakfast items are still popular is simply that it is great-tasting convenience, aimed at the teen demographic in homes too busy to commit to much else for breakfast. I get that. Pop-Tarts are fortified with all sorts of vitamins and minerals, so you can say it isn't totally empty calories. 

What it convicts me of is the underlying power of the pantry. My point about maintaining a power pantry is always that if it isn't in our pantries, we can't eat it. Obviously the opposite is true that when we're staring at the pantry or fridge for something to eat, we'll choose something right there in front of us, so we had better stock it wisely.

I happened to stop at a local grocery store to buy some snacks today, and without even thinking about the healthy/unhealthy conflict, I found myself in the bulk food aisle buying raw almonds, dried banana chips (unsweetened) and dried tart cherries (which I love for snacking - much better than Sweet Tarts...) As I was thinking about this post I was struck by the overall simplicity of the purchase and choice. I could just as well have bought a box of Pop-Tarts, but my mental filter is now set to ask, "which one fits in a power pantry?" My automatic, unthinking response is, the whole food, natural choice. Sorry, Kellogg's...

Is eating Pop-Tarts the end of the world? No, not really. I didn't die from consuming years of them when I was in my 20's and 30's. But how much healthier would those years have been if I was making wiser choices and stocking our pantry better? I guess we'll never know, but at least now I've grown that much more convicted to maintain a healthful power pantry. So, how are the breakfast choices in your pantry?

By the Way

Did you know that Pennsylvania hosts one of Kellogg's Pop-Tart plants? It is located in Muncy, PA, just outside of Williamsport. So if you find yourself hankering for a Pop-Tart in the near future, and your in PA, at least you know they're fresh.