birder Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I woke up crabby this morning so that is probably reflected in my thoughts here so I'm apologizing.ahead of time. What is the difference between a compliant Laura bar or cricket bar and making these . http://paleoparents.com/featured/noatmeal-cookies/? Or even date and walnut balls? None of them are compliant if I eat them as a snack just to snack or a dessert when I need a sugar fix right? But if I use them as a back up plan? I didn't have enough lunch the other day and a Laura bar was my only option to keep me from crashing before dinner so that should be fine if it is a rare thing? So the same should be true for homemade cookies or date balls as long as I'm addressing why I'm eating them and planning better because of it? I really don't plan on running into the issue again but I'm traveling a lot during my Whole 30 and just want to be prepared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina R Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I think this is a gray area. To me Larabars are dessert and should be avoided. However they are allowed as emergency food if needed. I think you need to think about your relationship with this type of food. Do you want to eat them instead of a regular meal? Do you want to eat them everyday? If you do then I would avoid this type of food during your whole30. Have you read the post "Sex with your pants on food"? It is very helpful. I will try to post it here. Otherwise search google to find it. http://whole30.com/2011/10/sex-with-your-pants-on/. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators LadyM Posted July 21, 2014 Moderators Share Posted July 21, 2014 You're better off planning differently for emergencies, or at least use RX bars instead, which actually follow the template in that they have adequate protein and fat to offset the sugar bomb of the fruit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b.c. Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I'm with you, birder. Before switching to paleo, I started off the year with a resolution not to buy "treats" that I could make at home. I enjoy baking, and try to use top quality ingredients, so I reasoned that if I wanted a treat, I would bake it with good quality ingredients at home instead of buying junk from the store. When we switched to paleo, the same held true. I'm not going to eat Larabars - I think they are disgusting and I'd much rather make something like that for myself, if I'm going to eat it, than to eat something store-bought. While on the Whole30, I just skipped these things... which definitely made traveling more complicated... It took a lot more planning and packing and cooler space, and there was no plan b that I could pack away in my bag. Thankfully, it worked out for me... but I agree in the struggle with understanding the difference between making your own version of a Larabar (or other things like it) for "emergencies" and having a store-bought one. I know some times I found myself simply going without food because what I'd planned fell through and I didn't have an acceptable alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted July 21, 2014 Moderators Share Posted July 21, 2014 There is very little different. You should never eat any of these. If it were up to me, I would ban larabars from anyone doing a Whole30. Sometimes the Hartwigs are too generous in the options they offer. If you want to carry something to use for emergency food, carry a ziploc bag of macadamia nuts and raisins. Baking paleo cookies to use as emergency food is an experiment in seeing if you can do a Whole30 without really getting into the spirit of the process. You might succeed, but you actually lose because the benefits accrue to those who really embrace the spirit of the Whole30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b.c. Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 There is very little different. You should never eat any of these. If it were up to me, I would ban larabars from anyone doing a Whole30. Sometimes the Hartwigs are too generous in the options they offer. If you want to carry something to use for emergency food, carry a ziploc bag of macadamia nuts and raisins. Baking paleo cookies to use as emergency food is an experiment in seeing if you can do a Whole30 without really getting into the spirit of the process. You might succeed, but you actually lose because the benefits accrue to those who really embrace the spirit of the Whole30. Good ol' Tom with the reminder of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit They really are a lifesaver at times, and yes, I'd much prefer these to Larabars any day of the week. I agree with catching the spirit of the Whole30 - I think it requires being a good sport on those cranky days until you really push through and see that it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birder Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 I actually only have the cookies in my freezer because my kids and husband eat them as treats and never had an intention of eating them and only ate a Laura bar because all the nuts available were roasted in junk. I was crashing hard and had to give a presentation so had to just give in. What set me off was discussion of Laura and Cricket bars as an approved product. It drives me crazy they are approved but something I would make at home for my family who are not doing whole 30 and would eat worse if I didn't provide it for them is not. My normal emergency food is Trader Joes tuna or a can of sardines but they only work if you are not worried about offending anyone and you haven't misplaced you can opener. Nuts actually make me want to eat more most the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 The idea with Larabars and Chapul bars is that you can stash them in your car or desk drawer for a significant amount of time "just in case." I don't see these cookies holding up in those situations for more than a day or two, in which case you've got to eat or toss the cookie, right? Well, who's going to throw away a perfectly good cookie...? This is a hot topic, we get that, but I think there's an incredibly large psychological difference between something like a Larabar (which is really not that exciting to most folks) and a cookie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birder Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 That does make sense. If I really did carry the cookies for emergencies I would probably decide I was too hungry to go on all the time. I'm finally getting back to the stage where I don't feel life or death hunger anymore and I know if I needed I could wait a couple hours to eat. Sticking to it is definitely paying off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktothev Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 While I generally agree with the lara bars and the like not being great options, the Epic bars I feel are a much better emergency food choice because they don't in any way resemble "treats". That is one emergency bar I can have around and I never just eat for the sake of eating it. It isn't that they are horrible, they just feel more like real food to me. They aren't sweet at all and the texture is definitely not like a cookie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illumine8 Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 @Tina R thanks for the sex with your pants on article! I love the way the Hartwigs write! @Tom thanks for perspective! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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