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Larabars should be OUTLAWED. Anything in a wrapper.


roaringsugardragon

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Hi! I think Whole30/ Melissa needs to outlaw larabars and anything that comes in a small wrapper. I never would have even known what they were or tried them if they weren’t mentioned in the book so much. After looking at this forum I realized a lot of people are having issues with "treating" themselves with a half Larabar. I’m on week two and was doing so well, but then saw Larabars at Trader Joe’s and got one and before you know it, I was back in the store buying five. The Whole30 book talks about the "spirit" of whole30, yet Lara Bars and Epic bars literally the only brand and thing allowed that can be eaten from a wrapper. My guess is Whole30 gets paid to promote these products. But if Whole30 outlawed chips, then why would they allow sweets in a wrapper labeled "cookie." The "Cashew Cookie" larabar messes with my head. I just ate cookies on Whole30. I think that anything sweet and processed  should either be homemade or outlawed. Larabars are like candy and I just don't think it's right to put them in the book so many times. I never ever would have even looked in the "bar" section of my grocery store. I get they're for emergencies, but the WHOLE point of WHOLE30 is to do things whole heartily. Wrappers are cheating and i kinda feel like i failed and need to start over again because i ate so many lara bars in two days.

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16 minutes ago, roaringsugardragon said:

Hi! I think Whole30/ Melissa needs to outlaw larabars and anything that comes in a small wrapper. I never would have even known what they were or tried them if they weren’t mentioned in the book so much. After looking at this forum I realized a lot of people are having issues with "treating" themselves with a half Larabar. I’m on week two and was doing so well, but then saw Larabars at Trader Joe’s and got one and before you know it, I was back in the store buying five. The Whole30 book talks about the "spirit" of whole30, yet Lara Bars and Epic bars literally the only brand and thing allowed that can be eaten from a wrapper. My guess is Whole30 gets paid to promote these products. But if Whole30 outlawed chips, then why would they allow sweets in a wrapper labeled "cookie." The "Cashew Cookie" larabar messes with my head. I just ate cookies on Whole30. I think that anything sweet and processed  should either be homemade or outlawed. Larabars are like candy and I just don't think it's right to put them in the book so many times. I never ever would have even looked in the "bar" section of my grocery store. I get they're for emergencies, but the WHOLE point of WHOLE30 is to do things whole heartily. Wrappers are cheating and i kinda feel like i failed and need to start over again because i ate so many lara bars in two days.

Many of us do not include these items in our Whole30 or Food a Freedom for the very reason that you're having problems with them. They are for emergencies ONLY; like stuck on a flight on the Tarmac In a blizzard and you're about to eat the arm of your seatmate.  If they are problematic for you in that you would create an 'emergency' to eat them, don't buy them. But people do need emergency food and they are technically compliant altho again, not recommended. 

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Thanks for the link! 

The thing is, "emergency" food can be nuts, fruit, and so many other options. Using the name larabar again and again in the book isn't productive. If you can go to a store and buy a bar to save for "emergencies" then you can go to a store and buy dried fruit and nuts and save them for emergencies too.

Lara Bars are labeled as cashew cookie and pecan pie.

To SUGARCUBEOD. If it were that easy to just not eat them, then so many people wouldn't be posting about this exact issue. Again, had I never read about them in the book, I never would have bought them. It was instant advertisement for a sugary snack. 

The Whole30 link based in 2015 is helpful, but still these companies use the "Whole30" name and call themselves complaint. If Whole30 really wanted to nix this issue, they'd stop letting these companies use their name.

 

Anything that comes in a small wrapper should be outlawed.

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Sorry, what difference does it make if it's pre-smashed into a bar and wrapped up or you go and buy a pound of dates and cashews and go to town while watching TV? 

I get where you're coming from and it's valid and understandable. But you know what else people crack out on? Nut butters. Fried plantains. Fruits. Squash slow roasted and dipped in limey homemade mayo (<-- that's mine!), roasted potatoes. The program can't outlaw anything that people might have a tendency to overeat. 

The rules are the rules. The recommendations are to limit these items. But what is the point in outlawing larabars unless we also outlaw dates and raisins and dried mango and almond butter etc? If people are not willing to or not ready to challenge their relationship with food, they will find something to use as a sugar-substitute. We can't make people use hard boiled eggs and olives as emergency food/snacks. We can just provide the rules, the best practice recommendations and the support and then you have to step back and let folks find their own way. 

Great discussion point though! :) 

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Coming back to add: given your user name "Roaring Sugar Dragon" you are probably going to be among the people doing Whole30 who have a harder time getting those cravings under control. It's really, really common to want/need/crave sweetness if you are predisposed to sugar cravings but if you are wanting to get that under control, you would want to be turning to protein and fats.  Don't use fruit, nuts or these bars when you are craving sugar. Either power through it or turn to the complete opposite of that. Eggs, olives, chicken, mayo, guac, burger patty. It gets easier as you go if you don't use sweet things (even the natural ones) as a crutch to get through.

There are people who can tolerate having a larabar or RX bar. Athletes. Folks that work strenuous jobs. People with really fast/high metabolisms. People without a preference for sweets/sugar. 

Once you know and are aware of what your triggers are, YOU can outlaw them.....for you. And I would if I were you. I'm with you, I have a terrible, terrible sugar dragon. If I had anything like that in the house I'd have 8 emergencies a day. Cannot. Full stop. But that's me..............and my weakness/issues shouldn't be foisted off on everyone else doing the program.

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I certainly don't want to spark a debate or be rude in any way, but I do want to offer a different point of view...

There is a very valid reason to having Whole30-approved, commercially available, pre-packaged foods available. Ones that you can just purchase and have in your bag for easy access. That reason is convenience. While you may just see it as a selfish way for Whole30 to make marketing cash, I think it is a reasonable accommodation for busy people doing their best to follow a program that requires a lot of time and effort. There will always be a legitimate time and place to eat such foods. The trick is, learning how to read labels to find the best choices and developing a relationship with food that enables you to only eat them when there is a valid reason.

Afterall, much of the point of Whole30 is aimed at improving your relationship with food... 

Like you, I honestly don't ever see a time or a place where any fruit and nut bar is, in any way, in the spirit of the Whole30. Like you, I also wouldn't be able to control how I eat them. And so, knowing that about myself, I never purchased them. Instead, I buy Wild Zora bars. They aren't flavored in such a way that they are addictive (I eat the Curry Turkey one) and they at least  have meat, which I believe is a better alternative for snacking when hungry or in an emergency. 

I respect Whole30 for ending their relationship with RXBar after finding that they were troubling for so many, despite being compliant. But, I also respect Whole30 for actively trying to find commercially available, pre-packaged food that is convenient and compliant. Will it ever be as healthy as home-made food? No. Can it be abused? Yes. But that's not the fault of Whole30...

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1 hour ago, kirbz said:

Can it be abused? Yes. But that's not the fault of Whole30...

Honestly, if that were the criteria for "In" vs "Out", they would have to outlaw an awful lot of stuff! haha!

And if the criteria were "anything in a small wrapper should be outlawed", the pre-made hard boiled eggs would be out as would convenience packs of olives, beef jerky etc. 

No, people need to take responsibility for themselves. It's only 30 days and when that 30 days is up, if someone hasn't challenged themselves to change their relationship with certain foods regardless of if Melissa Hartwig tells you it's OK or not OK, then what do you do when you're on your own without the program directing your every move?

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3 hours ago, ladyshanny said:

But you know what else people crack out on? Nut butters. Fried plantains. Fruits. Squash slow roasted and dipped in limey homemade mayo (<-- that's mine!), roasted potatoes. The program can't outlaw anything that people might have a tendency to overeat. 

I've chugged coconut milk straight from the can before when I was jonesing

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