Happy Valentines Day to those celebrating.  And enjoy your Tuesday for those who are not.

I recently read an article on NPR’s Salt Blog about fortifying foods with fiber.  You can pretty much buy anything these days with added fiber.  The question becomes; does adding a good nutrient to foods, without taking anything else away, improve the healthfulness of that item?

I sampled a Fiber One brownie at Coscto this weekend, because I had to know what it tasted like, not because I want to eat fiber-rich brownies.  In fact, I hate their commercials that have people partying in the grocery story screaming Yes! Brownies for Everyone! or something like that….you guys know how I feel about brownies – they should taste like brownies.

Source

Anyways, the problem with adding fiber to everything (besides that for most people it hurts their tummies and causes gas and cramping)is that people now think of these items as health food.  ”Why choose whole grains when I can have fiber in my yogurt? Why choose a piece of fruit when I can eat a pop tart with fiber…and I may as well eat five of them because they are so healthy and full of fiber.”

Fiber is good for you. And it is found naturally in foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.  There is no proof that adding fiber to foods will improve your health.  I think it just gives people more incentive to eat more foods that are not all that healthy.  As NPR’s article states, “pretty much everyone agrees that given a choice between fiber-fortified sugar cereal and an apple, you’re better off with the apple.”

Apples for everyone!