WhoNu The World Could Be So Sweet?

While shopping for food, I came upon these new “Eat Your Vegetables” chips that provide one serving of vegetables in each ounce. These are not the pretty tri-colored tortilla chips that restaurants serve instead of fries. No, these are chips made from a combination of sweet potatoes, carrots and navy beans. I will admit I was skeptical, but these chips are delicious, and I like that I can enjoy this treat without guilt.

Lately, I have noticed that food companies are providing more of these no-guilt food options. Wheat bread is no longer the only good-for-you food in town. No, there are whole grain and gluten-free cereals, 100-calorie snacks, decadent fat free desserts, and my new favorite, the WhoNu? cookie which bears a striking resemblance to that chocolate sandwich cookie with the cream inside whose name begins with an “O”.

According to the box, three WhoNu? cookies provide as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, as much calcium and Vitamin D as an eight ounce glass of milk, as much Vitamin C as a cup of blueberries, as much Vitamin A as a glass of tomato juice, as much Vitamin E as two cups of carrot juice, as much Vitamin B-12 as a cup of cottage cheese and fruit and as much Iron as a cup of Spinach. Phew, that is a lot of nutrition to stick inside an Oreo-esque delight. With all this nutrition in these new cookies, which by the way, come in a vanilla sandwich and a chocolate chip variety as well, why do I need to eat anything else? If I get all the vitamins I need in these delightful treats, I can spend all the money I want in the cookie aisle and not suffer an ounce of food remorse.  I know this sounds kooky religious, but I think I have been Raptured and beamed up to heaven or I was one of the lucky sinners left behind. Either way, I can deal.

I know everyone has a hero in his or her life. Some people pick astronauts or politicians (yeah, really – politicians) or the guy who landed the plane in the Hudson River, but my heroes are the inventors of these cookies. Okay, so my bar for heroism might not be as high as other people’s heroism bar. But it’s true. I would love to meet these cookie geniuses and literally pay homage. If they want to start a country, I will be their first citizen; I will design our new flag: A cluster of chocolate, vanilla and chocolate chip cookies enclosed in a ring of gold against a backdrop of milk cartons, stars and smiles.

Some might view nutritious cookies and treats as trivial, but think about the ramifications to this invention before you judge. We can all eat the cookies and ship the real fruits and vegetables to countries that have food shortages. NO, we cannot ship the cookies because in the new WhoNu? Country, exporting of our only product will be prohibited. And here is another thought: If scientists have come up with a food that is this good and this healthy, what’s next to conquer? Everything else now seems less threatening. We can find cures for diseases, develop alternative fuels, create jobs, find ways to reverse the effects of global warming — any problem can be solved.

Last week, I doubted the resilience of this world and the people in it, but now thanks to WhoNu? and the “Eat your Vegetables” Chips, my faith in this world has rebounded. Is the world perfect? Of course not. There will always be problems to work out, but I am confident that any problems that arise can be met and overcome. I am hoping that the WhoNu? scientists are already working on the next greatest challenge facing us: a nutritious version of the Pepperidge Farm Milano Mint cookie. Once this is on the grocery store shelves, I think we can all sit back, relax and enjoy our new peaceful and sweet world.