Some Developments Should Just Be Avoided

Reading an online article from Sunday's Chicago Tribune I am reminded that just because we have the knowledge to make something, we shouldn't necessarily MAKE that something...

Spotlight on new product - Liquid Cereal - "brain" child of Larry Trachtenbroit and his one-year old company, Brain-Twist. Think leftover milk from the bottom of the cereal bowl... the stuff infused with flavors of the morning's cereal choice that basically separated kids into two groups: the kind who slurped the leftover milk... and the kind repulsed by that idea.

As of their product launch, Liquid Cereal is packaged in 11-oz. cans (roughly the same size as a normal size soft drink can) and comes in four flavors - Chocolate, Apple Cinnamon, Fruit and Peanut Butter. Truly reminiscent of popular cereal choices (think Cocoa Puffs, Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, Captain Crunch PB flavor). Each can has 150 calories and is sweetened partially by sucralose, to cut excess calories.

I respect Brain-Twist's entrepreneurial spirit and idea... admit it... it's kind of funny. But besides the fact that the idea of drinking cereal-flavored milk that tastes like residual breakfast dregs sickens me a little, think about this from a "meal" and nutrition standpoint. Eating a bowl of cereal with a 1/2 cup of skim milk is roughly 150 calories... the same number as drinking one can of just the flavored milk. Why not just eat the cereal, drink the milk remnants (if you must... ick) and feel fuller and more satisfied on the same number of calories? It seems to me that just drinking the flavored product would still leave you hungry, meaning you would consume more overall calories during the course of a day. For once people are allowed to have their cake and eat it too, but instead they are choosing to package the icing and relegate themselves to only eating that.

Look at the product as a novelty item I suppose... just remember that novelty foods have calories too. And for those like me... we'll stick to eating the cereal rather than drinking it.