Wolf In Sheep's Clothing: Nana's Cookies

Who doesn't love cookies? Particularly soft, chewy ones saturated with chocolate chips?

I'm willing to bet you do.

I also have a feeling, though, that you watch your cookie consumption, since you know they are empty calories.

Delicious, sure, but nutritionally void.

What if I told you I had a tasty, chocolate chip vegan cookie made with whole wheat flour and oats?

Let me tell you more about it.

It has no refined sugars, white flour, dairy, eggs, cholesterol, hydrogenated oils, or trans fats.

Its first and second ingredients are whole wheat flour and rolled oats, respectively.

Interested?

If you took the bait -- read carefully.

Nana's Vegan Cookies are available nationwide, and described by their creator as "extremely healthy".

I have tried them myself and will vouch for their taste. They are absolutely delicious. Chewy, moist, flavorful, and better than most conventional cookies.

When I truly want to indulge in a sweet treat, I pick one up.

"Indulge? How bad can they be? They don't have any of the 'bad stuff'," you may think.

Well, a 3.5 ounce cookie (the only available size) delivers 410 calories, 320 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams (5 1/2 teaspoons) of sugar (in the form of fruit juice), and just 3 grams of fiber.

From a caloric and fiber standpoint, that's equal to 7 regular Oreo cookies!

I find that people tend to automatically equate vegan, dairy free, fruit-juice sweetened, and whole grain with "healthy", when that isn't always the case.

Remember that fruit juice is, essentially, sugar water, and our body metabolizes it very similarly to sucrose (table sugar).

My rule of thumb? Cookies are not supposed to be health foods.

Sure, a cookie without trans fats and composed of whole grains is a slight improvement, but it is still a cookie.

Therefore, treat it as such. Enjoy it, savor it, but always consider its calories discretionary.