MNN - Mother Nature Network

I thought I had nothing new to say about Girl Scout cookies. I’ve made my feelings about them clear over the past few years. I love the Thin Mints, but I go out of my way not to buy them.

 

Today, I found out there is something new to talk about when it comes to Girl Scout Cookies. There’s a new variety for 2013, Mango Cremes with NutriFusion. Yes, Girl Scout cookies are now being pumped up with vitamins.

 

These cookies, which will make you “feel like you’re on a tropical island,” are packed with “great taste AND vitamins!”

 

NutriFusion isn’t something the Girl Scouts came up with. According to the NutriFusion website, it’s an “all-natural, nutritional additive that is 100 percent from fruits and vegetables.” It’s made from whole foods, including the peels, skins, and other parts of the fruits and vegetables. It’s most often found in dietary supplements.

 

 

In addition to a little B1, A, C, D, E, and B6, three cookies (and we all know how small Girl Scout cookies have become) have 180 calories and 8 grams of fat. Adding those vitamins seems more like a marketing ploy than an actual health benefit. They may contain a tiny bit more nutrition than some of the other Girl Scout cookies, but don’t be fooled. Mango Cremes are not a health food; they are cookies.

 

There is room for cookies in a well-balanced, healthy diet. Most of those cookies should be homemade or made with ingredients that you trust. Packaged cookies should be a once-in-a-while treat, even when they have added vitamins in them.