Healthy?

I'll admit it. I clicked. Easy Healthy Homemade Pop-Tarts? Sign. Me. Up. 

I couldn't wait to see how they had been healthified. Whole grain pastry and a naturally-sweetened, fibre-rich filling? Quinoa sprinkles? Sounds great.

Nope. Gluten-free pastry made from rice flour, sugar and shortening wrapped around a sugar sweetened apple filling. And a sugary glaze. I think. I mean, I assume. I was already done with it by the time I got to that part. (And what kind of sociopath* leaves off the frosting?)

Seriously.

Let's start with the filling. It was actually pretty simple - a few apples cooked down with a half-cup of white and brown sugar. Based on my calculations, the tablespoon or so of filling that went into each tart contained a couple of teaspoons of added sugar. That's on top of the naturally occurring sugar in the apples AND the sugar in the pastry AND the glaze. My teeth are hurting just thinking about it. 

Having had a couple hours to think about it, I suppose the "healthy" part that they were referring to was the gluten-free pastry. That is, if you subscribe to the notion that just because something doesn't have gluten means it's healthy. Plenty of shit foods** are gluten-free. It's not like they remove the gluten and replace it with virtue.

Is a gluten-free homemade pop-tart better for you than a regular store-bought pop-tart? If you are living with celiac disease, then I would say yes...unless sugar is also a concern. Is it healthy? Ehhh... I think we can do better.

* "lifestyle blogger"

**Plenty of shit foods are vegan, dairy-free and/or fat-free, too. Just sayin'.

Note: Gluten aside, if we compare rice flour with wheat flour, there are a couple small differences. Yes, gram for gram, rice flour is slightly lower in calories, but it is also lower in protein and fibre. (Carbs and vitamins are about the same.) In this case, I can't see how swapping rice for wheat makes for a "healthier product." Fibre, people.