Duane Reade Pushes DeLish

The creation of yet another snack line may seem insignificant, but while the lot of well-educated and privileged people believe that simply teaching people to cook will end obesity, the truth is that we must wage a war against the widespread overuse of corn syrup and salt. This became clear when I realized that adding calorie counts to menus doesn’t mean that it will change the way people eat; it simply adds transparency to the fast food market. We must change the way we produce food and beverage items. This gets controversial when you take away any means people might use to benefit from a free market economy. But, innovation in the packaged food and beverage products market has shown us that competition can drive big boxes to create healthier options at prices working Americans can afford. So, would you rather your kid go to a coffee shop and eat a bacon egg and cheese and a caramel latte for an afternoon snack, or baked BBQ potato chips and basic cookies? This is why we are applauding Duane Reade’s latest venture, their DeLish line.

The naivety the educated and wealthy harbor is the belief that if you learn how to cook, you will not eat unhealthy foods. This is dangerous because our youth are easily influenced and quick to spend their money. They know not of glycemic indexes and neither do most of their guardians. They don’t understand that if you eat high carb, high sugar foods with unhealthy, chemical fabricated sweeteners, their bodies will only crave more. This is why our latest quick grab snack comes from New York City ubiquitous drugstore, Duane Reade. We have come to love their trail mix crunch options, which come in Pistachio and Blueberry Pomegranate. They are vegan-friendly, gluten-, dairy- and cholesterol-free, Kosher, and do not contain peanuts. The tasty blends are the perfect snack to satisfy a sweet craving without going overboard. They are made with almonds, cashews, rice syrup, cane juice and sea salt. Each flavor also adds the applicable ingredients, such as pistachios, or blueberry and pomegranate bits. Each 3.5 oz bag has 3.5 servings, with 150 calories and just 5 grams of sugar per serving, plus 8% RDA iron and 2 grams of fiber.

The Drizzles, whole grain snacks with sweet toppings drizzled on top, are a tasty snack whose calorie count qualifies it as a snack. This is key because portion control is a major part of a healthy diet and the ever-expanding chip bags in America have made that increasingly difficult.

For an alternative to juice and soda, these tea-based drinks are a great options at a reasonable price. Why not keep a jug in the office fridge and avert those costly trips to the local coffeeshop or those dangerous vending machine stops.

We also tried the DeLish ground coffee, specifically the Fire Fighter’s Joe blend, a medium strength coffee. For $4.99, it competes with the average brands sold at supermarkets and satisfies for the morning cup. But, this is the beginning. DR plans to have more than 100 products by the end of 2009, including soy chips, Belgian chocolate chip cookies and lemonade. We think the price point and the use of basic ingredients, all of which we can pronounce and visualize, are a winning combo. Keep your eyes open for new launches and the next time you reach for a jumbo bag of candy, use a little willpower and opt for trail mix. Your body will thank you and you’ll go to sleep guilt-free.

Check out the Duane Reade Website for more details.

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