A friend of mine alerted me last night to a 'fat-blocking' energy bar called 'Minus Cal.' Apparently this piece of crap was on Shark Tank, and you can buy the product online. Nothing upset more than companies that try to sell diet culture and the fear of food in the form of ultra-processed garbage, advertised with false claims. Minus Cal is the perfect example of this, with their promise that 'Choleve,' the 'active' ingredient in their bars, blocks fat from being absorbed. In their words, it "blocks extra, unwanted calories throughout the day." Riiiiiight.
Choleve happens to be derived from tea, and let it suffice to say that if it worked as a 'fat blocker,' do you not think that the diet industry would cease to exist? Why do we continue to fall for this utter nonsense! OMG! I'm so upset!
The company uses a terrible 2003 study done in China to 'prove' their hypothesis about Choleve. Too bad the study not only isn't convincing, it also wasn't even studying Choleve or its 'fat blocking' effects. Ridiculous, but I guess when some people see 'research,' they automatically assume it's legit.
Don't do that, please.
NOTHING ON EARTH BLOCKS FAT except for that weird drug Orlistat, and Choleve is NOT THAT.
The makers of Minus Cal have the nerve to suggest that when you crave a spoonful of peanut butter, you should just eat one of their peanut butter bars instead, because that's a much better choice that will "keep you feeling full and guilt-free."
Are you kidding me right now, because eating peanut butter (or any food) should not be a source of guilt for anyone. And suggesting that you SHOULD feel guilty about it, and that a 'better' option is to eat some gross bar, makes me want to scream.
The thing that makes me insanely angry about this whole thing is that companies like these - and let's face it, this company is far from the only one making these sorts of claims - are trying to give people the impression that eating is a negative thing, and that instead of nourishing our bodies, we should be taking food and nutrients away from them. That you should feel guilty about eating certain things, and replacing them with 'guilt-free' options. Minus Cal also sells Choleve pills. Barf.
This is diet culture at its finest. Instead of nourishing yourself, eat a gross bar called 'Minus Cal' and try to convince yourself that you're not absorbing the fat.
To further show how screwed up this whole thing is, I want to end this rant with Minus Cal's caption about their chocolate-flavored bars:
"You can leave that candy bar in the vending machine. When you’re counting calories and your mid-afternoon sweet tooth kicks in, what will you do? (oh no! GASP. WHAT WILL YOU DO!? Hint: eating is a good answer)
With MinusCal, you won’t have to worry. You can snack assured that it’ll satisfy your sweet tooth with none of the shame."
Shame. Guilt. Counting calories. Fat blocking.
So wrong.
Minus Cal, screw you. I'm SO glad the Sharks told you to piss off and didn't give you a cent.