Snax Galore

My friend Rebecca has this joke - that healthy snacks are "snacks" but the comestibles of the dorito variety are "snax" with an "x" because they're more fun. It is a nice little jab at junk foodulation.
Here's the thing: it should be bothersome to everyone (yes everyone) that we have adopted the (strongly marketed) idea that chips, "fruit" snax (the only thing resembling a fruit or a vegetable in said snax being the corn syrup), candy bars, processed cookies, spreadable cheesefood with crackers, and their ilk qualify as snacks at all. I've seen the billboards for snickers, "hungerectomy" in the snickers logo and colors. I can count one food item that could be considered a quasi-healthy snack in the ingredients of a snickers bar: the peanuts. Folks: nougat? I'll tell you what it is - hydrogenated oil and corn syrup, whipped to a froth. Milk chocolate - dark chocolate is a good antioxidant, but add a bunch of sugar to it and you have milk chocolate. Sugar is a toxin to our bodies. Caramel - more melted sugar, and butter if you're lucky but more likely it's a cocktail of semi-digestible oils. Yes, all of this is speculation. But it was with horror the other day that I overheard a mother talking to her toddler, saying "Honey? You're hungry? But you've already had your cheetohs and your fruit snax - I guess I could give you your oreos." I almost had a coronary right there in the aquarium. Your. daughter. is. hungry. because. there. is. no. nutritional. value. in. the. foodproducts. you. just. listed.
I'm not on my trailmix high-horse over here, I just want to red flag this idea. What we put into our bodies, and our children's bodies, feeds our blood, our organs, our tissues, our nerves, affects our digestion, our teeth, and our bones. Why not offer our hard-working frames, and our kids' fast growing ones, something with some vitamins, fiber, calcium, potassium, etc.? If not fruit, then cheese, if not cheese, then nuts, if not nuts, then try dark chocolate. But please, just try.