Shownotes
Nutrition Nugget! Bite-sized bonus episodes offer tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about Trader Joe's Sweet and Sour Gummy Worms, the sugar-free candy that has been lighting up social media for an unexpected reason. Are these wiggly little treats a guilt-free snack or a recipe for disaster? With a blend of alternative sweeteners, two different functional fibers, and zero grams of sugar per serving, Trader Joe's is clearly making a play for the health-conscious candy lover. Jenn is pulling back the curtain on what is really inside these worms and why so many people are finding themselves making a very urgent trip to the bathroom after eating them. Is this a smart swap for your favorite sour candy, or is the marketing working a little too hard to convince you these are something they are not? Tune in before you reach for that bag. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full-length episodes of new releases every Wednesday. Have an idea for a Nutrition Nugget? Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/
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KEYWORDS: Jenn Trepeck, Nutrition Nugget, Salad With A Side Of Fries, Health Tips, Wellness Tips, Sugar-Free Gummy Candy, Alternative Sweeteners, Allulose Side Effects, Erythritol Digestive Issues, Sugar Alcohols, Monk Fruit Extract, Organic Erythritol, Resistant Tapioca Dextrin, Resistant Corn Maltodextrin, Functional Fiber, Dietary Fiber Intake, Net Carbs, Blood Sugar Response, Insulin Response, Glycemic Index, Low GI Sweeteners, Fiber Maxing Trend, Protein Packing Trend, Digestive Health, Gut Health, GI Discomfort, Natural Food Coloring, Fruit And Vegetable Juice Coloring, Pectin, Citric Acid, Zero Sugar Candy, No Added Sugar Snacks, Better For You Snacks, Clean Ingredients, Food Marketing, Nutrition Label Reading, Daily Fiber Recommendation, Sour Candy, Gummy Candy, Trader Joes Products, Healthy Snack Alternatives, Candy Without Sugar, Sweetener Blends, Natural Flavors, Food Ingredients Analysis, Nutrition Facts, Sugar-Free Candy That Causes Digestive Problems, How Much Fiber Is Too Much At Once, Sugar-Free Candy and Alternative Sweeteners in "Better-For-You" Snack Foods
Transcripts
[00:00:23] This week we're talking about Trader Joe's Sweet & Sour Gummy Worms.
[:[00:00:51] Leslie Boyce: That is a very nice way-
[:[00:00:52] of putting it. So- ... in my mind I was like, "I wonder if this is connected to the fiber maxing trend." So [00:01:00] if you haven't heard of this, the fiber maxing trend I think is a little bit of a counter to the protein packing that we've been seeing, and it's the idea of just maximizing our fiber intake. And if you're a longtime listener, you know I always say protein and fiber at every meal makes removing fat no big deal.
[:[00:01:56] So-
[:[00:01:58] Jenn Trepeck: especially if you're not used to it. So [00:02:00] either way, it made me very curious for us to look at these gummy worms because also as far as candy goes, like I'm a sour gummy candy kinda girl. Mm-hmm. What's your go-to?
[:[00:02:18] Yes. Get it like stuck in my teeth for days.
[:[00:02:23] Leslie Boyce: I do brush my teeth, but still. But still, right. Okay. Yeah, mm-hmm.
[:[00:02:39] Wonderfully wiggly, charmingly chewy, and satisfyingly sweet." I love their marketing people. Okay. "Trader Joe's Sweet & Sour Gummy Worms inch that tradition forward, but with a slightly different approach to sweetness. These candies contain zero grams of sugar per serving. Instead- Oh, no.
[:[00:02:59] Okay. Yep. [00:03:00] Uh-huh.
[:[00:03:32] Dig into a package of worms during a movie. Use them to bait your candy dish or to add a squirmy splash of color to cupcakes. Arrange them atop cups of TJ's chocolate pudding with crushed Joe Joe's Cookies for nostalgic worms and dirt style dessert. However you enjoy them, by the fistful, one segment at a time, or otherwise, Trader Joe's Sweet & Sour Gummy Worms are ready to wiggle their way into your regular rotation of sweet and sour [00:04:00] snacks."
[:[00:04:02] Jenn Trepeck: of course.
[:[00:04:05] Jenn Trepeck: Chips that sent everybody to the bathroom ...
[:[00:04:16] Jenn Trepeck: Yes.
[:[00:04:21] Yes. So I very much appreciate the story that the gummy worms just told.
[:[00:04:41] Leslie Boyce: Mm-hmm.
[:[00:04:48] a person think that these are the holy grail of food, that we want to- Yeah ... eat them all the time.
[:[00:04:56] Jenn Trepeck: So-
[:[00:04:58] Jenn Trepeck: exactly. To quote Trader [00:05:00] Joe's- ... by the
[:[00:05:04] Jenn Trepeck: Right. So let's go- You'll regret it. Exactly. So you might miss a lot of the movie. Yeah.
[:[00:05:32] For what it's worth, my fist would be more than eight.
[:[00:05:37] Jenn Trepeck: Okay, I digress. Eight gummy worms gives us 35 calories, zero grams of fat, 26 grams of total carbs, of which it's 14 grams of fiber.
[:[00:05:50] Jenn Trepeck: Zero grams of total sugar, zero grams of added sugar, as they told us, two grams of sugar alcohols, then zero grams- Ooh
[:[00:06:20] in one sitting from your candy.
[:[00:06:23] Jenn Trepeck: And so of course this is sending people to that porcelain throne, if you will, right? Like, on the net carbs front, we have 10 net carbs, so it's the 26- Hmm ... total carbs minus the 14 grams of fiber minus the 2 grams of sugar alcohols. In an ideal world, we would want our net carbs to be single digits, then pair it with some quality fat and some protein.
[:[00:07:06] Leslie Boyce: Mm-hmm
[:[00:07:12] Leslie Boyce: Yeah.
[:[00:07:18] Leslie Boyce: Mm-hmm.
[:[00:07:41] Contact our crew for current price and availability."
[:[00:07:47] Jenn Trepeck: Right. So to that- Nothing ... I think my key takeaway is read the information on the package in front of you- Yeah ... if you're gonna-
[:[00:07:55] Jenn Trepeck: go for these. Okay, ingredients. Resistant tapioca dextrin [00:08:00] fiber, allulose, resistant corn maltodextrin fiber, organic erythritol, pectin, lactic acid powder, which is lactic acid, calcium lactate, citric acid, sodium citrate, strawberry juice concentrate, natural flavors, fruit and vegetable juices for color, and monk fruit extract.
[:[00:08:37] The thing worth noting though, okay, allulose we've talked about before. It's a low-GI sweetener, a low glycemic impact sweetener that in high amounts can create digestive upset. It is- Shocking ... the number two ingredient here- Mm-hmm ... behind a fiber. And then followed- Yeah ... by [00:09:00] another fiber. So I'll talk about those two fibers in a second.
[:[00:09:08] Leslie Boyce: Yeah. I believe that's, we call that TLDR.
[:[00:09:15] Leslie Boyce: Right.
[:[00:09:18] Leslie Boyce: You are gonna call this episode, uh, Cases of the Poops.
[:[00:09:34] Similar thing with the resistant corn maltodextrin fiber. I actually work with a product that uses a similar fiber, and it is well-tolerated and more of a functional fiber. So I don't hate the ingredients on that front. I just think you combine all of that, you know, these two fibers plus the allulose that we know can send you to the bathroom.
[:[00:10:21] Leslie Boyce: Yeah.
[:[00:10:43] Mm. And the rest of the stuff in there are the flavors and the colors that they told us.
[:[00:10:48] Jenn Trepeck: So all in, would I eat Trader Joe's Sweet and Sour Gummy Worms? Maybe occasionally a couple. It kind of-
[:[00:11:00] Jenn Trepeck: Well, I'd have a couple, but it's one of those things of like I always say, "This as opposed to what?"
[:[00:11:32] Leslie Boyce: Yeah
[:[00:11:40] Leslie Boyce: Mm-hmm. Personally, I do not like the taste of literally any- Yes ... sweetener that's not actual sugar. So-
[:[00:11:51] Leslie Boyce: much rather
[:[00:11:54] Leslie Boyce: a hu- yes ...
[:[00:11:58] Leslie Boyce: Yeah. And not, I [00:12:00] mean, my stomach would probably hurt anyway because I'm 46 years old and can't do that stuff anymore. Right.
[:[00:12:06] Leslie Boyce: I, uh, but, like, I used to put, like, Equal in my- Oh ... coffee. I can't do that Like, that was my- Yeah ... that, but and then all of a sudden I just, like, stopped having the tolerance for it.
[:[00:12:22] Jenn Trepeck: I have. Yes, because our taste buds adjust. Yes. So the longer we go without these things, the more we clean up the rest of the foods that we eat, the more we notice these.
[:[00:12:31] Jenn Trepeck: So.
[:[00:12:32] Jenn Trepeck: Well, there you have it. Right. The Trader Joe's Sweet & Sour Gummy Worms. Well, as always, everybody, I'm your host, Jenn Trepeck.
[:[00:12:58] Leslie Boyce, thank you for [00:13:00] being here and joining me this week.
[:[00:13:06] Jenn Trepeck: Yes. I'm so excited. And everybody, jump over to the Fitness of Business Podcast too. And of course, if you are not already, become a member of the Happy Healthy Hub. You'll go to asaladwithasideoffries.com/membership.
[:[00:13:37] Leslie Boyce: Well, friends, that's it for today's episode
[:[00:13:40] Congratulations for making yourself and your health a priority. Thanks so much for joining us. Be sure to click subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast platform. Share us with a friend, and we'll be back next week. Always remember, you deserve it and you are worth it. Happy healthy.