Ten Reasons Why You Should Not Buy Pop Tarts

You need something quick and easy to get your hectic day started so you grab some Pop-tarts from the cupboard, throw one in the toaster or even just eat it cold as you run out of the door to make it to work on time. Perfect, you think. And they're small, so how bad can they be? Here's why you need to kick the habit.

1) One package of two pastries contains about 380 to 420 calories, which is almost a quarter of your daily calorific intake if you stick to about 2000 calories per day. The problem with these kinds of carbs is that they have a high glycaemic index, which means the sugar goes straight into your blood stream and gives you a boost for about half an hour, until you feel hungry again, maybe even a little shaky as your blood sugar dips back down again. If you ate something with a low glycaemic index, like oats or oat bars, you'd feel satisfied for longer.

2) The refined white flour pastry crust contains almost no fiber. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends you take in at least 20-35 grams of fiber per day for adults, while children should take their age and add 5grams per day (for example, a five-year-old should eat 10 grams per day). Fiber helps prevent constipation and can aid weight loss.

3) Pop Tarts don't fit into any of the five major food groups. The USDA put them into the category of 'treats', so it's like starting off the day with a healthy portion of dessert. Except maybe dessert contains more nutrition.

4) They consist mainly of carbohydrates and fat so anyone trying to lose weight or boost health should close the box right now. It's just as quick to grab a nutrition bar or low-fat muffin. Mornings are the times when you want to fuel up your body with vitamins and nourishment, to build your stamina so you don't burn out by mid-morning. Your body will thank you for it.

5) Pop-Tarts have an eerily long shelf-life. These pastries can hold up against 80º F heat for three years and still taste "fresh". This is why they were included in the Humanitarian Daily Rations food packages that were air-dropped to civilians during the 2001 was in Afghanistan.

6) The saturated fat of Pop Tarts has increased. When concerns about trans fat arose, Pop-Tarts switched things around a bit and changed their trans fat to 0 but increased saturated fat from 1 to 2.5. Apparently high fat content helps increase shelf-life too.

7) They're a fire-hazard. There have been numerous cases of people burning their kitchens by leaving Pop-Tarts in toasters (Clark Seeley in 1998 and Thomas Nangle in 1992). How often do your kids look for a snack and heat up a Pop-Tart, then go and watch TV and forget all about the pastry. It's fine as long is your toaster does its job, but what about when it doesn't? Comedian Dave Barry also wrote a column about setting fire to his kitchen while heating his Pop-Tarts.

8) If you're a vegetarian and don't eat animal by-products, beware, because the frosted Pop Parts contain gelatin.

9) They're an addictively bad habit. That sugar high makes you feel so good temporarily that it outweighs logic when you're telling yourself to go for the bowl of cereal instead. Just writing this article has made me imagine the strawberry sweetness making my heart beat faster and putting a spring in my step. And upping my cholesterol by a few points.

10) Once they're in your house, you'll eat them. Don't bring them home and avoid looking at them at the supermarkets. Instead, wean yourself with low-carb, high fibre meal replacement bars that sustain your glucose levels for longer to keep your energy levels stable.