Light speed is too slow let’s jump to ludicrous speed!

Ok gang, this is Josh posting...

This is pretty much the thought that was going through my head when I saw the newest edition to the Special K family of cereals.

I cannot speak for our US friends, but the folks at Kellogg's have been running many TV ads in Canada promoting Special K as the ideal cereal to help women lose weight. Of course every red-blooded Canadian male looks like Brad Pitt and has a lumberjack's breakfast every morning complete with steak, eggs, back bacon, two cups of coffee and a small glass of OJ. A large glass of OJ or a few strawberries on the side is for metrosexuals who are sneaking vitamins and fibre into their diet; at least that is what television tells me, and I never question what television tells me.

Special K is not only the ideal breakfast food as compared to your "Aunt Maggie's" evil fatty morning scones, but it can be a snack food for those days when the women in these commercials need comfort food. Hmm. I guess chocolate ice cream or macaroni & cheese have been cast to the evil pile as comfort food. (I should be hearing giggles from the audience). As a red-blooded male, a bowl of cereal, with milk or without just does not cut it.

Kellogg's really know their customers, or at least the ad agency they hired is right on the money. Special K for breakfast...good. Special K as a comfort food...good. Vanilla and strawberry flavours...good.

Now the jump to ludicrous speed...Special K with little chunks of chocolate. AHHHH! (Lucy has just pulled the football out from underneath me). I do not know what to say. Chocolate chunks in with the Special K flakes. Call it guilt-free Coco Puffs or Mommy's Count Chocula. Chocolate chunks do not belong in cereal.

My mother always says; "if you are going to sin, make it a good one". She is more religiously observant than I but realises sometimes breaking the rules is unavoidable or brings with it some tangible benefits. A simple example of where breaking the rules is warranted would be to use a car on the Sabbath to rush a sick person to hospital. When it comes to food, in particular if it's not kosher, that alternative should keep you from starvation in times of severe stress (wartime/desert islands) or be the best you have ever had. The usual example is steak. If you are going to have steak, then it better be the best steak available otherwise you are just wasting your time and you are better off staying home. If you are going to eat chocolate as an end of day comfort food, go out and buy good Swiss or Belgian chocolate, snap off a few dietetic squares and savour it. There are health benefits to eating high quality dark chocolate in moderation.

If you are going to have breakfast, listen to your "Aunt Maggie". Have half a scone so you do not hurt her feelings, but augment it with fruit, protein (fish/low fat cheese), juice and a small sidecar of chocolate-free cereal. You will get all your vitamins, feel full and will not be tempted by the snack truck that visits your desk at 10am. Going back to my example of steak, how good is the chocolate in Special K? Would you have a Snickers bar for breakfast if it were offered to you? Probably not, so why sprinkle it on your cereal.

(Back to Rhonda...)

So Josh bought the Special K, even though he's knocking it the post. Is it good? Yes. Will it help me to lose weight? Doubtful. Will we buy it again? TBD.