Starbucks Food More Wholesome?

Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie Photo: Starbucks

Starbucks' full line of "real food" hit the stores nationwide today -- although you may have already seen many of these products rolled out in recent months. All foods are now free of artificial trans fats, dyes, flavors and high-fructose corn syrup. Good news right? Sure, but a cookie is still a cookie.

There is debate and a lot of misunderstanding about whether HFCS is worse than sugar, and the scientific jury is still out. But the verdict from a recent tasting is that real flavors and slightly more wholesome ingredients make for better treats.

The Banana Walnut Bread swapped banana flavoring for the real fruit. But with 480 calories, it's not much of a waistline improvement on Starbucks' old banana bread. More than one AOL Health Editor commented on the flavor of the sample slice. "It tastes like real bananas!" one editor exclaimed. "It's surprisingly good." Even so, the bread, like many of the cookies, is still quite large. It should be an occasional indulgence and not a staple.

That brings me to the Outrageous Oatmeal Cookie. Topped with a generous quarter-cup of various dried fruits, it is delicious. It offers three full grams of fiber, but also 370 calories and 14 grams of fat. Again, the wholesome ingredients are a step up, but the nature of the treat is no different.

Farmer's Market Salad Photo: Starbucks

For those of us who stop by Starbucks only to realize that we're starving for a real meal, they are also adding salads and a protein plate to their grab-and-go cases. The Farmer's Market Salad comes in at only 300 calories, including the dressing. There is also a Protein Plate with a boiled egg, small whole-wheat bagel, peanut butter and apple and cheese slices for 370 calories.

Starbucks has made a smart move to tout themselves as more wholesome, and with occasional organic ingredients, real fruits and even some smaller portions (mini scones!), they are definitely responding to customer demands.

But any cookie, brownie or cake is still an extravagance, even if they're made with real ingredients. Oh, and the chocolate cookie, it's great, tastes like a brownie. But at 320 calories, it's still something to split with a friend (or two) over a low-fat latte.