Pity the much-derided snack. It’s a guilty pleasure.It’s a caloric nightmare. It’s definitely, positively notgood for you.

Or is it? Even as greasy potato chips and yummy cookies continueto line supermarket shelves, there’s a movement underway tosell consumers on the concept of healthy snacking–via energy bars.”Manufacturers are marketing to a broader range ofconsumers,” says Laurie Isenberg of Spence InformationServices, a San Francisco marketing information company that tracksthe natural-foods industry. “These bars are no longer just forathletes.”

Busy, health-conscious people treat energy bars as nutritiousmeal replacements. And for those hoping to pump up their graymatter, there are such alleged brain-boosting bars as Think! andIntellect.

Is it premature to herald the demise of the potato chip?Definitely. Healthy snacks may be in vogue–but we’ll neverlose our appetites for indulgence.

Flash!

Remember the Elmo? Apparently, kids aren’t the only onesclamoring to own Sesame Street T-shirts, swimsuits and the like.Does this mean Barney adultwear isnext? . . . oh soy! As word spreads of itsreported ability to ward off everything from heart disease tocancer, the mighty soybean is gaining popularity among thehealth-conscious of the world. No average legume this, the soy-beanis also being touted as a key ingredient in–we kid younot–cleaning products.