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Hi, I’m Grace Lin. I’m 16, the oldest of three, and I grew up in Los Angeles as an Asian immigrant kid. If your family is anything like mine, snacks like Orion Choco Pie probably felt like a small reward at the end of a hard day — something sweet, easy, and familiar in a world that often wasn’t.
But behind that shiny wrapper was something we never expected: a slow poison hiding in our pantry.
What Is Orion Choco Pie?
Orion Choco Pie is a soft, chocolate-covered cake with a fluffy marshmallow center. It’s a snack from Korea that’s hugely popular across Asia and among Asian families in the U.S. — including mine.
My siblings and I loved it. My mom kept them in the cupboard because they were cheap and easy — something she could give us after school or toss into a lunchbox without a second thought.
We didn’t realize that choice was costing us our health.
What’s Really Inside a Choco Pie?
Take a look at the ingredient list:
Wheat flour, sugar, glucose syrup, vegetable shortening (with emulsifier 475), vegetable fat (with emulsifiers 492, 322), cocoa powder (2.67%), isomalto oligo syrup, whole milk powder, eggs, raising agents (500, 503), dextrose monohydrate, gelatin, iodized salt, cocoa mass, stabilizers (1442, 415), acidity regulator (341), emulsifiers (322, 476), artificial vanillin flavor, hydrolyzed milk protein
Let’s break that down:
Artificial emulsifiers like 475, 492, 476 — added to extend shelf life and texture, but some studies link them to gut inflammation and metabolic disruption.
Glucose syrup, dextrose, and sugar — three types of sugar that spike blood sugar and affect kids’ energy, focus, and mood.
Artificial vanillin — a cheap synthetic version of vanilla that can interfere with the nervous system.
Stabilizers and acidity regulators — like 1442 and 341 — sound like something from a chemistry set, not a child’s snack.
Many of these ingredients are banned or restricted in other countries, but not in the U.S. And certainly not in the affordable snack aisle.
How It Affected My Family
We didn’t connect the dots. When my little brother kept getting sick, when my sister cried for no reason, when I slept 10 hours and still woke up tired — we thought we were just sensitive. Weak. Maybe lazy.
But my mom? She suffered the most. She started breaking down in ways that scared me. Constant exhaustion. Body aches. Brain fog. Eventually, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Years later, I learned how food affects the gut, which connects to the brain, which controls everything — energy, focus, sleep, immune system, even emotions.
These snacks didn’t just fill us. They were feeding our symptoms.
Better Alternatives to Orion Choco Pie
If your kids love soft chocolatey snacks like Choco Pie, you can still give them that joy — without the junk.
Here’s what we started buying or making instead:
✅ Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars
Tastes indulgent, but made with only a few real ingredients — no artificial anything.
✅ Simple Mills Soft-Baked Cookies
Almond flour-based, gluten-free, and sweetened naturally. Perfect lunchbox treat.
✅ MadeGood Chocolate Granola Minis
Tiny, tasty, and packed with organic ingredients and hidden veggies.
✅ DIY Choco Pie Upgrade
Use:
Organic graham crackers
Dandies or Yummallo vegan marshmallows (no gelatin, no corn syrup)
70% dark chocolate (melt and coat)
Fun to make with your kids, and a great way to teach them what “real food” means.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
You’re probably already doing everything — working, cooking, cleaning, helping with homework, worrying about their future. Food feels like one more thing to stress about.
But it’s also the one thing that can change everything.
When we cleaned up our food, we didn’t become perfect overnight. But we stopped getting sick all the time. My mom started walking again. My sister’s spark came back. And I finally felt like a teenager — not just surviving, but actually living.
For Moms Like Mine
You love hard. You give everything. And I know sometimes you feel like it’s still not enough. But it is. You’re enough. And the fact that you’re here, reading this, means you’re already doing something powerful.
You don’t have to overhaul your pantry overnight. Just start with one swap. One label. One question.
This blog is for you — the strong, tired, beautiful moms who hold up their families with both hands and wonder why they’re so drained.
It’s not your fault. But you do have the power to help your kids feel better — and to feel better yourself, too.
With love and truth,
Grace Lin
Daughter. Sister. Snack Detective.
