| Health food doesn't need a definition, does | | | | factory to your table. |
| it? We all know what health food is it's | | | | |
| yogurt and granola, whole-grain cereal and | | | | You'll find the same situation with other |
| organically grown vegetables and fruit. It's | | | | foods that originally made their debut as |
| 100% natural, no preservatives or dyes, | | | | health foods in the seventies. Granola has |
| unadulterated, pure. When you put all that | | | | become granola bars with chocolate chips and |
| together, you should have healthy food, yet | | | | gooey caramel. Whole wheat flour is bleached |
| all too often, what's marketed as health food | | | | and denuded of its flavorful kernels. |
| these days barely classifies as food, let | | | | Sunflower seeds are roasted in oil and |
| alone health food. | | | | salted. Even brown rice comes in the instant |
| | | | variety. |
| Take a look at one of our favorite health | | | | |
| food choices - yogurt. It hit supermarket | | | | Healthy food not health food |
| shelves in the early seventies, though it had | | | | |
| been available before that in health food | | | | The secret to feeding your family (and |
| stores and restaurants. Real yogurt has two | | | | yourself) a healthful diet of healthy food is |
| ingredients: milk (whole, skim or low fat) | | | | to read the labels. The United States Food & |
| and live yogurt cultures. That's health food | | | | Drug Administration has laid out strict |
| - calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, protein. | | | | guidelines for nutritional labeling of all |
| Next time you're at the supermarket, take a | | | | food products. The nutrition label will tell |
| look at the dairy case. You'll find row after | | | | you all you need to know to choose real |
| row of hyper-sweetened brightly colored | | | | health foods. Some things to keep in mind |
| rainbow swirled and candy-sprinkled yogurt | | | | when reading nutrition labels for health |
| packaged in ways that appeal to our littlest | | | | foods: |
| consumers - children. Millions of parents buy | | | | |
| the enticing packages, secure that because | | | | * In the ingredient's portion of the |
| it's yogurt, they're buying food that's | | | | nutrition label, ingredients are listed in |
| healthy for their children. | | | | order by amount. The ingredient that's listed |
| | | | first is the main ingredient, followed by the |
| One look at the label, though, and it's clear | | | | next largest amount, etc. |
| that these kiddy yogurts (as well as most of | | | | |
| the yogurt that's marketed to adults) are a | | | | * The nutrition facts label must list each of |
| far cry from heath food. Some of the most | | | | the required nutrients even if the food |
| popular yogurts for children contain anywhere | | | | provides 0% of the recommended daily value. |
| from 3 to 10 added teaspoons of sugar. | | | | |
| Considering how many teaspoons of yogurt are | | | | * The nutrition facts label must list what |
| in a single serving, you might as well hand | | | | portion of the food's calories is derived |
| your child the sugar bowl. In addition, most | | | | from fat, from sugar, from protein and from |
| yogurts include "natural" ingredients that | | | | carbohydrates. It will also break down the |
| have little to do with health food. | | | | fat into saturated and unsaturated fat. |
| Ingredients like pectin (to thicken yogurt), | | | | |
| carrageenan (a seafood extract that gives | | | | Reading labels on everything you feed your |
| some yogurts their body, and annatto (for | | | | family is the best way to tell whether a food |
| color) add little nutritionally to yogurt. | | | | is really a health food - or just |
| They're in the mix to serve one main purpose: | | | | masquerading as one. |
| to help yogurt survive its trip from the | | | | |