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 When you put all that together, | | | | other foods that originally made their |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