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| whole-grain cereal and organically grown vegetables | | | | originally made their debut as health foods in the |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