Guidelines for Food Selection

Although it would be terrific to publish a list of foods that are approved by Wellness Forum Kids for use in vending machines, stores and other school-related venues, the reality is that there are so many options that it is almost impossible to develop a comprehensive list. Also, manufacturers change the ingredients in foods frequently, often causing lists to be outdated before they are even printed!

The better option is to use guidelines for determining the appropriateness of a food item and then allow schools and schools systems to choose foods based on that criteria.

Read the ingredients portion of the label! People have been taught to pay attention to the Nutrition Facts portion of labels, which is fairly meaningless as to the value of a food. Manufacturers will often use junk ingredients and then fortify the product. Because the percentage of daily values for certain nutrients looks good, the product can have the appearance of being healthful while it is actually empty calories. This manufacturing sleight of hand makes fortified cereals and other similar foods filled with sugar and other questionable ingredients look like healthy choices.

Beware of hidden trans fats! The federal government allows manufacturers to label a product trans fat-free if it contains less than .5% trans fat per serving. However, the National Academy of Sciences has stated that there is no safe level of trans fat intake. The only way to determine if a product is trans fat free is to read the ingredients list and make sure there are no partially hydrogenated vegetable oils listed.

Ignore the front of the package! Manufacturers are experts at making products appear to be healthy when they actually are not. Again, pay attention only to the ingredients list to make sure that the product qualifies with the criteria you have set.

Remember that calories consumed in beverages does not result in a reduction of the calories consumed in foods. This is important since so many children are overweight. Although fruit juices are an improvement over soft drinks, they are still added calories for kids. he best beverage to encourage kids to drink is water!

Avoid participating in meaningless change. It is important to advocate for changes in food selection that actually make a difference. Replacing candy bars with granola bars filled with sugar, coloring agents and refined flour does not result in dietary improvement. Replacing candy bars with apples and fruit trail mix without additives does.

Ignore meaningless guidelines like "red light, green light foods" - in our experience, these rating systems promote the selection of many foods that contain empty calories and ingredients from our "avoid" list. Read the ingredients yourself to determine appropriateness!

Ingredients to avoid:

Enriched flour and other ingredients: The term "enriched" means that the nutrients have been stripped from an ingredient and then fortification added to make the product appear to be healthful. Better alternatives are whole grains such as whole wheat, oats, barley, etc.

Refined sweeteners: Be particularly mindful of the fact that manufacturers will use several types of sweeteners to avoid listing sugar as the first ingredient on the label. Common listings for sugar include sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, brown sugar, and brown sugar syrup.

Coloring Agents: These are listed in terms like "yellow lake 5" and "red #40." Although there is some debate as to whether or not they are harmful, we can all agree that they contain no nutritional value for kids (or adults, for that matter).

Artificial sweeteners: here is also debate about the detrimental health effects of artificial sweeteners, but as long as they remain questionable there is no reason to feed them to kids. There is no evidence that the use of artificial sweeteners contributes to weight loss or to the control of blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Whey protein and casein: hese are dairy proteins. Although the USDA requires that milk be part of the school lunch program, there is no such requirement for vending machines, schools stores, etc. Most African Americans and Asian Americans are lactose intolerant and an increasing number of parents are placing their children on dairy-free diets for health reasons. Choosing foods without these ingredients will show consideration for minority students and allow more kids to consume the foods offered.

Preservatives: Sulfites and sulfur dioxide are commonly added to dried fruits, trail mixes and other similar products. They are best avoided since some kids have serious reactions to them.

MSG is found in many instant soups and other prepared products. Best avoided since some kids have serious and fairly immediate reactions to it.

Suggested Foods

Wellness Forum Foods (614 841-7700)
Cookies made from whole grains and dried fruit, nut and fruit bars, individual servings of cereals

Individual servings of soy milk and rice milk

Soy yogurt

Food Bars (Clif Bars, Luna Bars, Panda Natural Licorice Bars)

Whole Grain Cookies (Barbara's)

Chips and Pretzels (Barbara's, Garden Chips, Kettle Chips, Newman's, Terra)

Bagels and Muffins (Natural Ovens, 920 758-2500)

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