Earlier this month, the New York Times published a humorous piece mocking Americans’ dietary habits and all the ways in which “expert dietary advice” gets so muddled. Here’s an excerpt:
. . . nuts are good for your cardiovascular system because they contain unsaturated fatty acids. I’ve taken to eating them with raisins in trail mix and discovered that if you buy the kind with enough M & Ms you barely taste the nuts and raisins. It’s almost like eating candy.
That piece was on my mind the other day when I walked into my local Whole Foods and was met with this back-t0-school display:
Parents are being told here that the “best” and “smarter” lunches come from Whole Foods, but almost every item in this display is just a health-washed version of foods our kids really ought to consume less of: apple juice pouches; cheesy, white-flour-based snack mix; “fruit” gummies; and more.
I don’t remark on this in a judgmental way. More than a few of those items have made it into my own grocery cart — almost always when my kids are shopping with me. And, of course, if you’re going to eat a packaged white-flour snack mix, better to choose an all-natural brand than one with an ingredient list like this.
But this sort of health-washing can lead to so much dietary confusion, even among well-intentioned parents. For example, everything about this packaging says “healthy” and “wholesome:”
And everything about this package screams “Big Food:”
Yet the from a nutritional standpoint, the two products are virtually identical:
As I discuss in my free e-book, The Lunch Tray’s Guide to Getting Junk Food Out of Your Child’s Classroom, it’s just this sort of confusion that complicates matters greatly when parents are asked to send in “healthy” food to school parties and events. Unless you’re highly educated about nutrition, figuring out what’s “healthy” is no easy task; what’s considered “healthy” among any given group of parents can vary wildly.
And what about our kids? I find that even my own two children easily fall for this sort of health-washing, an outcome that’s all the more likely because these products just plain taste good. It’s no wonder kids might prefer a sweet and chewy gummy candy to a piece of fresh fruit, when fresh fruit can challenge the palate in so many ways: unexpected sour or bitter notes, a fibrous or mushy texture, and more.
If the gummies are sold at Whole Foods, are “organic” and “made with real fruit,” why can’t we buy them, Mom???
And so we have to sigh deeply and work all the harder at explaining to our kids why these products are really no better than the supermarket brands, why they have to be regarded as the occasional treat, and all the benefits of eating a whole-food diet most of the time.
But some days it feels like an awfully uphill climb, doesn’t it?
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Andrea says
While I agree with most of what you said, you did miss one key point in comparing the two labels of crackers… and that is the actual ingredients. The ‘organic’ one should have less artificial ingredients. I say ‘should’ because as we all know the word ‘organic’ isn’t regulated the way it should be.
As a parent, I try to buy the healthiest snacks I can for my kids, but of course they want the junk their friends have or what they see on TV. I try to explain to them why those choices aren’t good, but the compromise is to buy the lesser evil. My Dad always said if it comes in a box – don’t eat it! I know he’s right, but I just don’t have time to make everything from scratch!
Bettina Elias Siegel says
I agree, Andrea — the Cheez Its crackers contain soy lecithin and a preservative in the soybean oil, two ingredients not found in the natural brand. But other than that, even on an ingredient level, the differences are almost non-existent.(Both use natural food substances for color, for example.) And I, too, use the “lesser evil” line of thinking when it comes to products like these. What worries me more, though, is the “health halo” products get just from being on Whole Foods shelves! Thanks for your comment here.
Sally at Real Mom Nutrition says
Great post! Whether kids eat organic cheese crackers or Cheese-Its (or all-natural gummies or “Big Food” gummies) they’re still getting the same message about snack time or lunch time and the foods we eat for those snacks and lunches. I’m all for products with fewer artificial colors/flavors/etc but we can’t fool ourselves into thinking that a “clean” ingredient list always means these foods are wholesome “anytime” foods.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Well put, Sally! Better put than my rambling rant! 🙂
Katherine Weber says
Superb post, agree 100%. “Healthy” and “snack” are 2 words that have become totally corrupted by food marketers (both the bad ones, and the less-bad ones). The answer (as I know you fully know, but more people need to focus on it) is: Eat Real/Whole Foods. Generally avoid stuff in packages. Don’t be duped into paying more for the healthwashed versions of packaged foods. Just avoid them. Pack a water bottle with tap water. Pack apple slices in a ziploc. Not only for the health and budgetary reasons, but also for training our kid’s attitudes and habits: “snack” does not equal “something in a package.” Snack is a “small serving of food to tide you over until the next meal.” Great post.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Thank you so much, Katherine! Excellent advice. And great to hear from you! 🙂
Alice Feldman says
Thanks for this post. I spend a lot of time educating myself about food and health. Still, my kids are confused and misled by all of these “healthy snack” options. It frustrates and infuriates me to no end how Big Food deliberately lies to impressionable youth (and their parents), and forces parents into discussions about marketing and corporate greed in relation to food choices and health.
Thanks for continuing to hold them accountable.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Exactly, Alice! It gets seriously tiring after a while. Thanks for your comment and for being a TLT reader.
Lisa says
Great article! I agree 100%. I have finally “given in” recently and bought Annie’s peanut butter granola bars. I allow my 4 year old ONE a day only on school days in her lunch box. When I first started packing them she would come home from school asking for more. I explained to her it’s a “special treat” that mommy packs for her; it’s not “real food”. I then follow up her request with an apple, cheese stick or cucumber and she often refuses. After about a week of this back and forth she gave up asking for the granola bar at home. I have tapered off the granola bar to 2-3 days a week and now that the thrill is gone she barely notices when I don’t pack it. However when I DO pack it, now she comes home and says “thank you for packing me a special treat today mommy!” There’s so much us moms need to think about these days. I’m tired just writing this…lol
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Lisa – thanks for this comment, which I definitley relate to! We don’t treat any food as taboo and I’m not averse to letting my kids have things like potato chips or sweets now and then. But if, for example, I’m going to throw the occasional bag of chips in to my son’s lunch, then I do have to keep them stocked in my pantry. And if they’re in my pantry and my kids come home starving after school . . . . well, you can guess how that goes.
My kids are much older than your daughter and they do understand the idea of treating those foods as the exception and not the rule, but we’re all human and easily tempted by junk food, especially when we’re very hungry. I try to have healthy food at the ready, but it’s not always easy. Sigh. Now I’m tired, too! 🙂