We spent Friday and Saturday at the Anaheim Convention Center, which was jam packed for the Expo West Natural Food Show. The show brings together manufacturers, buyers, foodies, and everyone else interested in a slightly healthier alternative to standard grocery fare. Alongside stalwart established brands in the space, such as Amy’s Kitchen or Clif Bar, there are many small players just starting out.

Here are four trends we picked up on:

Bean and Lentil Snacks – instead of corn or potato, beans and lentil crackers and chips offer higher fiber and protein count. Some come with a lower fat count compared to classic potato chips. As for the flavor profile, it is definitely different than what you are used to. But tasty too!

Storage solutions for water, food – many companies were touting their BPA free bottles and canisters. Some were plastic, others were stainless steel, with nice designs. There was even a company selling glass containers covered by silicon protector sleeves! We also like Lunchbots, a stainless steel lunchbox for kids.

Bulk – more on that later next week.

Seeds – Chia, flax and other seeds are making their way into various products. In their raw forms, they are superfoods, so it’s only logical that companies would want to incorporate them into processed goods.

Non GMO – the non GMO Project had a booth at the expo, and many exhibitors were proudly displaying their non-GMO affiliation.

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This week marks the 100th birthday of the Oreo Cookie. Originally created and sold in New York by National Biscuit Company, the brand is now owned by mega-processed-food giant Kraft Foods. The brand tagline is “Milk’s Favorite Cookie,” and indeed Oreos have become an American icon.

Nutritionally, there are no benefits one would expect from a cookie, so the question usually boils down to what bad things are in it?

Here’s a look at the standard original version of the cookie.

What you need to know:

A serving size is 3 cookies and costs you 160 calories. That 3 cookie serving always seems conspicuously low. Even a 5 year old eats more than that!

Here is the ingredient list:

Sugar, Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), High Oleic Canola Oil and/or Palm Oil and/or Canola Oil and/or Soybean Oil, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Cornstarch, Leavening (Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate), Salt, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin – an Artificial Flavor, Chocolate. 

It’s actually a pretty simple formula – the perfect combination of the cheapest most palatable ingredients to be found – sugars, oil, flour, and flavorings. The flour has been stripped of nutrients and fiber. The sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup add up to about a teaspoon of sugars per cookie. The list of vegetable oils is basically a reflection of commodity price fluctuations. Any oil goes, depends what was cheaper to buy on the day your batch was made. Vanillin is a cheap way to get the aroma and flavor of the real thing – vanilla.

By the way, a standard Oreo is 71% chocolate wafer, 29% creme.

Although an Oreo is not a health food, of the cookies out there, it is actually one of the less evil choices. Many other cookies still use partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), contain artificial colors, and use questionable preservatives.

Bottom line: If you can manage to keep this to a once-in-a-while treat and stick to the 3 cookies serving size, don’t be so hard on yourself for breaking out of what is a normally healthy diet.

What to do at the supermarket:

When buying cookies and snacks, look at the ingredient list for unwanted stuff such as partially hydrogenated oil, artificial colors, or questionable preservatives. Look at the calorie count in conjunction with the serving size and try to assess if it equals the portion size you plan on eating.

Stick to classic Oreos to avoid artificial colors and avoid extra stuffing versions that pile on unneeded sugar. If  you want to avoid HFCS or vanillin, try other branded O cookies.

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photo: parentsociety.com

This is a guest blog post by Dr. Dina R. Rose

Sometimes I think parents and toddlers come from different planets, and speak different languages. That’s why we interpret the world so differently.

It’s the parenting version of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.

• You see foods: applesauce, yogurt, peanut butter and jelly.
• They experience flavors and textures: Sweet, sweet, sweet. Gooey, gooey, gooey.

• You appeal to health concerns: Don’t you want to grow up to be big and strong?
• They don’t give a damn.  Read How to Help Your Kids Hate Spinach.

• You think your strategies offer friendly encouragement.
• They see pressure.

Sometimes the disconnect between what parents think and what kids believe is extreme.

In one study of parents and their 5-year-old daughters:

• 26% of parents said that they pressured their daughter to eat.
• 61% of the girls said their parents used pressure tactics to get them to eat.

That’s an astonishing divide.

“Does your Mommy make you eat all of the food on your plate?”   Your child is most likely to say, “yes”— even if you disagree.

I’m not advocating that you capitulate to your child’s perspective.

That would lead to anarchy.  But, you can’t ignore how your child interprets the world either. Her perspective matters.  It matters a lot.

So many eating problems arise because the lessons parents think they’re teaching their children aren’t the lessons their children are actually learning.

• You think you’re teaching your kids to appreciate vegetables.
• Your kids are learning to hate them even more.

Read Conscious Parenting.

• You think you’re providing a variety of foods.
• Your kids are experiencing a monotonous diet.

Read Variety Masquerade.

• You think you are teaching your kids not to waste food.
• Your kids are learning to keep eating, even after they’re full.

Read Are You Teaching Your Toddler to Overeat?

There is pretty compelling evidence that the most effective parenting strategies are those that foster an emotional climate with clear limits established in a warm and compassionate way.

When it comes to eating this means you set up a structure that dictates the big decisions, and then let your children participate in making some of the smaller (less important) decisions.

For instance,

• You decide to implement The Rotation Rule: No identical foods two days in a row.
• Your kids decide: French toast or eggs today…and then get the other (or something else) tomorrow.

If you’re not familiar with The Rotation Rule read: House Building 101 and Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day. For more on setting up a structure read The BIG Fix: What to do When Feeding Strategies Fail and The Goldilocks Approach.

It is not easy to see the world through your toddler’s eyes.

But you have done it before. Remember crawling around on all fours to identify potential deathtraps when you were baby proofing? It’s kind of like that.

So rumble around in your child’s head for awhile and experience her experiences.

When you see the world through your child’s eyes, you begin to understand why your lessons aren’t always hitting home. You can also figure out how to fix them.

Remember, it’s not what you feed, but what you teach, that matters.

 ~Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.~

=============================================

Source:  Carper, J. L., J. O. Fisher, and L. L. Birch. 2000. “Young Girls’ Emerging Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition Are Related to Parental Control in Child Feeding.” Appetite 35: 121-29.

Dr. Dina Rose is a sociologist, foodie and mom. In It’s NOT About Nutrition: The Art & Science of Teaching Kids to Eat Right, Dina combines her professional expertise on socialization, her knowledge about nutrition, parenting and food psychology research, with the practical skills she has gained from talking to, interviewing and coaching hundreds of parents.

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photo: Forbes

Mars, the candy maker, not the planet, is trying to do its share to help America lose some weight. While it won’t go to the extreme of making Kale Kandy bars, the company announced last week that it will be discontinuing its King size Snickers Bar (540 calories) by the end of 2013.

In fact, Mars will be discontinuing all chocolate products with more than 250 calories (A regular bar has 280 calories). Additionally, Mars will reduce Sodium by 25% in all its products within the next 3 years.

Should we applaud?

We were going to, but then realized that the replacement product is actually 440 calories!  You see, the new “2ToGo” product will have 2 bars, each with 220 calories. The package will be resealable, so you can “save one for later.”

Yeah right. Show us the man, woman, or child who will stop at one bar. Snickers are tasty, to Mars credit, and we have no doubt that people will be wolfing the 440 calorie snack in one sitting. On the bright side, that’s still 100 calories less than the King size bar.

Two additional suggestions for Mars on the health front:

1. While we applaud you for the brave 2007 decision to stop advertising to kids under the age of 12, how about raising that to kids under 16? High-schoolers are highly impressionable too.

2. Get rid of the artificial colors in M&Ms. They mess with our bodies.

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We were recently contacted by Nature’s Path, maker of organic cereals, granolas, and other goodies. The  Love Crunch Granola line has undergone a makeover and we were sent a sample for review. From the company:

Like all Nature’s Path products, Love Crunch Granolas are USDA certified organic, which means they do not contain artificial preservatives, additives or synthetic pesticides.  Love Crunch Granolas also bear the Non-GMO Project Verified Seal, which helps shoppers recognize products that meet rigorous genetically modified organism (GMO) avoidance practices. 

 We tasted the Dark Chocolate and Red Berries flavor. It was scrumptious. Here’s the list of benefits, according to Nature’s Path

Dark Chocolate & Red Berries (the original flavor) – is the perfect marriage of flax granola, strawberries, raspberries, coconut and dark chocolate chunks that has 14 grams of Whole Grains per serving, no cholesterol, low sodium, no trans fat and is an excellent source of ALA Omega-3.

This is certainly an appealing product line from a taste and philanthropy perspective (each purchase helps the Bite4Bite food bank program).

Could it also be the perfect marriage of nutrition and flavor?

What you need to know:

The ingredient list looks good:

Rolled oats*, evaporated cane juice*, soy oil*, spelt*, dark chocolate chunks* (evaporated cane juice*, chocolate liquor*, cocoa butter*, soy lecithin*, vanilla*), flax seeds*, dried coconut*, cocoa*, freeze-dried berry blend* (freeze-dried strawberries*, freeze-dried raspberries*), rice starch*, sea salt, natural chocolate flavor, sea salt, natural vanilla flavor, tocopherols (natural vitamin E). *Organic. Contains soy. Produced in a facilty that uses dairy, peanuts and tree nuts.

It’s a more decadent granola, and would make a sweet snack or yogurt topping. But as a cereal you might want to watch the serving size. The company is positioning it as a “premium” granola and using the FDA serving size established for snacks (30 g – a little over ¼ cup), rather than for a cereal.

If it were considered a cereal, the serving size is supposed to be 55 g (required for heavy/dense cereals, like granola), which would be a more reasonable, but still small, ½ cup for this product. Take a look at the pictures of a single 30 gram serving. Does that look like the amount you would consume for breakfast?

A 30 gram serving carries only 140 calories. But if you use the 55 grams FDA guideline – the number would be 270 calories. Although you may think this is high, all granolas are over 200 calories, especially if they contain nuts and seeds that are high in fat (healthy fat). Chances are they will keep you fuller for a longer time compared to puffed cereals.

Although none of the 4 flavors are particularly high in calories or fat, neither are they a good source of fiber… all because of the 30 g (1 oz) serving size. Eat more and you get more of everything, of course. The sugar count for the small serving is 1.5 tsp, but consuming the 55 gram serving size bumps it up to 3 teaspoons.

Now on to other labeling considerations.

Omega-3 Claim: Despite the claims on two of the four granola flavors “Excellent Source of ALA OMEGA-3″, there is no “recommended daily value” for ALA omega-3 fatty acids and no allowed claim regarding ALA omega-3 content (“excellent source”). ALA omega-3 (from plants/nuts rather than fish) is very poorly converted to DHA and EPA (the most valuable forms of omega-3) in the body.

Allergens: FDA requires foods containing grains related to wheat, such as spelt (which contains gluten), to declare the presence of wheat, which this product neglects to do. For example, the Dark Chocolate and Red Berries flavor only declares that it “Contains soy.” All allergens must be listed when the “contains” statement is used.

The “may contain” or “processed in a facility that also processes…” statements are voluntary, unregulated and not the same as declaring actual ingredients that are one of the 8 major food allergens. All these granolas should state that they contain wheat.

Bottom line:  This is a tasty treat, it is organic, and has a good ingredient list. When consumed in a standard FDA portion size (55g/2 ounces) the calories and sugar are above what we’d like to see.

What to do at the supermarket:

When considering a granola, make sure to check the serving size before reading the calorie and nutrient info. It should be 55g, not 30g. If it’s not, do the math and try to visualize your portion size at home to estimate your actual intake.

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image: Fodoro.com

Valentine’s Day is a big annual chocolate-fest, driving about 5% of annual chocolate sales. As with wine, chocolate is much more than a food, it is an art form.

And in the past few years, chocolate has become synonymous with health benefits. “It’s got antioxidants,” and that automatically makes it good. Right?

What you need to know:

Chocolate comes from cocoa beans. The beans are bitter and full of antioxidants called phenols. These phenols have been shown to reduce blood pressure. So far so good.

The chocolate most of us buy and consume bears little resemblance to the cocoa beans, which undergo significant processing before becoming your 3pm pick me up snack.

For starters, it is not bitter. That’s because most chocolates undergo an alkalization process (also known as Dutch process) to remove the bitter flavor. This, of course, removes a substantial percentage of the healthy antioxidants.

Most chocolates people buy are “milk chocolate”. Less than on third of these products actually comes from cocoa beans. The rest is milk and sugar. It has been shown that the milk actually negates some of the antioxidant activity.

That’s why experts recommend switching over to dark chocolate, which must contain at least 35% cocoa mass. The higher the cocoa mass, the more health benefits, and the less sugar.

But even dark chocolate is high in sugar and saturated fats. Take Green & Black’s 85% Dark Chocolate. It’s one of the top rated chocolates on Fooducate. But it still grades low overall (click here to see how low). That’s because a single serving (12 small squares weighing in at 1.5 ounces) has 250 calories and 60% of your daily value for saturated fat. It’s also got 2 teaspoons of sugar in it.

UPDATE: Turns out there is a fair amount of acrylamide in chocolate according to Dr. Michael Lustgarten, a scientist at Tufts University.

Bottom Line: Nobody ever died because they didn’t eat enough chocolate.

So enjoy chocolate for its great taste and to bond with your Valentine.  To increase its health benefits: eat a much smaller serving than recommended on the package. That means half an ounce instead of 1.5 ounces. Unfortunately – and this comes from personal experience – we doubt that following this recommendation is humanly possible.

What to do at the supermarket:

Learn to enjoy the pleasures of dark chocolate – 70% or higher cocoa content.

Practice self restraint and portion control – only one or 2 squares a day.

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Just when you thought the everything bacon trend was over, fast food chain Jack in the Box is introducing the Bacon Milkshake. For a limited time only, of course. Yes, it’s for real. Not the bacon, the shake. Well, the bacon shake, but it has nor real bacon, even though you’d be inclined to think it is.

According to Jack, the shake is

Made with real vanilla ice cream, bacon flavored syrup, whipped topping and a maraschino cherry.

 (highlighting, for dramatic effect, by us).

What you need to know:

First, the nutrition atrocity: A regular size (16oz) Shake tallies up at 773 calories (this is JUST the dessert folks). It has 28 grams of saturated fat and 2 whole grams of trans fat. It’s 75 grams of sugars are the equivalent of 19 tsp. That’s right – NINETEEN TEASPOONS OF SUGAR!

Now, what exactly does “bacon flavored” syrup mean? Or to paraphrase the nice elderly lady from the 80′s Wendy’s commercial – “Where’s the Bacon?”

Answer: certainly not in the milkshake. Here’s what the bacon syrup is made of:

Pure Cane Sugar, Water, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Salt, Sodium Benzoate And Potassium Sorbate (To Preserve Freshness).

And this is the ingredient list for  the Ice Cream Milk Shake itself:

Milk, Cream, Sucrose, Skim Milk, Corn Syrup, Whey, Stabilizer (Sodium Caseinate, Cellulose Gum, Mono-and Di-glycerides, Disodium Phosphate, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Carrageenan, Guar Gum, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 65, and Dextrose), Natural and Artificial Vanilla, Annatto Extract.

So the real vanilla ice cream is actually composed of artificial and natural vanilla. Spare yourself and do not look up some of the “stabilizers” listed such as Polysorbate 65.

Conclusion: This product is just plain wrong. On so many levels. Which is why it will be a big hit.

Our $0.02 – If you want to enjoy bacon flavored food – eat real bacon. Even add some to your dessert if the greasy, salty, sweet combo is your turn on. But for goodness sakes, don’t eat pseudo foods just because the word Bacon has been plastered on their name.

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This is a guest post by Lisa Cain, PhD, a.k.a Snack-Girl

So, you like to bake – but you have a problem. Yes, I know that problem well.

You bake a couple dozen cookies and then they stare at you from wherever you have put them. Haunting you…… Just one more, you say, as you eat two more.

I have this rule about baked goods that I only eat ones that I have baked (or that someone I know has baked). These keeps me from eating stale, terrible, supermarket cookies when I see them.

This rule has helped me drop some unnecessary pounds and now I savor my baked goods. BUT, if I have them around I can’t stop eating them.

So, with the help of a reader’s comment, I came up with this handy method of having my cookies without overindulging. Check this out:

I put my finished oatmeal raisin cookie dough into an ice cube tray! And, then I froze them and dumped them out into a freezer bag. Now if I want a fresh baked cookie, I heat up my oven, get out a baking sheet, and bake a reasonable number for my family.

This would be even better if I had a toaster oven because I wouldn’t have to heat my whole oven for such a small load.

I put on my apron when my children get off the school bus and pretend I have been baking all afternoon. Take that – Martha Stewart!! HA! I look like super mom as I serve them fresh baked cookies.

I need a cape (and some cool tights and maybe a pair of kickin’ leather boots).

Try this oatmeal raisin cookie recipe – it is super delicious and fast to make.

How do you deal with the too many cookies problem?

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Recipe
(makes 20 cookies)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup raisins

Soften butter in microwave (or leave out of the fridge if you remember). Mix butter, sugar, and egg in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Place cookies in ice cube tray and freeze (about 5 hours). When frozen, take out of tray and put in freezer bag.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place frozen cookie on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light brown. Enjoy!

For one cookie = 73 calories, 2.9 g fat, 10.6 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g protein, 0.7 g fiber, 21 mg sodium, 2 PointsPlus

Lisa Cain, Ph.D. writes about healthy snacks on Snack-Girl.com. She is a published author, mother of two, and avid snacker.

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This is a guest blog post by Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD

Getting your fruits and vegetables may be the last thing on your mind on Superbowl Sunday. Don’t give it another thought. These winning munchies are so delicious that your family and friends may forget they’re good for you, too. Serve the dips with baked snack chips or toasted whole wheat sandwich wraps broken into chips.

All recipes appear in MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better, by Elizabeth M Ward, MS, RD

Snack #1: Salsamole

Makes 2 cups.

Simple, nutritious, and delicious. Use as a dip or sandwich spread.

1 cup fresh tomato salsa

1 cup fresh guacamole

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in medium serving bowl.

Per serving (1/4 cup): 94 calories; 6 grams carbohydrate; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams protein; 229 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 20 milligrams calcium.

Snack #2: Mango and Black Bean Salsa

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

High in fiber, and pretty to look at, this salsa tastes even better the next day.

2 cups diced fresh mango

2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained, if canned

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions: In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.

Per serving (1/4 cup): 69 calories; 14 grams carbohydrate; 4 grams fiber; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 3 grams protein; 199 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 10 milligrams calcium.

Snack #3 Crispy Chickpeas

Makes 4 servings.

Beans are the vegetable with the most protein and fiber, which makes them a perfect snack.

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, tossing to coat beans completely.

3. Spread beans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

4. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir beans, and cook for another 20 minutes. Allow beans to cool before eating.

Per serving: 185 calories; 24 grams carbohydrate; 5 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams protein; 314 milligrams sodium; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 30 milligrams calcium.

Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D. is an award-winning author of several books, including her latest, MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better. She writes about nutrition and health for WebMD.com, USATODAY.com, and Men’s Fitness.

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Fuel for your car and body

This picture was taken at a Shell Gas Station in the San Francisco area. Just a friendly reminder from the convenience store inside to fuel up on sugars and fats as you’re fueling your car.

While automobiles can consume only one type of fuel, humans are a much more complex machine. We can ingest a wider variety of inputs and convert them to energy. However, just like tainted fuel can mess with your car’s engine, so can the ingredients and nutrients in some of these treats.

It’s all in the proportions, of course.  A tiny amount of impurity in  gasoline won’t affect your car. And a candy one in a while won’t dent your overall health. Unfortunately, we have too many opportunities in the day to load up on the unhealthy fuels for our body. A gas station is just one of them.

Where do you get “pitched” to fuel up on candy and sugary drinks?

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