On Healthy by Nature this week: My guest is a surprise. (Not just for you but for me! I had a guest cancel at the last minute and so at the moment I’m scrambling. Tune in to see if I just have to have our producer Andy sing or read from my book or just take calls…)Show number: 1-800-281-8255.

IN THE NEWS

Product Recall: According to the Associated Press, cereal maker Kellogg recently recalled 28 million boxes of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks because of “an unusual smell and flavor from the packages’ liners.” A chemical apparently made many people ill.

My 2 cents: Never mind the current packaging issue, in my opinion as a nutritionist, these cereals have made people ill for decades—just more slowly.

That may sound like a punch-line, but with shocking levels of childhood obesity and diabetes it’s no laughing matter. Those cereals are refined foods—most of the nutrition in the original grain has been removed. Kellogg changed the names (e.g. “Sugar Corn Pops” became “Corn Pops” and “Sugar Smacks” is now “Honey Smacks”) but they still have loads of sugar. Sugar is the first ingredient in some and may be as much as ½ the product by weight according to Consumer Reports. Read about a few effects of sugar here. Some of these cereals contain partially hydrogenated fat which is a source of Trans fats even if the label says “zero”. Chemical flavors, colors and preservatives are no blessing either. If you are sufficiently health conscious to read this newsletter, it’s not likely that you give your kids or grandkids this kind of junk. So, we can all shake our heads in disbelief that other folks have purchased 28 million boxes. If you eat cereal (and I’m not saying you should), aim for one with fiber that is nearly equal to the amount of sugar.

RESEARCH

Cartoon characters: Researchers gave children 2 sets each of packaged gummy fruit snacks, graham crackers and carrots. The food inside each set was identical. The only difference was that one set had cartoon characters on the package front. Results: an overwhelming percentage of children thought that the food with the familiar cartoon characters on the packages tasted better. The influence of the cartoons was less with the carrots.¹

My 2 cents: There is nothing stupid about the fast food chains or the manufacturers of high calorie / low-nutrient foods. They’ve already proven the motivating effect of characters like Sponge Bob in marketing to kids and that’s why they pay so much to license the use of their images. Where is Popeye when you need him? I guess there is no substitute for parental control if you want junior to eat spinach.

TIME SAVER

My son, Andy, laughs when he sees my grocery list. (He thinks I’m just a little too fond of Excel® spreadsheets in general.) But, if you have access to a copier, you can use this idea with blank paper and a Sharpie® pen (Andy is fond of those). I keep a standard list of all the items I typically buy. (2 will fit on a page to save paper.) The list is organized by store section (e.g. produce is all together). It avoids backtracking for overlooked items and saves gas because I check the list before I leave home—I don’t have to guess at the store if we are low on walnuts or butter. Here are two lines from the list as an example:

I check the right hand box if I need that item. When there is more than one choice, I circle the one I want. The names in bold are part of the dirty dozen (those items that the Environmental Wording Group says are most important to buy as organic.) Naturally the list has blank spaces in each department to add a special item called for by a recipe or whim.

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My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book : Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

Copyright 2010 Martie Whittekin, CCN

¹ Pediatrics. 2010 Jul;126(1):88-93. Epub 2010 Jun 21. Influence of licensed characters on children’s taste and snack preferences. Roberto CA, Baik J, Harris JL, Brownell KD.