Air date: November 1, 2009

Host:

Email
Share this segment
Download MP3

Are Fruit Loops a health food? Yes, according to the new Smart Choices program.

In this week's Sound Medicine Checkup, Jeremy Shere attempts to figure this out.

Say you're at work. It's mid-afternoon, and you're hungry. So you track down the nearest vending machine, hoping to find a relatively healthy option.

And then you notice it. A green Smart Choices check mark. And it's on one of those mini boxes of Frosted Flakes cereal.

But wait a sec. Does that mean Frosted Flakes are good for you? Not really. But sort of, at least according to the Smart Choices program -- a collaboration between the food industry and what appears to be a more or less random collection of scientists and nutritionists.

Foods selected as "smart choices" can't exceed limits established by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. As for how sugar cereals like Frosted Flakes can make the cut, the Smart Choices website explains that "Pre-sweetened cereals have been demonstrated to be a good source of vitamins and minerals for children." OK, but demonstrated by whom? Kellogg's?

Now, some nutritionists aren't overly bothered by a program that pushes Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs, Apple Jacks and other sugar-laden breakfast cereals. For example, Kim Galeaz, an Indianapolis based registered dietitian says the Healthy Choices program is merely a guide for making healthy food choices.

"It’s one of the many tools that’s available to you, to help us pick choices when we are faced with a variety of choices. It’ s not a substitute for taking responsibility and learning what level of calories what we need to have in order to stay at an appropriate weight."

Many experts, though, aren't so sanguine. A recent article in the New York Times quoted several dubious nutritionists. The Smart Choices Program, they say, seems suspiciously like an attempt to make highly processed foods seem as healthy as more unprocessed choices. And that's simply not true -- by any measure.

Additional Resources:

• Read the New York Times take on the Smart Choices program.

Comments

No comments yet