Think about your top-three favorite foods. Chances are they’re not produce you just pulled out of a Community Supported Agriculture box, or some plain brown rice. If you’re being honest, they’re likely something sugary, salty, fatty, and processed you grab from your grocery store’s middle aisle or freezer.
In his recently released book, “Salt Sugar Fat,” New York Times reporter Michael Moss describes how big-food companies exploit our built-in cravings for salt, sugar, and fat by creating foods designed to hook you. He also suggests food scientists and company executives are aware that these foods light up the same pleasure centers in our brains that cocaine does.
This is bad enough for adults, but what about our kids? According to Moss, the food marketing preys in particular on children and their busy, well-meaning parents.
Parents should be highly vigilant when they go to the grocery store, according to Angela Douge, MPH, RDN, assistant director of the Nutrition Science Department at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., and the mother of a 7-year-old son.
“They’re on the battlefield,” she said. “The products, the coloring of the boxes, the placement on shelves are all done to get into their pocket.”
Innovation and choice
Keep in mind that food companies are in business to make a profit and in order to do so, it’s essential they remain innovative. Their primary mission isn’t health; it’s making products that sell consistently. You may not buy many processed meats or flavored taco chips, for instance, but there certainly is consumer demand.
Consumers clearly want choices. Would you like to return to an era when stores stocked a limited variety of foods? Lettuce was iceberg; bread, rice, and pasta were white; and many of the convenience foods we take for granted — such as hummus, salsa, and string cheese — had not yet been introduced.
Something else to consider: have the food companies laced their products with an irresistible combination of flavors that take over our eating behavior? Or could some of us want to blame “something” for our behavior?
It appears the food industry is making a sincere effort to be part of the solution. Many companies have gotten the message that things need to change and have introduced healthier items to their portfolios.
So, do you and your children need to avoid so-called junk food? It’s a personal decision you’ll have to make. For many, it’s about being careful, while knowing what the food giants do that could compel you to overindulge.
Christine M. Palumbo, RDN, is a Naperville, Ill.-based nutritionist on the faculty of Benedictine University. Follow her on Twitter @PalumboRD, Facebook at Christine Palumbo Nutrition, or Chris@ChristinePalumbo.com.
California Strawberry Coconut Pick-Me-Up
This refreshing strawberry drink is perfect for sipping on a warm and sunny day.
Makes four (12-ounce) servings.
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups hulled California strawberries, frozen
1½ cups coconut water
1/3 cup orange juice
Sliced California strawberries, for garnish
DIRECTIONS: Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses, garnish with sliced strawberries, and serve immediately.
NUTRITION FACTS: 105 calories; 0.5 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 99 mg sodium; 26 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 2 g protein
