THE WORST OFFENDERS IN KID’S FOOD

Fight back at the Junk food industry. Hidden salt, sugar, and trans fat abounds, not to mention lengthy lists of unpronounceable chemical ingredients.

Learn about them here and boycott them.

1. Cheese and Sandwich Crackers:Has nearly 15 percent of the daily value for fat and almost 10 percent of the DV for sodium, and many are loaded with trans fat, high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, and artificial dyes.

2. Sugary Cereals:Many sugary kids’ cereals are more than 50 percent sugar by weight!!!

3. Chicken Nuggets:Nuggets are made with parts of the chicken that aren’t usually eaten, and are held together with meat glue (also known as transglutaminase). If that’s not enough to turn you off, chicken nuggets deliver around 25 percent of the daily value for fat and sodium.

4. Box Mac and Cheese:leading brands of boxed mac and cheese has 580 milligrams of sodium per serving — that’s almost 25 percent of the RDA for adults!

5. Frozen Kids Dinners – Hidden sugar, sodium, chemicals, and preservatives are a big reason to ban these foods from your list

6. Canned Tuna – Mercury’s not good for anyone but it’s especially bad for fetuses, babies, and children because it impedes brain development. The Natural Resources Defense Council publishes a list that offers guidelines on how much tuna is safe to eat depending on weight, but some research suggests that there may be more mercury in tuna than assumed and the amount can vary greatly from can to can.

7. Cereal Bar – some bars can have loads of sugar, fat, trans fat, and little to no fiber or protein. Look for a balanced bar that’s easy on the sugar and big on whole grains, fiber, and protein.

8. Pre-made lunch kit – even so-called “healthier” versions can have up to 25 percent DV of sodium. There’s also the relative dearth of nutrients, an epic list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients, and lots and lots of sugar — as much as 33 grams.

9. Sport or Fruit Drinks – targets kids in their advertising and falsely claim health benefits, have been linked with childhood obesity and tooth decay, and some doctors suggest these drinks should only be offered to children during or after vigorous exercise.

10. Yogurt Smoothies – smoothie drinks marketed to kids sneak in ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or lots of plain old sugar (a few smoothies have a jaw-dropping 47 grams of sugar per serving — 10 grams more than a can of Coke), artificial food dyes, and other sketchy additives.

CHOOSE INSTEAD

· A slice of real cheese to a whole-grain cracker with plenty of fiber.

· Real fruits and nuts (if not allergic)

· A glass of almond milk

· A toast of organic multi-grain bread

· Homemade bars and cereals

· Simple oatmeal with bits of dried fruits