Don’t Be Duped by “Healthy” or “Low Fat” Fast Food

Recent television commercials would suggest that fast food outlets have embraced the consumer’s want for more healthy options on the menu. We see young, vibrant customers selecting tasty, healthy looking meals, and hear menus rich with words such as “light,” “low fat,” and “healthy” lunchtime options. But a recent study suggests that the well-known franchises introducing so-called “healthy” alternatives have barely scratched the surface of the changes needed to make their foods truly healthy.

Fast Food: An American Obsession

With as many as a quarter of the population opting to eat fast food as many as three times per week, there, no wonder there is an obesity epidemic in America. The land of hamburgers and pizza sees a regular diet of excessive fats, sugars and salt as the norm. As a result, diet-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes are at an all-time high.

The Need for Change

Most adults are aware of the need for change. Fast food giants, desperate to keep their grip on the wallets of the country have begun to introduce healthier options. But few of these options are as healthy as the fast food chains would like us to believe. In fact, avoiding fast food altogether is still the best way to make healthier meal choices.

Studying the Menu

A recent investigation into the nutritional quality of the food available in eight of the country’s most popular fast food restaurants found some interesting facts. They examined the menus dating back as far as 1997 to better understand the healthful changes these companies claimed to have made. Using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Eating Index (HEI), they measured the nutritional quality of the menu items.

What the Researchers Found

A healthy diet should receive a HEI score of over 60; the higher the number the better the food choice. The menus that came from the eight leading fast food outlets averaged a score of 48, a rather disturbing result. The study found that over the fourteen years examined, each of the eight restaurants did show a slight improvement. In most cases, it was a meager seven-point increase. There was very little increase in vegetables, grains, whole grains and healthy oils. Sadly, when it came to low-fat milk and dairy options, and low-sodium, there was very little change in any of the menus.

New “Healthy” Choices Aren’t Enough

Eating out is a huge part of the American lifestyle. Fast food giants have the power to turn the health of the nation around. It’s not a matter of denying people their favorite foods; it’s more about making better choices available.

Simply by avoiding trans-fats and using better cooking techniques the menu items transform into healthier meals. Downsizing meal deals, incorporating more vegetables and salads in burgers and wraps, reducing the amount of deep-fried foods and halving the amount of salt added to foods is a start.

Providing low-fat, low-sugar options and using more whole grain and fresh foods not only makes a more healthful meal, it actually promises more flavor. Customers should continue to demand healthy options. Ask for more vegetables, less fries and drinks that come with no added sugar. After all, it’s your body and your choice. Don’t be duped by the healthy illusion of what’s on offer.

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Pre-packaged foods for toddlers too high in sodium, says study

Limiting salt intake is an oft-repeated piece of health advice for adults, because too much sodium over time may increase risk for heart attack and strokes.

U.S. dietary guidelines suggest people should take in no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day, while the American Heart Association recommends an even lower amount of 1,500 milligrams. Surveys, however, show most Americans are averaging 3,400 milligrams each day.

Now, a new study suggests toddlers also may be getting far too much salt if they're eating pre-packaged foods. Researchers tested random products and found 75 percent of pre-packaged meals and savory snacks for toddlers were high in sodium. The authors fear taking in too much salt at such an early age can lead to unhealthy habits that last a lifetime.

"Our concern is the possible long-term health risks of introducing high levels of sodium in a child's diet, because high blood pressure, as well as a preference for salty foods may develop early in life," lead researcher Joyce Maalouf, a fellow at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in a statement. "The less sodium in an infant's or toddler's diet, the less he or she may want it when older."

Sodium overkill: Top 10 culprits in U.S. diet

For the study, which is considered preliminary since it was presented at a medical conference and is not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, Maalouf and her team looked at 1,115 food products for babies and toddlers, which included pre-packaged meals and snacks. A product was considered high in sodium by researchers if it contained more than 210 milligrams per serving.

They found toddler meals on average had significantly more sodium than baby meals, with some as high as 630 milligrams per serving. That means one toddler meal contains 40 percent of the AHA's daily recommended allotment of sodium, according to the AHA.

The study echoes previous research that pre-packaged foods are major culprits for dietary sodium. It was presented March 21 at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in New Orleans.

"I'm not too surprised," Andrea Rumschlag, a pediatric dietician at the Cleveland Clinic told CBSNews.com of the study's findings. She was not involved in the research.

"It's good information for parents to see that packaged food in any way, shape or form is always going to be high in sodium."

Rumschlag equates some of these pre-packaged toddler meals to frozen TV dinners for adults, which can be high in salt. While the AHA recommends a daily limit of 1,500 milligrams of sodium, she said that toddlers ages 1 to 3 should have even less -- no more than 1,000 milligrams per day. Toddlers have more sensitive taste buds, she added, so if they're used to salty foods from the get go, they're more likely to reach for a salt shaker as they get older to compensate. That could contribute to their risk of high blood pressure and cardiac problems later in life.

"You're setting them up to have that salty taste," she said.

• Cutting salt to recommended levels could prevent hundreds of thousands deaths
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Rumschlag recommends that if parents are going to buy pre-packaged foods, check the label and skip items that contain more than 100 milligrams of sodium. Fresh, canned or frozen fruits are a better snack option than a child-sized pack of crackers, she said.

"They can still be nutritious, still be quick, but won't have as many of these additives," she said.

Thanks to CBS.com for the article!