Four Snacks Your Kids Should Avoid

Snyders of Hanover Pretzel Snack Mix

This pretzel snack rates poorly on health issues for 3 main reasons: it is high in sodium, high in saturated fat, and has 2 added colors that both the UK Food Standards Agency and CSPI have recommended to be banned. The high levels of saturated fat and sodium in this product are based on a portion size of 1/3rd of a cup – and we all know that once you get started on these savory snacks, it's hard to stop. For some pretzel alternatives try Snyders of Hanover Multi Grain Sticks.

Keebler Club Crackers Snack Sticks

That sweet flavor in these snack sticks that makes these crackers addicting might just be High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). HFCS accounts for 10% of all calories in the overall U.S. diet, according to the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, and closer to 20% in specific segments of the population including children. The USDA estimates that the average American consumes 17 teaspoons of HFCS every day! So, see our top crackers and help reduce your children's HFCS intake today.

Chef Boyardee
Macaroni and Cheese

Not all Mac and Cheeses are created equal. Chef Boyardee Mac & Cheese has several ingredients you want to stay away from: added colors, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and lots of salt. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, healthy adults should aim to eat less than 2300 mg (and CSPI says 1500 milligrams) of sodium a day, or about one teaspoon of salt. It is estimated that 75% of the sodium we consume is added to foods by manufacturers.

Horizon Reduced Fat Milk, Strawberry

Milk is a good source of calcium, but flavored milks are often full of sugar. The 31 grams of sugar in 1 cup of this Horizon milk is equivalent to almost 8 teaspoons of sugar. Milk contains natural amounts of sugar in the form of lactose, but if sugar (or other words indicating added sugar) are listed in the first few ingredients of a label, you know that the majority of the total sugars in the product come from added sugars.

Try this as an alternative: toss a few fresh, ripe strawberries in a blender with some plain milk.