7 Deceptive Foods NOT to Put in your Child's Lunchbox (plus 7 better alternatives)

Can we add that all "Fruit Snacks" are really just gummi bears with some vitamin C thrown in?

Thanks AC - interesting and better than the article, thanks ps - you HAVE done something good today :)

None of these "seemingly good" items SEEM good... Also, kids should be drinking water at lunch, dinner and in between. Throw in a glass of OJ in the AM, maybe some hormone free, lowfat milk once a day if they aren't lactose intolerent or allergic (there are lots of non-dairy ways to get enough calcium), but the rest should be water. Always. All the time. Kids eat what we teach them to eat.

It's so easy to fall into what is quick and easy but if you just plan ahead you can do so much better...

Why would pop starts, fruit roll ups and handi snacks ever seem good? Maybe those are parents who have never read the ingredients on their food. I am lucky to have a daughter who is obsessed with being healthy (mostly because of my battle in finding out I have celiac disease, she saw how sick I got and vowed that we will always be heathly from now on). So she packs her lunch, usualy a sandwich, dried canrberries or apricots and some sort and then the one bad thing she usually goes with rice cripsy treat. But no matter what she packs I've noticed it's always healthier then what they serve at the school.

I think AC really likes to "hear themselves talk."

The title wasnt "The absolute BEST things on the planet to put in lunches..." it was 7 things NOT to and some better options...not the BEST option.

And the milk or no milk thing is simply a matter of opinion.

Not everyone is a crazy health freak. I am in GREAT shape and have very low body fat and *gasp* I still eat a candybar now and then...and drink milk everyday! Eating sugar isnt BAD for you...only if you do it in excess.

Lighten up a little.

wow ac a little offended there or just annoyed

people really just look at the ingredients and nutrition labels if the ingredients have more then a few not a good buy since its processed. then look at the fiber, sugar, sodium and vitamins if sodium and suger are high no go if they are low it should be good then look at the fiber and vitamins

I'm really disgusted when I read supposed knowledge on an area that someone obviously knows nothing about. I'm not sure who to blame since the 'byline' credits Exercise TV. Who knows who that is, and where this information is really coming from. It seems like they are operating as a shill for large food conglomerates.

1. Juicy Juice instead of Fruit Drinks. Juicy Juice is owned by Nestle and is one of the largest food producers and marketers in the world. Yeah the juice is 100% juice, but it's all from concentrate and not fresh juice. Also what most people don't understand is that Juicy Juice has tons of sugar in it. It doesn't matter whether it's fructose or sucrose, the body handles it all the same. Jamming your kids with unneeded sugar in the name of health makes no sense, I love the product placement here as well so there is brand recognition and some unsuspecting mom will now put it in her cart at the grocery store.

2. Low fat chocolate milk instead of a sports drink. You have got to be nuts here. I'm not arguing for gatorade, but more sugar?? Has the author of this fake article bothered to read "The China Study". Dr. Campbell proved over 30 years of research that Casein (The protein found in milk and dairy) is responsible for almost all modern disease. Any person who recommends milk in your diet should send up a red flag that they have no idea what they are talking about. Again what's even more troubling is the product placement of "Nesquick" owned by Nestle of course - do you think they care about your health, or their bottom line and their ability to jam more crap down your kids throat.

3. Health Valley Tarts instead of Pop Tarts - 16 Grams of sugar per Health Valley Tart! Doesn't matter that it comes from Organic Cane Juice our bodies don't know the difference. For your info a frosted Strawberry Pop Tart from Kellogg's has 17 Grams of sugar. At least you get the Frosting! Again Health Valley is a joke, no health comes from this processed crap. I guess their parent company Hain got in line to pay Exercise TV before Kellogg's could. If your argument is to get more fruit into your child's diet, how about an apple or a banana. I guess they didn't have enough money to pay you.

4. Jif vs. Smuckers. To me this is fairly irrelevant difference. Sure if you have to, go for the smuckers, but the real issue here is still a little deeper. The peanut despite it's name isn't really a nut it's a legume, which doesn't mean it's bad, it's just that people should know the difference. If you want to really get the most out of this product class you should try almond butter. It's from actual nuts which are better for you than peanuts. Again the brand placement seems odd to me.

5. Pure Bar vs. Fruit Roll Up. Give me a break 19 grams of sugar in a Pure Bar. It doesn't matter that they call it Agave Nectar it's still the same thing. What is so pure about that. If the argument is to get high quality nutritious food into your child's lunchbox why not mention real fruit? Sure kids want something fun to eat I get it, but then what's really the difference here. How about a ziploc bag with some nuts and dried fruit. It would cost a lost less, and be much better for them. I'm not sure who the author of this article thinks they are fooling, but I bet it actually works! All of these brands have sexy marketing campaigns that appeal to people's fear and guilt, it's hard for everyday people not to be influenced by that crap, but to pass this article off as somehow helping parents determine whats good for their kids is even more insidious as it comes in the form of a trojan horse. At least we can differentiate between a commercial or an ad, but this is a commercial masquerading as information.

6. Finally something sensible, but do we really need to read through the rest of this crap so someone can tell us to make a turkey sandwich for our kids.

7. As far as I am concerned this one is just crap vs. crap. Your kids probably shouldn't be eating either of these things, as I have mentioned before about the problems with Casein in our diet from "The China Study".

My biggest problem with this is that the "article" seems like it is just a placeholder for General MIlls to sell you more crap. I'm not sure if you see the same thing in your browser, but mine is filled with giant ads for Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. General Mills is obviously hoping that a reader will associate Health with their crap products. I wonder if the originator of this article knows that? Maybe General Mills is responsible for the article and they are just using it to confuse the general public. In either case it makes me kind of sad. I hope that anyone who takes the time to read this article takes the time to read my comments, because I know I have spent more time on this comment than the author of this article did.

In closing I would like to say that I am not a food expert. All I know about food I have learned on my own by reading articles in science journals and reading books on the subject. Nothing I came to know can't be found in your local library or even on the internet in most cases. I have learned by trial and error and basically experimenting with food on my own, and what works for me. These are of course only my opinions and reflect only my personal beliefs on this subject. If you agree with me great, if not that's great to. I just hope you do your own research and find out what works for you. If that's all you get from reading this, then I have done something good here today.