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San Jose Mercury News Article, September 27, 2006

A SNACK JUDGMENT
RESIDENTS GET CHANCE TO SAY WHICH HEALTHIER OPTIONS ARE DELISH

Author: JULIE SEVRENS LYONS AND SANDRA GONZALES, Mercury News

Raisins: Melt in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands?

Maybe.

Betcha Can't Eat Just One . . . Rice Cake?

Maybe not.

San Jose nutrition officials -- eager to know what healthy snacks people will eat -- held a taste test Tuesday night at the Biblioteca Latinoamericana Library, asking patrons to rate everything from energy bars to diet fruit drinks.

With just days to go before a new regulation requires the city's libraries to stock vending machines with low-fat goodies, health leaders offered the tasting as a way of educating the community on why KitKat bars will no longer be for sale. (And to help determine whether Clamato Tortilla Chips -- ''they taste like a V-8'' -- should replace them.)

They also hope the public will be more likely to buy into the new treats -- not to mention buy them -- if they have a say in picking them out.

''Cheetos will be gone. They're not going to be seeing chocolate candy. Any fried potato chips or tortilla chips won't be in there any more,'' said Janet Leader, coordinator of the Bay Area Nutrition & Physical Activity Collaborative.

It's also clear that you can't ''Be a Pepper'' or ''Do the Dew'' at libraries anymore, unless you bring the soft drinks from home. In their place? Possibly bottled water, juice, Diet Snapple or Sobe Lean.

Bye-bye Grandma's cookies and Reese's peanut butter cups; hello, maybe, to Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars and Planters peanuts. Chex mix, Gardetto's reduced fat snack mix and CornNuts are also under consideration.

Tuesday night, about 40 people -- most of them Spanish speakers -- turned out to evaluate the virtues of dried apples, cheddar rice cakes, and oat and honey granola bars.

Eustolia Ibarra, 37, was quite impressed after trying about a half-dozen of the treats.

''They're pretty good,'' she said. ''Besides that, I think they're nutritious. It gives the kids something else to eat.''

Least favorite snack

After the event, organizers tallied the best snack -- and the worst -- based on the feedback from children and adults. Adults said they enjoyed granola bars, while children said they favored the crunch of original-flavored CornNuts.

A clear loser was quick to emerge, especially among kids: reduced-fat Gardetto's.

Leticia Garcia, 38, who came with her three children, sampled some of the snack mix -- and turned up her nose.

''They're so-so,'' she said. ''I wouldn't buy it. It wasn't that good.''

Carmen Hernandez, 12, agreed, saying the Gardetto's mix was ''too salty.''

''I'd rather be eating something else,'' she said.

Adults frowned most upon the Clamato chips -- a pungent snack flavored with clam and tomato juice.

The changes to the library's vending machines were proposed by City Councilman Ken Yeager and approved by the council in March. Under the policy, snacks in the library vending machines must contain no trans fats and derive no more than 35 percent of their calories from fat, and must contain at least 2 grams of fiber.

The council is also requiring that half the snacks in vending machines in San Jose public buildings be filled with healthier options.

''If we do not give people access to healthy foods, they can't eat healthy. It's as simple as that,'' said Marjorie Freedman, an assistant professor of nutrition and food science at San Jose State University.

Cause for concern

Obesity now rivals smoking as one of the country's greatest public health problems, with more than 30 percent of all U.S. adults considered obese, and 16 percent of children aged 6 to 19 considered overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Carrying excess pounds has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, respiratory problems and even some cancers.

Despite the vending machine makeovers, parents shouldn't get the wrong idea when they drop their children off at the local library with a few bucks for snacks.

''We are bringing in healthier items as options for people who want them,'' said Scott Devine, general manager of Action Vending Services, which is stocking the library machines.

''At the end of the day, if you've eaten 400 Baked Lay's, you've still eaten 400 Baked Lay's,'' he said. ''It's still about moderation and making good decisions and exercise -- and a well-balanced diet to begin with.''

IN WITH THE NEW: HEALTHIER SNACK OPTIONS
Baked Doritos
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 3.5g
Granola bar
Calories: 180
Total Fat: 6g
Salted peanuts*
Calories: 170
Total Fat: 15g
Multigrain chips
Calories: 140
Total Fat: 6g

OUT WITH THE OLD: BANNED SNACKS
Potato chips
Calories: 230
Total Fat: 15g
Cookies**
Calories: 370
Total Fat: 19g
Chocolate bar
Calories: 290
Total Fat: 15g
Cheese snacks
Calories: 160
Total Fat: 10g

  * For 28-gram packages;
** Entire package

Source: Frito-Lay, Netgrocer.com and product labels

Copyright (c) 2006 San Jose Mercury News