Health food is an industry, too

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				06/28/10
			Health Food Is an Industry, Too These days, we often point to "industrial food" as the problem: highly processed, nutrient-poor foods that stimulate our taste buds and appetite, leaving us overfed but undernourished. It's good to be reminded that health food is an industry, too—and a booming one.

			Manufacturers of sports nutrition products, for example, recently realized that nonathletes are their biggest customers. As I noted on the Nutrition Data Blog, energy bars and sports drinks formulated to improve athletic performance offer little benefit to couch potatoes. In fact, they can be a source of excess sugar and calories. But it appears that these products make non-exercisers feel that they are doing something healthy for themselves. Manufacturers are now shifting their marketing tactics to target their new audience. The healthy foods industry is well aware how susceptible we are to the "health halo" effect I have discussed before. Being businesses like any others, health food manufacturers will use that to their advantage if we let them.
							Watercress This bitter gourmet green is highly nutritious and also acts as a natural diuretic. For a complete nutritional analysis of watercress and 10,000 other foods, click here.
			Healthy Seasonal Recipes Fresh ingredients make for delicious and nutrition-packed summer meals. Our partners at SELF.com have rounded up a quartet of seasonal recipes from some of the nation's leading farm-to-table chefs. Get the recipes on SELF.com. Ask ND: What's a Kilocalorie? You'll sometimes see the calorie content of foods listed in kilocalories (or kcal). What's the difference between a kilocalorie and a plain old Calorie? Find out on the Nutrition Data Blog. Food and Nutrition Spinach has a reputation for being a good source of iron. But Malabar and New Zealand "spinach," often grown in very hot climates where true spinach does not thrive, are not particularly high in iron. Learn more on the Nutrition Data Blog.

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