Tips on Shopping Organically for Snacks at Whole Foods Market

All foods that my children, ages two, four, and six years, would happily snack on all day long.

Since my kids love these types of processed foods so much, I'm trying to make an effort to choose them in their healthiest forms. I frequently shop for our family's snacks at Whole Foods Market. Their 365 Everyday Value Organic line of snack foods are trans-fat free, and contain no artificial preservatives, sweeteners, colors or flavors, unlike many popular name-brand processed snack foods that you buy at your regular supermarket. They also pass the picky palates of my children, while not being as pricy as some namebrand treats.

The cinnamon graham crackers are big favorites in my house. Priced at $3.99 for a 14.4 ounce (oz.) box, this snack is one of the higher priced foods in this line. I think they are worth the money because they're similar in taste to the kind that I grew up on - the ones filled with hydrogenated oils - yet, they're not unhealthy. I like to top them with yogurt and fresh berries for a treat after dinner.

My kids love the honey graham bears, which cost $2.49 an 8 oz. bag. These bear-shaped cookies are made of organic wheat and graham flours, real vanilla extract, and organic honey. Before I knew about hydrogenated oils, I would buy Nabisco Teddy Grahams. At Netgrocer.com, Teddy Grahams cost $3.85 for a 10 oz. box and include the ingredients high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. They were very popular at our house. When I made the switch to the 365 Everyday Value Organic version, my oldest child did notice the difference and actually liked the Whole Foods kind better than the Teddy Grahams. The chocolate graham bears, also $2.49 for an 8 oz. bag, are even better, in my opinion, than their Grammy Bear competition. The Whole Foods version contains organic cocoa and, as a die-hard chocolate fan, satisfies my chocolate cravings.

Other organic cookies produced by Whole Foods Market include chocolate chip, ginger snap, and animal crackers - all priced at about $3. The chocolate chip cookies are a bit crunchy for my liking, but my kids dunk them in their milk. These are similar to the typical packaged chocolate chip cookies that you'd buy at your run-of-the-mill grocery store, but have a generous amount of chocolate chips in them. The ginger snaps are absolutely delicious. Sweetened with molasses, they are thick, crisp, and really good with a hot cup of tea. The organic cheese crackers are $3.20 for a 7 oz. box and contain organic wheat flour and organic cheese. They're crispy and are comparable in flavor to Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers, which on Netgrocer.com sell for $3.85 for a 10 oz. box.

The apple juice from the 365 Everyday Value Organic line is very popular in my house. It's 100 percent juice - so there's no corn syrup or artificial sweeteners in it. And, I like to buy organic apple juice because non-organic apple juice is filled with pesticides. (I don't buy all organic fruits and vegetables, but I do buy organic apples. Apples absorb more pesticides than some other fruits - such as, bananas and oranges). Other juice flavors include cranberry and grape, and cost about $3.75 for a two-quart bottle. A bottle of Juicy Juice, which is 100% juice and sold at most regular grocery stores, is priced around $4 for a two-quart botlle.

Whole Foods Market 365 Everyday Value Organic line of snacks do contain sugar, fats and can be high in calories, so, like any food, they should be eaten in moderation. But, if you're going to buy packaged snacks, these are a good option because they are made with natural ingredients. They also taste good, so they'll pass the test with little ones.