All of these products bear the American Heart Association Check Mark of approval emblem, signifying that they are "heart healthy":
Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal
Orville Redenbacher popcorns
Dora the Explorer Cereal
Cheerios
The following requirements must be met to gain approval of the Check Mark program:
1) total fat 3.0 grams or less per serving
2) saturated fat 1.0 gram or less per serving
3) 20 grams or less cholesterol per serving
4) 480 mg or less sodium per serving
5) "Jelly Bean Rule": 10% of the Daily Value of 6 nutrients (e.g., fiber, vitamins A and C, etc.) must also be contained in each serving.
Had the Check Mark program focused on genuine nutrition and rated products by:
1) Healthy oil content
2) Sugar content or sugar-equivalents, i.e., glycemic index or load
3) Impact on HDL, small LDL, triglycerides
none of these products would have made the list, not even close.