FOOD FIGHT CHOOSE WISELY AND VENDING MACHINE FARE DOESN'T HAVE TO DESTROY YOUR DIET.

Byline: Jillian O'Connor Staff Writer

You have no time to go out and get lunch and now you're at work, staring down a row of vending machines.

If you grab a quick snack, you'll mangle your blood-sugar levels, strain your cardiovascular system, overeat and deplete your vitamins, all with one neat little treat.

What's a hungry person to do?

Go for the fruit, water, yogurt or granola bar, say local dietitians, who are experts in dodging the minefields in the snack room.

``You can use vending machines. You just need to make smart choices,'' said Stephanie Larmour Sanders, a registered dietitian and clinical nutrition manager at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

But making smart choices is hard to do when vending machines are bursting with candy bars, sodas, pastries and potato chips - and seldom the healthier, baked versions.

Chips can be a truly toxic choice; many are more than 50 percent fat, said Sanders.

``I see them as kind of lethal.''

Among the diet hazards are frosted bear claws, fruit pies, miniature doughnuts, monster-size sandwiches and the high-fat, high-sugar, protein- free triple whammy: candy bars.

``With snack foods, a lot of times people think of sugar and salt - it's sad,'' Sanders said with a laugh.

In response to concerns about obesity and Americans' unhealthful eating habits, Sodexho, a major supplier of vending machines in the United States, recently launched its ``Your Health, Your Way on the Go'' snack line. The program highlights products like Baked Lay's chips, raisins and Nature Valley granola bars, among many others, marking them as healthful snack and meal options.

``We've always had a wellness initiative in vending, but what we did was we updated our nutrition criteria so that it really complies with dietary guidelines, and statements from the FDA,'' said registered dietitian Leslee McGovern, senior director of brand management wellness for the company.

``Our clients are very interested in having healthy options,'' she added. The line is still in the process of being rolled out in machines across the country.

Don Kain, a registered dietitian and senior health educator at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center, advises patients to look for ``something that's fresh, as opposed to packaged''; veer away from cookies, soda and juice, which can all pack on extra calories; and choose fruit and water.

But that doesn't mean they'll go for it.

``A lot of times those aren't the most popular items,'' he said. Some healthier options for those who feel they must have prepackaged snacks, he said, are fig bars, vanilla wafers and ginger snaps because they're ``a little bit more wholesome and lower in sugar.''

Diet soda can be ``an excellent choice,'' Kain said, as it helps people avoid the full-sugar varieties, which are problematic: ``You don't have the perception of the calories that you get.''

Though pretzels have been a popular low-fat snack for health-conscious vending machine patrons for years, Sanders warns that they can be the saltiest snack in the display case - a major concern for diabetics and those watching their blood pressure.

``A lot of the foods that are in the vending machine, unless it's an apple, are almost all higher in sodium,'' Sanders said.

Sanders recommends careful label reading, especially when it comes to checking serving sizes on snacks, juices or sweetened beverages, as single containers are often marked for multiple servings. A juice drink that appears to contain a paltry 80 calories, for instance, contains 200 if the bottle holds 2.5 servings.

For prepared sandwiches without detailed labels, consumers should be wary of oversize bread and slices of cheese, which can pack on calories, and for some traditional luncheon meats, like bologna, which can add a wallop of sodium.

Good choices are roast beef and roast turkey, which are usually lower on the salt scale. In addition, browsers should gravitate toward fresh fruit and vegetables and nonfat or low-fat dairy products.

Because of the cardiovascular benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids, almonds and walnuts are a favorite snack, too. Nuts are not disruptive to blood sugar levels, said Sanders, and almonds are even high in fiber.

But the old warning applies: Be on guard for spiked-up sodium levels, which are higher in the smoked nuts, and look at the serving size.

One way to keep from overloading on calories, she said, is to make sure you decide what you're looking for from a machine.

``Is it a meal or is it a snack?'' said Sanders. ``Some people get confused about their meals and snacks, and how many calories that should be for each one.'' Her guide is that a snack should be no more than 250 calories, and a meal around 500 calories.

Skipping meals just to avoid machines is a bad idea, too, according to Kain, who added that it's better to brave the snack room. ``You don't have to be perfect with your diet,'' he explained.

Things should work out fine nutritionally, he said, as long as you're not dining from machines daily.

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(1 -- cover -- color) FOOD for thought

Vending machine fare can be healthy - if you choose carefully

(2) no caption (Yoplait yogurt)

(3) no caption (Alta Dena milk)

(4) no caption (junk food)

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer