LAS&F

Los Angeles Sports and Fitness Magazine

Issue:
September 2008
Page #40

Healthy choices for your snack attack

By : Heidi Creed

Chips, cookies, sodas… oh my! Pass a vending machine during a weak moment and any attempt you’ve made to eat healthfully during the day is sabotaged by that Twinkie you didn’t really want in the first place.

Does this 3 o’clock gotta-have-a munchie scenario sound familiar? You are certainly not alone. Unfortunately grabbing something quick is often correlated with chips and soda so it’s no wonder in these days of multitasking and over-scheduling we lack the energy and willpower to say no to the vending machine.

Well your vending vice prayers may just be answered. Vend Natural, a relatively new concept to the vending machine industry, offers a healthier approach to the snack machine experience with organic and natural food choices. It’s a simple idea that is way overdue, and one that is sure to make you start saying yes and not feel an ounce of guilt about it.

Imagine strolling over to the machine, crisp bill in hand, having options to choose from like Clif or Luna bars, soymilk, yogurt smoothies or pita chips. Vend Natural’s model is focused on food products that help sustain the body’s energy naturally, offering consumers a relatively easy way to make positive changes in their diet and lifestyle.

“Our growth has been pretty amazing,” says president and founder Gil Sanchez. “We projected just five machines a month, but we’re already averaging 22 [across the county].” While the Downey-based company came on to the scene three years ago, it has been in the past 18 months that business has really taken off.

“I think the success has been due to the obesity epidemic. Everyone is pushing healthy food alternatives, and not just diet food,” says Sanchez. Vend Natural’s products, are those you’d find in Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, limit or exclude the likes of high fructose corn syrup and sodium, and are never diet-oriented.

Among their target population and current core clients are schools. With diabetes and childhood obesity on the rise, it is not a revelation that the food offering to kids desperately needs an overhaul. After all, Fritos, although made of corn, do not count as a vegetable. Thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of Vend Natural, its selection of affordable and healthy snack options is now easily accessible on an increasing number of campuses. And believe it or not, says Sanchez, “students are asking for it.”

Prices for their products range from 75 cents to $4, but that includes everything from fruit leather to a protein smoothie. It’s important to note that these products taste good so kids are actually choosing to buy them over their fat and calorie-laden counterparts.

Convenient packaged food lacking nutritional value may finally be a thing of the past so all of you closet vending machine addicts can rejoice. A Vend Natural machine at your school, health club or office may be in your future. To get a machine at your location or learn more, visit vendnatural.com.

Reference: lasandf.com

-Jeffrey Laatsch
Natural Selection LLC