The game starts you with three strikes and if the player consumes three healthy items, the game ends.

The findings are reported in this month's Chain Leader, which points out that the research doesn't tell you if customers would actually buy more healthy items if they were available.

Shop for the healthy items first, picking up the treats last: dairy, produce, meats, canned and packaged items, frozen foods.

In their cart were healthy items, Mr. Darnay said, like Cool Whip Lite.

"As long as there are unhealthy choices, most students will not choose the healthier items."

"If anything, it's a move away from traditional 'healthy' items to what I'd call balanced," Mr. Beam said.

Other chains are adding healthier items to pre-existing menus.

"As we offer new and healthier items in the cafeteria, we notice that employees pick up on it," Mr. Bedenbaugh said.

For many low-income city residents, such bodegas are more common shopping options than supermarkets with a much larger roster of healthy items.

Take advantage of a few healthy prepared items and the basics you have on hand, and easy healthy meals can come together in a snap.