[Grovenet] Fundraisers, Food, Fish and Health

[Phoenixacm at aol.com]

For those of you who didn't catch yesterday's Oregonian, the Center for 
Science in the Public Interest has released a report that says that fundraisers 
that rely on cookie dough, fast food, bake sales and other low nutrient value 
food are sending the wrong message when we have an epidemic of childhood obesity. 
  They also said that label redemptions and vending machines are not only 
unprofitable, but require the purchase of unhealthy food items.

The Center recommends fundraisers that promote physical activity and don't 
involve junk food, such as walk-a-thons, book fairs, scrip programs, recycling 
cell phones or printer cartridges, and sales of healthy food.   "We are sure to 
spend more on the resulting diet-related diseases than we could ever hope to 
raise selling junk food in schools," said the Center's Policy Director.

Concerning fish, a British study has found that pregnant women who ate 12 
ounces or less of seafood a week (FDA & EPA guidelines) were 50 percent more 
likely to have children with low verbal IQ scores compared to women who ate more 
than 12 ounces of seafood during pregnancy.   

We have long known that eating fish provides more benefits than risk for the 
average person, but this is the first study that shows that is true for 
pregnant women and their unborn children, too.   It is still appropriate to avoid 
the fish with the greatest levels of mercury such as shark, swordfish, king 
mackerel and tilefish (we don't see much tilefish around here).

To your health!

Jane B-P


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