The Girl Scouts of America announced in November 2006 that all of their cookies will contain 0.5g trans fats per serving, thus meeting or exceeding the FDA guidelines. [99] However, trans fats from girl scout cookies can exceed recommended levels if more than one serving is consumed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
Please leave a comment if you have ever eaten only one serving of Thin Mints at a time.
I suppose you can look at this in two ways:
1. Bravo that the Girl Scouts of America are following FDA guidelines
2. Let's teach our Girl Scouts that it's OK to include coronary heart disease-causing ingredients in our cookies.
My point is that Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and other public service organizations should be at the forefront of consideration of the public welfare, not grudgingly meeting the minimum requirements of the FDA.
We know that trans fats are strongly linked to heart disease (see above Wikipedia link). We know that almost no one eats only one serving of Thin Mints at a time.
Girl Scouts, this is your opportunity to shine: take a stand for the health of the community you are trying to serve. I promise I will buy twice as many cookies if they contain no trans fats.
12 comments :
The only time I have ever eaten what may approximate 1 serving of girl scout cookies is when I was too late to the game and there was only 1 serving left.
The GSUSA website claims that their cookies are 'zero trans fats' but as it turns out that is just a 'designation' that reflects their status as being less than .5g per serving.
http://www.girlscouts.org/news/news_releases/2006/gs_cookies_now_have_zero_trans_fats.asp
So, it is an FDA sanctioned term expressly built for the marketing engines of all the trans-fat bakeries with their hands in the cookie jar.
Jame, does this mean that you are swearing off all transfats? Alas,I will shed a tear for you as I consume both of the next two (2) Lemon Meringue Pies baked by the First Wife.
Now, there is still hope for Lief: Grumpy will post an APB next time the Grand Mother bakes some of those Ginger Snap Cookies. [May Ray Bannon be remembered!]
I am proud to say that today I only consumed one thin mint and there is a whole box in the break room. My will power is legendary!
However, the day is not done!!
So there, wise guy.
I ain't got no self-control like that, so I guess I'm jealous. When I get a box of chocolate-covered cherries for Christmas (never fails!) I wait and wait to open them. But when I do, I eat the whole box in one sitting.
As luck would have it I went to work today and someone, mercifully, had put out quite a spread of thin mints for the staff's eating enjoyment. Thinking only of science and wondering if I could actually eat only one serving of thin mints, I had to participate in this real-life study. I had 4 thin mint cookies. Is that a serving? Half a serving? It sure did raise my joy at having to be at work. With every bite and swallow, the days worries seem to evaporate. I hope modern science appreciates all my sacrifices.
Wow! I never would have suspected that anyone could show the kind of restraint that the campbell's and lief have shown.
My box of Thin Mints remains unopened, because I know if I start it will be half or all of the box in one day.
Grumpy, I'm trying to get producers to quit including hydrogenated oils so that I don't have to swear off anything. They don't improve the flavor of anything. Try a Newman O's cookie for proof of that.
I refuse to accept the opinion of the FDA on whether or not something is healthy or not. We need to reference the opinion of an organization that is not attached to a particular political agenda.
In the meantime, I agree that Newman cookies are great! I have also found some great-tasting gluten-free cookies, and believe that gluten is another ingredient that has been over-looked in its impact on the unhealthy American diet.
As, most likely, the only "Girl Scout" among you, actually I was a Brownie Scout until I "flew up" and then was a Girl Scout, (with the possible exception of Ms. Campbell who I think was a Camp Fire Girl), the only one that trudged door to door by myself selling cookies and calendars, has it occurred to any of you to simply support the girls?
Give me a break.
I forgot to sign my name on message #8, the one in support of the girls.
Theresa/Monya/Teeta. . .
Yes, I was a Camp Fire girl myself. We sold the mints door-to-door which nowadays they don't let the girls do. I remember trudging those heavy boxes of mints up and down the street and we did sell quite a few. In the end, however, I think we begged Mom to buy several boxes so we could be done with the whole process. She obliged.
I don't think a year has gone by in the past 10 years that I haven't bought the cookies, including this year.
But I don't want to eat them because I'm afraid of what the hydrogenated oils are going to do to my body.
I think the Girl Scouts could rise to the challenge and lead the way to support the community that supports them.
Undoubtedly the Girl Scouts could rise to the challenge if the Girl Scouts knew that their adoring public felt there was a challenge.
Girl Scouts of the USA
420 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10018-2798
or
http://www.girlscouts.org/contact/
Mom
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