Every Tuesday and Thursday I enjoy tutoring young and old adults at the Presbyterian church on State St. They are preparing to take the GED. Today, my session was cut short because we the had a visitor, a nutrition specialist. Visiting from the LSU AgCenter of Research & Extension, a woman dressed in scrubs (I am unsure of her position) offered the group a list of dietary guidelines. The sheet of paper she handed out was from 2005.
According to the sheet, a recipe for good health includes eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, reducing intake of saturated fats and sodium, and adding exercise to your daily routine. Okay, sounds good!
Unfortunately, she went on to provide information that was rather contradictory to Pollan's Law. For example: eat margarine instead of butter, drink skim milk instead of whole or 2%, eat yogurts such a Yoplait, and eat Cheerio's and TrailMix (items advertised on television).
Anyway, I think overall it was a successful presentation and the students added their personal stories of attempting to eat well. However, I had a difficult time getting past the fact that a hospital/health representative was giving dated and usually incomplete information to a group of people who seemed rather susceptible to her every word.
Also, she never spoke of the horrors of processed food. When someone made a joke about Oreo's, she said that those were her favorite.
I asked the group why apples and oranges were never advertised on commercials and the class comedian responded, "Haven't you ever seen the Fruit of the Loom commercials?"
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