Live It Articles Friendship

Friendship is the theme for our February e-newsletter, and as I thought about the many friendships I have gained through First Place, I feel so blessed. These friendships offer me support, encouragement and accountability. I also thought about a different type of friendship. I thought about an organization that is a "good friend" to First Place and all consumers, CSPI, the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Founded in 1971, it is an independent nonprofit consumer health group. CSPI advocates honest food labeling and advertising, safer and more nutritious foods. Nutrition Action Healthletter subscribers and foundation grants support CSPI's work. CSPI accepts no government or industry funding. Nutrition Action Health letter, which has been published since 1974, accepts no advertising.

Each month this health letter has great articles that help us protect our health. This year CSPI has been working to:

• Eliminate partially hydrogenated vegetables oils (with their trans fats) from the food supply.
• Get junk food out of schools.
• Keep germs and unsafe additives out of our food.
• Require facts on menu boards at chain restaurants.
• Expose the sometimes-corrupting influence of industry on science and health and environmental policies.

The Healthletter will take an item, such as yogurt or crackers, compare ingredients and let you know which one is the best choice. They often highlight new products, such as the Chicken Selects that were introduced by McDonald's last July, comparing them through advertisement to the premium athletes our country was sending to Athens. We were to think of these new chicken strips as gold-medal winners in the chicken-strip competition. CSPI reported that ounce for ounce they were no healthier than the Chicken McNuggets. A five-strip order had 630 calories and 11 grams of bad fat (saturated and trans). The best choice is still the Chicken McGrill, 400 calories and only 3 grams of bad fat.

They also highlight new products that are good choices, such as this article on Cereal Toppers:

    Nothing beats a handful of fresh berries in your cereal. But once blueberries, raspberries or strawberries are out of season, you're out of luck. Some companies now add freeze-dried to their cereals-Berry Bust Cheerios, for example- and you can only eat so many Cheerios.

    Enter Cereal Toppers . Now you can toss your own freeze-dried fruit into a bowl of All-Bran, Wheaties, oatmeal, or whatever. Just add milk and you've got scrumptious slices of apples, strawberries, bananas or whole blueberries or raspberries. No more Quaker Instant Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal, which has more sugar and creaming agent than fruit (dehydrated apples pumped up with artificial strawberry flavor, sodium sulfite, citric acid, and Red 40, to be precise).

    Each serving of Cereal Toppers supplies one to four grams of fiber, depending on the fruit. They need no refrigeration or preservatives. Except for a touch of added sugar in the dried apples, fruit is the only ingredient. But, why stop with cereal? Cereal Toppers can work their magic in yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, and pancakes, even salads. Or, you can munch on a handful right out of the (resealable) bag.

    No muss, no fuss...and no more excuses for that bag of chips.

Cereal Toppers come from Fresh Field Farms: (866) 762-5461

The cost to subscribe to the Nutrition Action Healthletter is $24 a year. Their website is www.cspinet.org . The address is CSPI, 1875 Conn. Ave., NW. Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009.

May God Bless Each of You in a Special Way this Month!

Kay
First Place Associate Director


Kay is the associate national director of First Place and has been on the First Place staff since 1987.

Kay is a popular speaker at retreats, seminars, Conferences, FOCUS Weeks and Workshops across the country. Kay is the First Place food exchange expert and writes a monthly article in the First Place E-Newsletter on nutrition. She also was a contributing writer to the Today Is the First Day devotional book. Her delightful personality and love for people endears her to everyone she meets, and they quickly become her new best friend.

Kay and her husband, Joe, live in Roscoe, TX. They have two children and five grandchildren. Two of the young grandchildren are making a name for themselves on the golf circuit. Two of the young grandchildren are making a name for themselves on the golf circuit, and the three oldest grandsons are all involved in numerous sporting events, which Kay and Joe attend as often as possible.