Nanny Bloomberg nods in quiet approval.
Via NPR:
It’s a pretty bold move to blast Girl Scout cookies, those precious sugary treats whose limited run from late winter to early spring is just about over for the year.
But a few brave voices argue it’s no longer all that delightful to see little girls peddling packaged cookies, or to buy them in the name of supporting the community. (And no, this is not an April Fools’ joke.)
To some doctors and parents, the tradition increasingly feels out of step with the uncomfortable public health realities of our day.
“The problem is that selling high-fat sugar-laden cookies to an increasingly calorie-addicted populace is no longer congruent with [the Girl Scouts’ aim to make the world a better place].” That’s what John Mandrola, a heart doctor in Louisville, Ky., wrote on his blog in March. (He also blogs for Medscape/Cardiology.)
The sentiment was echoed by Diane Hartman, a writer and editor in Denver, who penned an indignant op-ed in the Denver Post, “Why are we letting Girl Scouts sell these fattening cookies?”
“They have some trans fat, some palm oil and are high carb … all those things you’ve probably been trying to avoid,” writes Hartman. As Allison Aubrey just reported, it’s the refined carbs in our diets doctors say we really should be cutting.
Unsurprisingly, Hartman and Mandrola took some flak from readers for questioning the tradition, which is almost a century old and touted by the Girl Scouts of America as “the premier entrepreneurship opportunity for girls.” Cookie revenue (65 to 75 percent of the cookie retail price), of course, goes to local Girl Scout councils, which typically spend it on Girl Scout activities, camps and properties.