Ban trans fat in schools
Editor: Thousands of people died from AIDS before public health agencies began working on prevention and treatment. The lag was even longer before those agencies advocated less tobacco use.
But these seem obvious compared to one health hazard right in front of our noses – the low quality of school cafeteria food.
The $12 billion United States Department of Agriculture school breakfast and lunch program allows half a gram of trans fat per serving of cold cereal, crackers, cookies, etc., even though the Institute of Health says there is no safe level of trans fats. Right here in Sonoma, by the end of the school day a child could have eaten two grams or more of trans fat, which is banned in New York City and Disneyland!
Meanwhile, kids don’t get any omega-3s, specifically the brain nourishing DHA and EPA unless they occasionally choose a tuna sandwich – fish sticks are made from fish low in omega-3s. Why? Because the Food and Drug Administration has no Daily Recommended Intake (DRI), therefore school meals aren’t required to provide it, despite National Institute of Health experts seeking a DRI of at least a third of a gram a day. Few know that flax meal provides only a precursor to DHA and EPA, and that our bodies only convert 5 percent of that into DHA/EPA.
The school board should set a meeting dedicated to student health to hear from community members. If Berkeley Unified can ban trans fats and high fructose corn syrup, and offer more veggies, then we can too.
Lauren Ayers
Sonoma
Support local parks
Editor: This letter is intended mostly for newcomers to Sonoma, as I was a few years ago. I found that a great way to learn about the history of our lovely community is to become a docent for the Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Parks.
To prepare you for the few hours a month that you will spend leading visitors through Historic Park sites – Mission, Barracks, Vallejo home and Petaluma Adobe – the docent council and park personnel have arranged for a series of outstanding lectures on Native-American life, the Spanish empire and the missions, life under Mexican rule of California, the Sonoma mission, the Vallejo family, the Russian settlement at Fort Ross, and events leading to the Bear Flag Revolt.
Looking at this list, I realize that longtime residents would also find there is much they could learn. It is fun – you will meet a great bunch of people during training, as well as nice people from all over the world who appreciate the time we spend sharing our history.
The training starts on Saturday, Sept. 26, and runs for seven Saturdays through Nov. 14. To sign up, or to get more information about the program please contact Jennifer Hanson, State Parks Volunteer Coordinator, at 707.762.4871 or Karla Noyes at 707.939.9146 or go to our Web site: sonomadocents.org.
Robert Alwitt
Sonoma/Petaluma State Historic Parks Docent
Sonoma