Warnings

You know the warnings at the bottom of cigarette and liquor ads. They state what we should know already, and I usually ignore them or roll my eyes as they state the obvious--Don't drink and drive and the like.

Well, this morning as I waited for the bus, I saw a warning that startled me into doing a double take, then a triple take as my brain struggled to take in what new information. A definite moment of cognitive dissonence, culture shock, or something.

The poster is of a healthy woman and advertises Danon yogurt. Yes, yogurt. And the warning for this dangerous product? Snacking between meals is bad for your health. Note that this is not an ad for Twinkies, Duncan Hines brownies, or a Nestle Crunch. It's yogurt. Good for you.

I definitely felt a bit like Dorothy (as in, we're not in Kansas anymore). I have been taught my whole life that healthy snacks are good. That's when you are supposed to eat fruit, right? As a family, we don't go on a 45 minute train trip without stocking enough snacks to last us three days. A three hour trip to to beach calls for a backpack crammed with enough for a week. Heaven forbid that we feel hunger.

Now that I've thought it through, I do get it. The ideal for French people is to eat very complete meals which include salad, vegetables, main dish, cheese, and a dessert fruit and yogurt at the end. It's why they have to stay at the table for such a long time.

My American kids can't sit still for enough time to consume all this in one sitting. In fact, I get ansy as I wait for them to finish their meals, so we'll continue in the grand American tradition of snacking in spite of the serious danger to our health.