Timely nutrition advice for seniors ignores egg whites, fish

From cartoonist Bruce Plante at the Tulsa World.

From cartoonist Gary Varvel at the Indianapolis Star.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record has done a terrible job of covering the obesity epidemic, heart disease and nutrition, especially when grossly overweight editors ran the newsroom.

Still, older readers -- the majority, by the way -- welcome today's Better Living cover story on a ShopRite staff dietitian offering guidance in nutrition and "healthy food choices."

Unfortunately, Staff Writer John Petrick offers only a few basic tips from Inserra ShopRite staff dietitian Alison Halpern, including this advice on eggs:

"Eggs are a great source of protein. Just use oil instead of butter to cook them, and if you suffer from high cholesterol, limit your intake to three or four times a week" (BL-1).

Surely, Petrick and his editors must know 100% liquid eggs whites are cholesterol free and a terrific substitute for whole eggs, but there is no mention of them.

Nor is there any mention of heart-healthy fish fillets in the article.

Much of the focus appears to be on helping seniors read labels so they can avoid added sugar, preservatives and other unhealthy ingredients.

And Petrick doesn't even do the legwork to find out if other supermarkets besides the ShopRite in Paramus offer the services of a staff dietitian or nutritionist.

In fact, the entire article reads like a plug for a big advertiser and a program at Hackensack University Medical Center, where doctors connect patients "who need guidance in nutrition and healthy food choices" to "one of ShopRite's staff dietitians."

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The front page today carries three major stories -- two on the environment and one on Donald J. Trump's "repeated charges that the race for the White House is 'rigged' against him" (A-1).

The wacko predator and GOP presidential nominee is doing his best to deflect sex-assault accusations in the wake of a 2005 video in which he boasted of kissing and groping women against their will.

Today's environmental stories focus on the Meadowlands, and the endangered New Jersey bat (A-1).

Animal news dominates the Local front today.

Eye on The Record will return

later this week