POPEYE'S ON A DIET

I'll bet you never thought the day would come when parents would say: "DON'T eat your spinach." Well it's here. Because of an E-coli outbreak that caused one death and more than 100 illnesses in 19 states, the FDA says don't eat any fresh spinach (loose or bagged) until further notice. (http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01453.html)

Kids everywhere must be elated. Not me. Since childhood, I've loved my veggies! (I know -- I was the strange kid on the block.)

This spinach recall raises some issues for parents. Let's face facts: because of our fast-paced lifestyles, many children weren't eating much spinach -- or other fruits and vegetables -- anyway. Maybe this "spinach hiatus" is an opportunity to re-think our meal choices.

The second issue is oversight. This E-coli outbreak has brought to light the fact that, like cargo at ports and luggage on airplanes, very little of it is actually inspected. The fact is there just aren't enough people to visit every farm, every factory, every field.

My mom would say: "That's why you pray over your food, honey."

I had to throw out two bags of pre-packaged spinach last week. I'd planned to make a warm spinach/walnut salad that very night the news broke.

Ugh - I can still taste it!

T