
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 14, 1991                   TAG: 9104150241
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Short

TV MAKES A LOUSY FOOD ROLE MODEL

Television might make your brain cry out for sustenance, but it could be worse for couch potatoes if it inspires them to down the same junk they see actors eating on TV shows at night.

No kidding, that's the opinion of a study that analyzed the food content of 11 top network shows and almost burped in dismay.

"The prime-time diet is inconsistent with dietary guidelines for healthy Americans," says a summation of the study, published in this month's issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Such good-for-you eats as wheat germ, apples, spinach, fish and even the mighty banana get short shrift in prime time. According to the study, 60 percent of all food references in the studied shows "were for low nutrient beverages and sweets."

by CNB