March 12, Girl Scouts of USA Founded A Look at the Nutrition of the 2013 Line of Girl Scout Cookies

On March 12, 1912 the Girl Scouts of the USA was founded. "The Girl Scouts of the USA continues to maintain a strong influence on girls in an accepting and nurturing environment, girls build character and skills for success in the real world. In partnership with committed adult volunteers, girls develop qualities that will serve them all their lives, like leadership, strong values, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth."

In the 1960's, my mother was our girl scout leader. While cleaning up some old files, I came across a home video of my mother and other girl scout leaders who took a group of us on a field trip to an Animal Farm and Botanical Gardens (Nassau County, Long Island, New York).

It was a wonderful experience and extra special since mom was our leader. I learned about charity, commitment, friendship, family and a whole lot more. However, we did not learn about nutrition in the early 1960's.

To complement the video is a sample of the song called "Julliette" (Girls Scout Founder) by Melinda Carroll. To obtain the complete song - go to http://gsmusic.com/about/about-melinda.html

Girl Scout Cookies and
their Nutrition Information

2013 Girl Scout Cookies Nutrition Information

In 1960, licensed bakers first began wrapping Girl Scout Cookie boxes in printed aluminum foil or cellophane to protect the cookies and preserve their freshness. In 1961, 14 licensed bakers were mixing batter for thousands of Girl Scout Cookies annually. By 1966, a number of varieties were available. Among the best sellers were Chocolate Mint, Shortbread, and Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies. Nutrition information was not required on the labels during this time.

In the early 1990s, eight varieties were available, including low fat and sugar-free selections.
By 2007, Girl Scouts of the USA announced that all their cookies now had zero trans fat per serving; many required reformulation to accomplish this.

Girl Scout cookies are listed as having "0 trans fat per serving" and will have packaging saying Trans Fat Free. The cookies are not truly trans fat free, as various partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs, i.e., trans fats) are still listed in the ingredients. Nonetheless, they now have a sufficiently small amount per serving to comply with the government's official standards for the Trans Fat Free label. (The official rules allow the label to appear where there are fewer than 0.5 grams per serving.)

In addition, the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) released a research review entitled Weighing In: Helping Girls Be Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrow. Weighing In addresses various underlying causes leading to the epidemic of obesity and of being overweight among children and adolescents and the lifestyles, culture, and behavior that have contributed to this condition. Read more about this research review.

Each Cookie has a Mission

Girl Scout Promise:
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Promise is often recited at Girl Scout troop meetings while holding up the three middle fingers of the right hand, which forms the Girl Scout sign. Girl Scout policy states that the word "God" may be interpreted depending on individual spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, "God" may be substituted with the word dictated by those beliefs.

Girl Scout Law:
I will do my best to be Honest and fair,
Friendly and helpful, Considerate and caring,
Courageous and strong, and
Responsible for what I say and do,
And to respect myself and others,
respect authority, use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Girl Scout Motto:
"Be Prepared."

Slogan:
"Do a Good Turn Daily"