Sugary drinks: Kids drink the equivalent of 13 sugar cubes per day

[phtlc]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/sugary-drinks-teens-1.3976538


Well this is fucking lovely!

[KitKat]

Adults probably drink twice that amount.

[GEMINIGUY]

I like to keep those tall cannisters of Kool-Aid, Tang and Iced Tea in the house, but I never even as a kid cared for the super sweetness. So I add a lot less of the mix to the water, cutting down on the sugar and making it just sweet enough.

[watcher1]

I just read about the proliferation of sugar in many things and was surprised to learn that tobacco is dipped in a sugary substance before it is made into cigarettes. A double whammy.

[Well Behaved Lady]

[MissBarbara]

Adults probably drink twice that amount.

But adults choose to drink those drinks. Kids are served them, or they are allowed by adults to drink them.

And we wonder why there's an "obesity epidemic" in this country...

[watcher1]

The sugar industry is very powerful.  Another reason. 

[MissBarbara]

The sugar industry is very powerful.  Another reason. 

That's a good point, especially with regard to legislation banning sugary drinks.

But the Sugar Industry (Big Sugar?) doesn't force people -- children or adults -- from buying and consuming these drinks.

I think the tide is turning. Weight Watchers, for example, has refocused away from fat and toward sugar, and eliminating or diminishing sugar consumption is the highlight of their latest program. And it works.

[watcher1]

Although I am not a fan of politicians thinking that we, as citizens, cannot take care of ourselves and thus enact legislation such as either banning certain sizes of soft drinks or taxing them, if that is the only way to stop the terrible increase of obesity here in the United States, then so be it!

[RopeFiend]

[MissBarbara]

Although I am not a fan of politicians thinking that we, as citizens, cannot take care of ourselves and thus enact legislation such as either banning certain sizes of soft drinks or taxing them, if that is the only way to stop the terrible increase of obesity here in the United States, then so be it!

I'm really of two minds on this issue, and I have a hard time coming down solidly on either side.

Politicians enact legislation all the time designed to protect citizens. Seat belts laws and motorcycle helmet laws are ones that spring instantly to mind. So, the whole anti-Nanny State argument -- supported by Libertarians and some Conservatives -- doesn't have the merit that proponents believe it does. 

Certain U.S. locales have already enacted laws -- or have tried and failed to pass laws -- proscribing the sale of certain sizes of sugary drinks, most notably the failed attempt here in NYC during the waning years of the Bloomberg administration, which would have banned the sale of sugary drinks over 16 oz in most places they are sold, not including supermarkets and convenience stores. The main opposition to laws was led by the beverage companies and bottlers and distributors, who (correctly) view the ban solely in terms of lost revenue. But they posed their arguments in Libertarian terms, e.g. "Don't let the bureaucrats tell you what you can drink!"

I agree, in general, with the government taking needed steps, via legislation, to ensure the health and safety of its citizens. But to me this seems a little step too far. Perhaps a more productive effort (and a better use of government funds) would be put into an education program, via advertising, programs in schools, etc. to help people make smarter choices in the beverages they choose to consume.

[_priapism]

We have milk, water, coffee, tea.  I'm sure my kids get a soda at school, but never had them around the house, and it's not something we crave or desire.  If you've ever used Coke to dissolve battery corrosion, you'll think twice before pouring all those chemicals down your throat.

Cancer, diabetes, auto immune disorders... all 20th Century maladies that rose with the use of chemicals, preservatives, and pesticides.  Colas are poison.  IMHO.

[MissBarbara]

We have milk, water, coffee, tea.  I'm sure my kids get a soda at school, but never had them around the house, and it's not something we crave or desire.  If you've ever used Coke to dissolve battery corrosion, you'll think twice before pouring all those chemicals down your throat.

My upbringing was similar. We could only drink soda at home on special occasions, and though we could drink Kool Aid during the summer, my Mom always spiked it with fruit juice, as a way to give us the nutrition we need and stretch dollars.

There's also the fact that the consumption of overly sugary beverages, including the aggressively artificial ones, is, in general, inversely proportionate to income level. And that's why education and healthy eating campaigns are even more important.

[Elizabeth]

The sugar industry is very powerful.  Another reason. 

That's a good point, especially with regard to legislation banning sugary drinks.

But the Sugar Industry (Big Sugar?) doesn't force people -- children or adults -- from buying and consuming these drinks.

I think the tide is turning. Weight Watchers, for example, has refocused away from fat and toward sugar, and eliminating or diminishing sugar consumption is the highlight of their latest program. And it works.

Hey MissB...........

Didn't NYC ban soda's or something like that, to combat high sugar in drinks for kids.
(or was it a higher tax ..??)

Love,
Liz
 

[MissBarbara]

The sugar industry is very powerful.  Another reason. 

That's a good point, especially with regard to legislation banning sugary drinks.

But the Sugar Industry (Big Sugar?) doesn't force people -- children or adults -- from buying and consuming these drinks.

I think the tide is turning. Weight Watchers, for example, has refocused away from fat and toward sugar, and eliminating or diminishing sugar consumption is the highlight of their latest program. And it works.

Hey MissB...........

Didn't NYC ban soda's or something like that, to combat high sugar in drinks for kids.
(or was it a higher tax ..??)

Love,
Liz
 

 

[Elizabeth]

The sugar industry is very powerful.  Another reason. 

That's a good point, especially with regard to legislation banning sugary drinks.

But the Sugar Industry (Big Sugar?) doesn't force people -- children or adults -- from buying and consuming these drinks.

I think the tide is turning. Weight Watchers, for example, has refocused away from fat and toward sugar, and eliminating or diminishing sugar consumption is the highlight of their latest program. And it works.

Hey MissB...........

Didn't NYC ban soda's or something like that, to combat high sugar in drinks for kids.
(or was it a higher tax ..??)

Love,
Liz
 

 

Maybe so, but I thought NYC actually got away with it.
They either raised the price of the drinks or add some kind of restriction / tax to it.
That's why I'm asking, I don't live in NYC, but I remember hearing about what NYC wanted to do.

Love,
Liz

[RopeFiend]

By the way, kindly note that SERVING SIZE is ONE PASTRY.  Who eats ONE??





2 blueberry Pop Tarts have 11 cubes of sugars...

Reading the ingredients, in the LESS THAN 2% OF THE FOLLOWING, 'blueberries' is lower on the content list than SALT is.  In reality, it oughta be called a SALT FLAVORED POP TART. 

Since there's only 1 gram of dietary fiber per Pop Tart, there's no nutritional reason whatsoever to be feeding these to children.  It's all sugar, fat, and artificial chemicals.

[GEMINIGUY]

Anyone want to toss up a recipe for homemade, all-natural Pop Tarts? :^)

[MissBarbara]

The sugar industry is very powerful.  Another reason. 

That's a good point, especially with regard to legislation banning sugary drinks.

But the Sugar Industry (Big Sugar?) doesn't force people -- children or adults -- from buying and consuming these drinks.

I think the tide is turning. Weight Watchers, for example, has refocused away from fat and toward sugar, and eliminating or diminishing sugar consumption is the highlight of their latest program. And it works.

Hey MissB...........

Didn't NYC ban soda's or something like that, to combat high sugar in drinks for kids.
(or was it a higher tax ..??)

Love,
Liz
 

 

Maybe so, but I thought NYC actually got away with it.
They either raised the price of the drinks or add some kind of restriction / tax to it.
That's why I'm asking, I don't live in NYC, but I remember hearing about what NYC wanted to do.

Love,
Liz

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