Land of the free and home of the brave. The United States of America prides itself on it’s reputation of all people being equal. However, it doesn’t pride itself on being in the top 4 of countries that consume the most soft drinks in the world (Insider Monkey). That being said, it’s no wonder that obesity is a huge problem in America. Obesity is not only caused by sugary drinks, including sodas, juices, etc; it is also caused by genetics, environment, and personal choices. Nonetheless, sugary drinks are a major contributor to obesity in America; because of these drinks, children and adults are becoming more and more unhealthy. A ban on the sale of soda in cups or containers larger than 16 oz, will decrease the amount of sugar people are consuming …show more content…
in one serving; which in turn will help decrease obesity rates and make our future healthier. The United States of America is the 9th most obese country in the world with a 33.9% obesity rate.
Obesity has been directly linked to sugary drinks.(Fit Day). As reported by the CDC, “ Sugary drinks have been linked to poor diet quality, weight gain, obesity and, in adults, type II diabetes.” (Consumption of Sugary Drinks in the United States, 2005–2008). The sugar from the drinks aren’t being used as energy, so they are being stored away and becoming fat. This causes weight gain, which can lead to obesity, which in turn can cause Type II Diabetes. It is true that sugary drinks aren’t the only leading cause in obesity and weight gain, however it does play a key role. The CDC stated that the “consumption of sugary drinks in the United States has increased over the last years among both children and adults.” ( Consumption of Sugary Drinks in the United States, 2005–2008 ). When the sugar is broken down in the liver, and it can’t be used, it turns into fat, which tends to stay around the stomach area. With the growth in the consumption of sugary drinks, the kids and adults of this country are going to become obese and end up spending thousands of dollars on medical service. Which would be better? Spending thousands of dollars on medical services or saving up for their kid’s college, or saving up for retirement or your dream …show more content…
car? Lyndon B Johnson said “If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology.
We must also leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it.” Children and adults are becoming more and more obese. As stated earlier, this is directly linked to the sugary drinks. Generally, people think that kids are so energetic that they will burn off all of the calories that they consume, even riding a bike burns up to 172 calories.(Kids and Nutrition) Nonetheless, even with how active kids are, they usually don’t burn off all of the calories. According to UCSF’s (University of California San Francisco) Benioff Children’s Hospital, “Children rarely burn all of those extra calories through exercise and activity. Even if the child only has one soda a day, it leads to 15.6 pounds of weight a year.” This being said, 1 pound is equal to about 3,500 calories. This means that it would take 20 bike rides to work off 1 pound of weight, let alone 300 bike rides to lose 15 pounds of weight. Riding bikes are fun. But 300 bike rides? That’s a lot. Nobody wants their kids to suffer and be miserable. If something is not done, kids will increasingly have to deal with health risks. They will have to spend an enormous amount of money on surgeries and/or insulin. They could be miserable for the rest of their lives. If a limit is not put on drinks larger than 16 ounces, that could
be our future. No one wants that. Defiance is defined as open resistance or bold disobedience. When someone is told to do something, or that they should do it, many people become very defiant, they feel as if someone is telling them they are doing something wrong, or they are disrupting their personal freedom. If this ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces comes through, people are going to become defiant. This ban is telling them they can’t do something whether they want to or not. This is in a way disrupting their personal freedom, however not only is it a healthier alternative, but it is also a healthy compromise. They can still drink as much as they want; they just can’t buy it in a container larger than 16 ounces. For instance, if someone is having a party, and they want to buy 2 liters worth of Dr.Pepper, they can still buy 2 liters worth, they just have to buy it in 16 ounce containers. People can have as much soda as they want, the ban is not saying no more soda at all, it is enforcing no more sales of soda in a cup or container larger than 16 ounces. Obesity rates are rising, type II diabetes rates are rising, the amount of surgeries done because of obesity are rising. This soda ban is not only a good idea, but a healthy choice to decrease the obesity epidemic and to have a healthier future.This can make everyone happy and make our future brighter and healthier.
The article,“ Battle lines drawn over soda tax,” by Associated Press , the Press explains how there is an ongoing “national fight about taxing sugary drinks.” According to Associated Press, “ Health experts say the beverages contribute to health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay.” This quote demonstrates that sugary drinks can lead to health issues. Since sugary drinks leads to health issues, people are considering soda tax. This is because thirteen percent of adult minorities are diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes.
“From 1989 to 2008, calories from sugary beverages increased by 60% in children ages 6
The New York Soda Ban is a step in the wrong direction and efforts should be put towards making life better, rather than focusing on a movement that will have little to no effect. Realize that I am not stating the soda should be drank, because even I know that soda is harmful towards the body and is one of the leading causes of obesity. However, I believe that the soda ban will have little effect and that time and money should be applied somewhere where the act would have an effect of making life better. The reason I do not believe this ban will do as much good as stated, is because the ban is flawed. This brings me to my first point, which is, one cup of boysenberry juice has 256 grams of sugar, equaling to 225 calories. One cup of Cola only
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
“This Article constructively critiques the two arguments that public health advocates have made in support of anti-obesity soda taxes or junk food taxes. Part II discusses and critiques the first argument, an economic externalities argument that government should tax soda or junk food to internalize the disproportionately high health care costs of obesity. Part III discusses and critiques the second argument made by public health advocates, that government should adopt anti-obesity measures to improve population-wide health. Consider possible unintended consequences of anti-obesity proposals. Obesity policy debates present a conflict of fundamental values, such as health, fairness, efficiency, and autonomy. Part TV attempts to reconcile these values and responds to the "personal responsibility" objection to soda taxes and food taxes. Part V considers various factors that would affect behavioral responses to proposed soda taxes and food taxes and addresses concerns that such taxes would be regressive and thus unfair to low-income consumers. Part VI suggests the way forward for public health advocates, including a proposal to enact a tax on nutritionally poor foods and drinks, paired with a salient benefit. This Part also recommends enactment of a federal system of food classification, based on nutrient-profiling methods, along with a federal system of front-of-package nutritional labeling.” (Pratt)
The New York soda ban would not prove to be effective because it is will bring about a rebellious reaction in some people, it does not include supermarkets, vending machine and convenience stores and refills which means people can go around it and educating people should be the first step towards improvement in their lifestyle.
According to The World Health Organization, “Obesity is the imbalance between declining energy expenditure due to physical inactivity and high energy in the diet (excess calories whether from sugar, starches or fat) …. Increasing physical activity, in addition to reducing intakes of food high in fat and foods and drinks high in sugars, can prevent unhealthy weight gain” (Who). The World Health Organization has recognized that soda and other sugary drinks a...
Have you ever thought if there was a way to improve our health. This article “Soda Showdown” by “Rebecca Zissou”, discusses whether we should tax all sugary drinks or whether we should not tax sugary drinks. There is two point of views in this article. One of the point of views say that we should tax sugary drinks, while the other side says we should not tax sugary drinks.
Harold Goldstein and Jennifer Richard, California’s Soda Tax: Helping Cash Strapped Communities Protect Children’s Health, A Publication of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, www.publichealthadvocacy.org. April 2011
It is sad. People from all races and backgrounds are obese. In a recent survey done at Henry Ford College, 43 percent of students were overweight. Whether it is because they do not follow a healthy diet or they inherited it from their parents. Being overweight is correlated with lacking exercise or physical activity and not watching what is on the plate. Obesity can cause many illnesses, including diabetes, which is very common. As the debate whether soda tax should take effect arises, critics say that the tax will help those with obesity-related illnesses. What about exercising and maintaining a healthy lifestyle? These two factors cannot be forgotten knowing they are the most important. Americans have consumed 12 percent of soda and become less active since 1970. A soda tax aims to stop consumers from buying soda to help those who are obese. This will not be effective. Therefore a soda tax will not be good public policy.
...up to 14% among youths. On average, SSB consumption contributes 295 kilocalories per day among those who drink at least 1 SSB per day29 and contributes 33% of the added sugars in our diet” (Kass). While an American Health journalist says, “A 2012 national survey showed that 62% of Americans somewhat or strongly opposed SSB taxes, with 37% of fast food chains strongly opposed… Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers are strongly associated with obesity, which accounted for an estimated $147 billion in national medical spending in 2008, Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are gaining policy attention as a result of reported links between their consumption and weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Evidence also shows an association between decreasing SSB consumption and weight loss among people who attend fast food restaurants” (Jou).
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans over eat because their social problems or because they are hereditary. Many plans have been discussed but finding the solution is the problem. Junk foods and unhealthy beverages have corrupted children’s minds all over the nation and putting a stop on it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised more to help prevent American obesity.
The health of the nation’s youth has been under scrutiny lately due to recent reports that are showing an increase in average body mass index (BMI), poor physical fitness, and elevations in blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids (Eagle, Gurm, Goldberg, DuRussel-Weston, Kline-Rogers, Palma-Davis, Aaronson, Fitzgerald, Mitchell, Rogers, Breunger, Jackson, and Eagle 2010). Eagle et al. (2010) Attribute the decrease in health to “fast food, lack of physical activity due to increased TV and computer screen time, and there is also an expanding appreciation for an inherited basis for childhood obesity” (P.1185). Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) account for on average 159 calories daily and an average of 9 tablespoons of added sugar daily (Briefel, Wilson, Cabili, & Hedley Dodd, 2013). ...
beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Have you ever thought how much soda you consume and how bad it can be for you? Many people will drink soda instead of water, simply because it tastes better. The government should limit the intake of sugary beverages because it can lead to many different problems such as heart disease, obesity, and overall it is an unhealthy life-style. “The average person consumes almost 100lbs of sugar a year, with the single biggest source being soda.” A sugary beverage occasionally would be ok, but drinking it every day would cause problems for you overtime. People drink, more soda than they do water. People should be consuming at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day. Mostly no one will drink that amount of water a day. In today’s society, it can be easy to grab a soda for one dollar and carry on. They may taste better but they are not better for your health. “Sugary drinks include soda, fruit punch, lemonade, and other “aides” sweetened powdered drinks, and sports energy drinks.”