Squeals of delight in Target. While shopping two days ago, that’s what I heard from two teenage girls. Two overweight teenage girls. Was Justin Bieber in the house? No the girls were thrilled that their favorite sugary beverage was on sale!
Disgusted and definitely disappointed, I went back to my shopping. You see, I’m a Registered Dietitian / nutritionist. I spend everyday of my life educating people of the health risks of such choices and what the better and healthier options are. Sometimes I feel like I’m just banging my head against the wall!
Ironically, yesterday’s headlining news was about Mayor Bloomberg and his proposal to ban large sized sugary drinks sold in New York City restaurants, movie theaters and street carts in an effort to combat obesity. This proposal follows other regulations by the Mayor that include a ban on smoking in restaurants and parks, prohibition of the use of trans fats in restaurant food, calorie postings on chain restaurant menus and inspection grades posted in restaurant windows.
Some of his critics are arguing that this regulation is an infringement of their personal freedoms. PERSONAL FREEDOM!!! I don’t know what they are talking about. I don’t consider manipulation by the food and beverage industry to be a personal freedom.
For decades now, these industries have been telling us what we want. They disguise their greed to “fatten” their bottom line by making us think we are getting a better value when all we are really getting is added body fat, diabetes, heart disease, cancers, etc .
I remember when I graduated high school in the early 80’s. A small soda from a fast food restaurant was 8 ounces and a large was 12 ounces. Today the small is 12 ounces – sometimes 16 – and a large is at least 24 ounces – that’s 1-1/2 pounds. Who needs 1-1/2 pounds of any fluid in their body in one sitting. Especially one filled with sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors and preservatives. The only people that would need that much fluid in such a short period of time are athletes or exercising individuals during a training or exercise event. And usually the choice is water or a performance drink. (Mind you that performance drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade, are not intended for casual consumption. They are intended to replace sweat, carb and electrolyte losses during activity.)
I also remember my graduating class of almost 400 students. There were only two overweight girls. One was obese and the other had a disability that prevented her from any activity. 10 years later, while looking at my younger brother‘s yearbook, I was shocked when I noticed that about 25% of his graduating class was overweight/obese.
Think about it…this correlates perfectly with the “growing portion size”, of sugary drinks and snacks. Not to mention the greater variety to choose from. And as we know, today with even more choices, the overweight/obesity trend has grown to an epidemic rate of close to 70% of the American population.
I am not blaming the obesity epidemic solely on sugared drinks. There is so much more to this, although sugared drinks are a significant contributor. But I do think this proposal and some of the others that the Mayor put into effect is a really good start. The typical American Diet has become a diet far removed from what is natural for human beings, due to manipulation by the food industry. Many of us don’t even know what real food is anymore – let alone a healthy diet. Regulations like this will hopefully help to put it all back into perspective.
It has to happen because I believe that if the obesity epidemic continues to grow at its current rate, there will come a day where we will not be able to deal with and afford the rising cost of healthcare. What a disaster that will be!
Mayor Bloomberg has clearly made public health one of his top priorities and I think he should be applauded for it. I hope he continues and that the rest of the country will continue to follow his lead.
On June - 1 - 2012
Whenever I initially left a comment I clicked on the Notify me whenever new comments are added checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four email messages with the exact same comment.
The College of Human Ecology at Cornell University is making a suecscsful contribution to the obesity problem in New York City. After finding out that the Bronx had been rated the unhealthiest of all 62 counties, they set up their intervention in the South Bronx; and then when they found out that Central and East Harlem had a similar proportion of overweight and obese residents, they decided to include Harlem.I call this to your attention because the problem starts with children. They are our business. Whatever we can teach them in the early years will form a foundation for them that will last a lifetime. Believe it or not, the first three years have the biggest effect. Then the years from three to five come next. Lastly, when it comes to food habits, you still have two more years, those from five to seven, to keep it going. Is it possible to change and make amends after those early years? Of course it is. However, as evidenced by those working in these areas in New York City, it is definitely not easy. Helping older children, teens, and adults to make changes is very difficult. With the right intervention and a lot of love and persistence, people can make worthwhile improvements, and they do. However, it is so much better not to have to go through the distress of health problems and all the discomforts that go with them. As parents of young children, you have the golden opportunity to stay on top of this problem, solve it early, and keep it way forever.
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