Taxing Full sugared Cola

[JJVilla]

Gross, hell no. Diet sodas and artificial sweeteners in general are nasty. I can do the real sugar and I'm nowhere near fat. It's call moderation and getting off of your ass on a regular basis. This would be as idiotic as the gulf oyster ban. How about people take responsibility for themselves and their kids?

Potatoes, namely french fries, are far more responsible for the fatness of America than soft drinks.

It's funny you say this since we talked about this at our compnay lunch & learn yesterday (the speaker was a nutrionist) but to keep it simple her main point was that the less something is processed the better it's for you (buy more at the perimeters of the grocery store where the natural, raw food is found) and read the labels carefully. Labels can be sneaky since they are resorting to splitting up the salts and sugars so they hope you think it's healthy since "sugar" and "salt" are not listed.

So going back to your point - moderation and education are the key and the potatoe itself is great but NOT good when fried in low quality oil and salt. Unless you are diabetic I would also stay away from diet, light or other products with artificial sweetners since the jury is still out on how bad they are. This is like the butter-margine battle where hydrogenated fat/trans fat was prematureley being promoted as better than butter (till 1990s). Some of the sweetners were derived by accident and one was suppose to be weed killer!

[LTAWACS]

I say they pass it. Make them pay.

[LTAWACS]

It's funny you say this since we talked about this at our compnay lunch & learn yesterday (the speaker was a nutrionist) but to keep it simple her main point was that the less something is processed the better it's for you (buy more at the perimeters of the grocery store where the natural, raw food is found) and read the labels carefully. Labels can be sneaky since they are resorting to splitting up the salts and sugars so they hope you think it's healthy since "sugar" and "salt" are not listed.

So going back to your point - moderation and education are the key and the potatoe itself is great but NOT good when fried in low quality oil and salt. Unless you are diabetic I would also stay away from diet, light or other products with artificial sweetners since the jury is still out on how bad they are. This is like the butter-margine battle where hydrogenated fat/trans fat was prematureley being promoted as better than butter (till 1990s). Some of the sweetners were derived by accident and one was suppose to be weed killer!

I'm an avid advocate of the caveman diet.

[trymahjong]

KHOU did a piece at 10pm  on a San Antonio lawmaker putting forth a one cent per ounce tax on full sugared sodas.

 

This link tells about the legislation http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/01/31/54438.htm

[samagon]

KHOU did a piece at 10pm  on a San Antonio lawmaker putting forth a one cent per ounce tax on full sugared sodas.

 

This link tells about the legislation http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/01/31/54438.htm

 

this bill is better than what they did in NYC, it doesn't ignore coffee based sugar sponges (starbucks) and it doesn't ignore two 12 oz sodas because at least they're not one 16oz soda.

 

still terrible.

[Slick Vik]

I think the public just needs to be educated on what's healthy: fresh foods, particularly unprocessed. I went to seabrook a few times with my dad in the last year and got a fresh fish from one of the fresh markets. It tasted so different. Same with the fresh pasta from Fabio's, fresh cheese from houston dairy maids, etc.It's so simple but advertising goes towards fast foods and sodas and such.

That being said it takes hard work to stay in. Before I started boxing I was 179.5 pounds. Now I rarely stray over 160 but if I stopped going to the gym I would probably balloon back up.

[samagon]

I think the public just needs to be educated on what's healthy: fresh foods, particularly unprocessed. I went to seabrook a few times with my dad in the last year and got a fresh fish from one of the fresh markets. It tasted so different. Same with the fresh pasta from Fabio's, fresh cheese from houston dairy maids, etc.It's so simple but advertising goes towards fast foods and sodas and such.

That being said it takes hard work to stay in. Before I started boxing I was 179.5 pounds. Now I rarely stray over 160 but if I stopped going to the gym I would probably balloon back up.

 

I recall in public school there was quite a concerted effort to teach healthy food. It worked on me, cause I still remember it.

 

Personally, I think the government should go a step farther, do PSA a-la the old 'this is your brain on drugs' thingy, but for apples, or peaches, or just healthy food.

 

Make fast food companies and junk food companies pay for them.

[RedScare]

For all of those who believe just a little education will solve all of our health problems, I have a little story for you...

 

In April, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Needless to say, I considered it quite a wake up call. I have now quit smoking (6 months), no longer drink cokes or use flavored coffee creamer, no longer eat sweets, potato chips or french fries, or bread, and test my blood sugar in order to monitor what foods cause sugar spikes and which foods are OK. This change of diet had amazing results. My blood sugar dropped into "normal" range, my cholesterol dropped from 322 to 171, and my blood pressure is now normal. My doctors were stunned at how quickly my numbers got back to normal, and told me to continue my diet and exercise. I asked them why they were so surprised that I changed my diet and lifestyle. The reason? Because almost no one does. 90% of the patients continue the same bad diet and sedentary lifestyle that gave them diabetes in the first place.

 

Now, don't get me wrong. I believe that we should educate the public. But, don't get your hopes up. There are several reasons. One is that people are lazy, ignorant, or both. Even though you tell them, they do not listen. I smoked for 30 years despite knowing the risks (although I did not understand the cardiovascular risk). Two, the food lobby is strong...very strong. Back in the 1970s, the grain farmers lobbied to get the food pyramid to include grains (Bread, pasta, etc.), even though there was already evidence that too much bread was not good for us. The result? Record levels of obesity. The Cola Wars helped increase waistlines and diabetes, too. Even good processed food is full of bad ingredients.

 

While I am not a fan of taxing to alter behavior, we have already set precedent with tobacco taxes. I see no reason not to tax colas a penny an ounce, with the proceeds going to health education and programs. In fact, fruit juice and coffee creamers that load up on HFCS should be included. Perhaps candy and potato chips could be included. The money could help fund Obamacare. However, the tax food industry should be disincentivized from making crappy food, too.

[Slick Vik]

Interesting that bread is unhealthy

[crunchtastic]

We all need to take better control of our diets, because inattention means you'll pump yourself full of crap.

But, I think more blame needs to be put at the feet of the healthcare 'industry.' People don't change their behaviors, in part,  because in our culture medicine is geared toward curing a disease, not preventing it. More pills, more invasive treatments. And after bankrupting ourselves to pay for all our cures, we often insist on 'fighting' death until the last, painful, pointless, unaffordable moment.  Call me simplistic, but modern western medicine is lacking in some key areas.

[musicman]

as long as our school districts receive money for having soda machines the cycle will continue. supposedly hisd has gotten out of the business but their meals that they are serving for breakfast and lunch to get the federal funding definitely head in the wrong direction. but at least the parents don't have to do anything

[Subdude]

I'm not sure it's particularly effective to focus just on sodas.  The problem more broadly is the amount of sugar or sugar substitutes (esp. HFCS) that is added to all sorts of food.  Bread, ketchup, salad dressing, any number of products have unnecessary added sugars.  Rather than micro-managing sodas, I would put an overall tax on sugar products at a wholesale level.  Once products with added sugar begin to jump up in price people will automatically adjust down the amount they consume and food manufacturers will begin to add sweeteners more sparingly. 

[RedScare]

My research into blood sugar levels has shown that it is not simply sugars that cause problems. It is carbohydrates, of which sugars are certainly one form. Potatoes in all forms, bread in all forms, pastas, all of these can cause blood sugar spikes. From a weight gain perspective, unused carbs are stored for later use, causing weight gain. Sugars are added to all sorts of processed foods, as you noted, in order to make the food attractive to the consumer. Tests show that there is a "sweet spot" that makes the food more attractive to eat. Companies shamelessly add sugar to achieve that sweet spot, without regard to its unhealthiness. Even healty foods like yogurt are loaded with sugar, ruining the food's healthiness.

 

Here is your healthy eating tip for the day. Fat DOES NOT cause fatness. It is good for you. Stop sugar and carbs. Eat more fat. Low fat foods are chemically disgusting.

[samagon]

yep.

 

and don't forget exercise is an important part of diet as well, and how sedentary, or active you are should dictate what you do/can eat.

 

I used to be a mechanic, and still hang out with mechanics from time to time. I've never met a fat one, no matter how much they eat. But that's more to do with how active they are, 8+ hours a day on their feet, wrenching on cars, lifting heavy things. It's a good job to have for staying fit and not having a gym membership.

 

sitting at a desk 8 hours a day, then going home and sitting in front of the tv for another 8 hours, before rounding it all out with 8 hours of sleep is probably a bad thing. I personally try to devote at least a full hour each day to some form of physical activity, and I still feel like that's probably not enough.

[trymahjong]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/09/upshot/novel-strategy-puts-big-soda-tax-within-philadelphias-reach.html?_r=0

 

gee maybe taxing sodas can be accomplished?