Sugar Sweetened Soda

Recently, people have become worried about the health issues associated with consuming sugary drinks, especially soda. The rate of people being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease has been going up primarily because of beverages with added sugar (Cited in Crawford, 2016). Several studies have found that soda is linked to over 180,000 deaths per year (Cited in Crawford, 2016). An article by the Huffington Post (2011) said that an average American drinks about 44.7 gallons of carbonated beverages a year, which adds up to over 350 pounds of soda. Comparatively, in 2005 an average American drank only 0.5 gallons, making soft drinks the most consumed beverage in America (n/a, 2011). The way the government is trying to fix

Most people think that obesity is a choice well, the New York City Health Department doesn’t think so. As of Thursday, the New York Health Department became the first in the nation to ban the sale of sugared beverages larger than 16oz. at restaurants, mobile food carts, sports arenas and movie theaters (Park). The New York Health Department feels that they need to start to make a change against how people have their diets so people aren’t as lazy and have more motivation. This is important, because if people have more motivation to do certain activities such as cleaning, playing with their children, going out of the house, as long with much more that they cannot do as an obese person. As people can see, most people who are active and eat healthy have a good life style and tend to live longer as well. This ban against sugared beverages would prevent retailers who sell prepared food from also dispensing sugared beverages.

"WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco” (Tama, M., 2015). Will this warning detour the American public from drinking sugary beverages? In 2011-2013, the Center for Disease Control reported that two states Colorado and Hawaii had less than 20% obesity. The Midwest led the country with a 28.7% obesity rate. When surveyed again in 2013, the South now leads the countries obesity epidemic with 30.2 % and the Midwest comes in a close second with 30.1%. There are no longer any states that fall beneath the 20% threshold (Obesity Prevalence Maps, 2013). With obesity rates rising, researchers are focusing on what leads to these statistics so that it can be reversed. These startling statistics requires action to be taken to reverse this growing epidemic. Obesity, Tooth decay, and Type 2 Diabetes have been linked to negative side effects of sugary beverages. As a leader in healthcare, Mayo Clinic should remove sugary drinks and foods from their hospitals, clinics, and health systems to model healthy living.

Food consumption is one of our nation’s biggest problems especially among our children. In the 1950s we began those golden years on the rise and once the 1970s came around we became a country that Mcdonalized things. “Food manufacturers began producing larger portion sizes in the 1970s and continued to do so at an increasing rate through the 1980s and 1990s, leading children and adults to eat more and take in more calories during meals and snacks” (CDC, 2005a; Young & Nestle, 2002). As a result, our kids begin to consume a lot of these foods and drinks that lack nutritional value and that increases their chance in health problems. Through investigations, it has been found that children are the biggest market for carbonated drinks with boys drinking 20% more than girls (Green, Hargrove, and Riley 2). This issue starts our nation on a path that many of us do not want to go down, many of these children who over consume will face the threat of obesity at a greater chance in older age compared to peers with balanced diets. As we process this through our minds, it cannot be overlooked that we as a nation face many challenges. Finding solutions is something that should be a number one priority among parents.

Nickelson discusses how discouraging sugar-sweetened drinks consumption can make an impact on childhood obesity. This heavily effects preschool age children and the proportion of children consuming sugar-sweetened beverages increases over time. Soda being the most studied is associated with taste preference, habit intentions, television viewing, soda availability at home and school and parental willingness to purchases sodas for children. Other influencers such as child care could reflect on the child’s intake of the sugary drinks. This article also held a study where they figured out that preschool aged children intake more sugary beverages than between the ages of 1 and 2. It’s thought that school settings would be best to intervene to prevent

Those figures include teens who consumed little or no soda pop. For the average 13- to 18-year-old boy or girl drinker, soft drinks provide about 9% of calories. Boys and girls in the 75th percentile of consumption obtained 12% of their calories from soft drinks, and those in the 90th percentile about 18% of their calories." (USDA) As much as this world revolves around weight and looks, it seems that by giving up a soda or two per day would be a very smart start towards that "diet" that many of us are looking for. By giving up this one beverage, and not replacing it with something as sugary, it would be a big step in the right direction for people who are not happy with the way that they look. Many nutritionists state that soft drinks and other calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods can fit into a good diet. In theory, they are correct, but, regrettably, they ignore the fact that most Americans consume great quantities of soft drinks and meager quantities of healthful foods. One

Childhood obesity has been increasingly on the rise in the United States. There are many short-term and long-term consequences of obesity, such as increased risk of diabetes type 2, hypertension and hyperlipidemia leading to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancers, and osteoarthritis. There are many contributing factors leading to the increased prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents such as poor nutrition, the increased accessibility of fast-foods and junk foods in vending machines, decreased physical activity, increased use of technology and hours spent in front of the television, and the increased consumption of soda beverages. Although all of these are contributing factors leading to obesity in children and adolescents, it has become apparent that as the consumption of sugar-sweetened have increased, the average number of overweight and obese children have been negatively impacted nationwide. It has been found that soda beverage consumption is a leading cause of childhood obesity epidemic. It is important as clinicians to identify

If you are American, you ate too much sugar today, twice the daily limit, about 60 to 90 grams of added sugars. Americans consume two to three times the daily limit of added sugars, a silent, yet serious issue. Many people are confused about what added sugars are, which are unnatural sweeteners with extra calories that are added into foods and beverages, through cooking, processing, or on the table (Today’s Dietitian Magazine). From October 2011 to December 2012, ChooseHealthLA ran a marketing campaign to combat excess consumption of sugar sweetened beverages in America with more effectiveness compared to other similar campaigns, “resulting in more than 515 million impressions” throughout “mass media, billboards, buses, and railways” (Barragan).

One of the main causes of child obesity is eating and drinking awfully. At schools this issue can be addressed by offering healthy drinks such as water, white milk, and natural fruit juice. At first, kids may not enjoy them as much, but in the future they will thank us. Nowadays, so many people eat and drink terribly and it's time that somebody helps with it. By providing healthful drinks at schools they can improve a child's health, improve children’s grades, and it would improve the school's attitude.

While obesity is something that can generally be seen in physical appearance, things like brittle teeth and diabetes aren’t as easily seen, along with many other health complications. According to Kanigel, soda contains acid that causes teeth to decay. She says the acid is more damaging than “solid sugar…in candy” (P?). The acid in soda eats away at the protective outer layer of teeth, causing them to deteriorate. I can attest to this because it has happened to me, and I am still recovering from the effects. As a child, my parents did not monitor my soda intake. I did not know any better, so soda was all I drank. That eventually led to many cavities which would later lead to decaying spots on my teeth. I now have permanently sensitive teeth. It wasn’t long after the spots started showing up that I learned a hard lesson; soda was not for me. I was reluctant to drinking water due to the lack of flavor, but it is now my favorite drink. Making that choice to put down soda and pick up water was the best decision I ever made. Another negative effect of drinking soda is diabetes. The excess sugar consumed causes the bodies insulin to increase. The amount of people suffering type two diabetes has significantly increased since 1980. In the 80’s only “6.6 million” people suffered, but that number has now grown to “20.8 million” people (Kanigel P). In addition to that, women taking in “one or more sugary

It is proven by many studies that products within a can of cola are related to types of diabetes, related to cancer, altering one’s appearance by skin and teeth, assisting obesity, and shows some form of a asthma and heart disease. “Soda is an addiction — similar to tobacco, alcohol, or drugs, it feels good when you consume it, but it can wreak havoc on your body long-term. As more and more research investigates the ill effects of soda on the human body (and the environment), it may be time for you to give it up, or at least reduce the amount you intake on a daily or weekly basis. The evidence speaks for itself: Your health will drastically improve once you begin replacing your daily Coke or Mountain Dew with water. Pretty much every organ will benefit from quitting soda” (Bushak). The need to be healthy, and treasure our bodies should be a number one priority in every one’s life. One way to do that is to drink healthy. Water, tea, and 100% fruit juice are all drinks that can easily help substitute the harmful products in soda cans. Losing weight, keeping clear skin and nice shiny teeth, and preventing health issues will never prove to be any simpler than

Childhood obesity is a worldwide problem in today’s day and age. It is common for children to not eat or drink healthy, resulting in health epidemics everywhere. Poor consumption of fruits and vegetables, as well as a high consumption of sugary drinks can be directly linked to childhood overweight and obese. In certain studies within the United States, data showed a reduction of sugary drinks and increase of water intake was correlated to a reduction in obesity as well. A study in Australia looked at how easily children could be encouraged to change their eating and drinking habits to healthier choices.

In the article Water dispensers in schools: do they lower obesity in students? By Marie Ellis, talks about how installing water jets can reduce obesity in children and adolescents, for example, drinking water that has no calories instead of milk that contains calories is one way to prevent children from obesity and other diseases like prediabetes, joint problems, sleep apnea and social and psychological problems. Lead Study author Brian Elbel, Ph.D., of the New York University School of Medicine, and colleagues note that water is not only essential for human function, but also very important to prevent dehydration and that is also critical to a nutritious diet. Researchers introduce

To begin, many of us Americans are ones who indulge in fast foods restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s. If you ever ordered anything from these places most likely you are going to want something to wash down the food and it is going to be a soda. Drinking soda or any form of liquid does nothing to cease your hunger only food works. Americans consume about 200 calories a day from sugary drinks. People need to watch what they eat because drinking soda doesn’t do anything for you. However, drinking water is healthier because your body is composed of 60% of water and we need it to function and survive. Water does not even have calories or salt, so your child’s thirst will be satisfied. Water has the ability to flush your body of all the toxic stuff and put water and physical activities together and

As a student at Ridgeview Middle School, I feel we should have nutritious drinks and only nutritious drinks. By nutritious I am talking about the following, white milk, water, fruit juices, and vitamin water. My purpose to be for such a superior policy are, childhood obesity, too much caffeine and carbonated drinks will cause sleeping insomnia and further health complications, and lastly, is because we are adolescents, our bodies are still developing. However, we need healthier drinks so we sprout up like a tree. Why would we have sugary drinks, when we can have healthy drinks that taste just as amazing?