Everything is bigger in America. Bigger cars, bigger TVs, bigger houses, but bigger people?
Thirty-five percent of Americans are considered obese and that number is expected to increase to 44 percent by 2030, according to The Huffington Post. It doesn’t take a scientist to connect the dots and figure out that something has to be done, and it needs to start with proper nutrition.
But when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced and passed his soda ban, most people opposed it. In fact, six out of ten New Yorkers oppose the ban, according to The New York Times.
Are they just in denial?
The biggest argument against the ban is that it contradicts the freedom of Americans. Opponents of the ban argue that we, consumers, are able to make our own decisions regarding personal health and safety — not the government. But with one out of three Americans being obese, perhaps we need a little nudge in the right direction.
We wouldn’t add nine packets of sugar to our iced tea, or morning coffee, would we? But yet, we will drink one, two, or even three 12-ounce cans of coke in a day, each can containing 39 grams of sugar.
Or, take for example, a venti Starbucks passion tea, a campus favorite. When sweetened, this drink contains 31 grams of sugar, the equivalent of almost eight packets of sugar.
Starbucks drinks are not included under the New York soda ban, neither is fruit juice, diet soda, alcohol or drinks from convenient stores such as 7-Eleven, wrote Casey Neistat. The ban only restricts consumers from buying — and stores from selling — sodas in containers 16 ounces and greater.
And as long as free refills exist, the ban is not going to be very impactful.
But who drinks 16 or more ounces of soda a day anyway? It might be important to ask what compels people to drink so much soda. We know it’s not healthy and we know it contains a ton of sugar, so why drink it?
Perhaps it’s because soda is cheap. But last time I checked, water is free, and it’s things like soda, sugary tea and Frappuccino’s that cost real money. It is blatantly obvious that many Americans cannot make well-informed decisions regarding personal health.
This brings me to another point. What if we initiated a “fat tax” like some European countries have? Why don’t we tax things like soda, chips, candy and ice cream and lower the cost of fruit, vegetables, granola and yogurt?
What would happen if we made being unhealthy expensive, and being healthy cheaper? A fat tax would add 20 percent to grocery store items high in sugar and refined starches and could drop obesity rates 3.5 percent each year, according to ABC News. Processed foods are easy and quick, but so are fruits and vegetables. The trick is to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season — and they don’t have to be organic.
But judging by American reactions to Bloomberg’s soda ban, a fat tax wouldn’t go over very well. It is a small but significant start, even though it’s clear that the ban won’t cover enough and won’t be strongly enforced.
Addicts will always find the loopholes in order to get what they want.
America, put down the Big Gulp, I think it’s time for an intervention.
Contact the Columnist at OBrunaci@asu.edu or follow her at @obrunacini
