Can Fat Taxes Keep Us Healthy?
Governments around the world are implementing or considering fat taxes.Denmark and Hungary have already passed legislation to put levies on products considered to be unhealthy (i.e. foods containing high amounts of sugar, salt, and fat). This money is then funneled into health care.Canada is interested. New York State has tried to tax junk foods particularly soft drinks.7 Reasons Governments Want Us to Decrease Soft Drink Intake:Americans drink such LARGE quantities of soft drinks that they represent a significant percentage of our daily calorie intake. (The average is three quarts per week.) This part of our diet therefore contains no needed nutrients (such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, or essential fatty acids). Pop is just water, chemical flavors, additives, and usually, sugar. The sugar makes you fat and contributes to diabetes and other degenerative diseases. Even diet colas have been shown in studies to cause weight gain. You would think that taking in all these liquids would reduce your consumption of other junk foods but studies have shown that they actually INCREASE it. Cola intake has also been associated with increased risk of bone fracture in children, and bone de-mineralization in adolescent girls. Colas have been shown to reduce calcification and increase osteoporosis in adults. The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research looked at huge amounts of research and advises: limit consumption of energy-dense foods and avoid sugary drinks.
This is not a display but a picture taken in a grocery store at the checkout. It is just a fraction of what was in his cart!
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more on: Conscious Consumer, Diet & Nutrition, Eating for Health, Food & Recipes, General Health, Guidance, Health & Wellness, Self-Help, fat tax, soda, soft drinks, sugar