Looking at a photo of yellow,
fatty deposits inside of your body, surrounding your organs, might give you a
weak stomach. What doesn’t give you a
weak stomach is constantly consuming sweet drinks like Hawaiian Punch, Pepsi,
Kool-Aid and other sugary drinks that you THINK are refreshing – but are
actually weighing you down and slowly killing you.
Some adults are more health
conscious than others and they can try
to encourage their children to practice healthy habits…The key word here – TRY!
The Health Department is sticking their 2 cents in, yet again, by “grossing our
children out” with a photo of what their insides will look like if they consume
sugary drinks on a daily basis. I contend that these advertisements, showing blubbery
growths around internal organs, won’t do anything in the long run. The Health
Department already launched several campaigns within the past year that attempt
to “gross people out” by convincing them water is the way to go!
Water? Water is bland…boring…and
at its foundation, tasteless and not very exciting. Do you think your kids
REALLY care that their daily dose of fruit punch could be, years from now,
contributing to diabetes, heart disease and even a fatty liver.
It is a parents’ responsibility to make sure their kids consume
healthy drinks – and I agree – getting them used to a “healthy lifestyle” can
lead to better decisions…but with whom are these kids spending most of their
time? Let’s get real – they’re spending out of school time with OTHER kids who
also practice unhealthy habits!
From what I’ve seen, kids are
gathering in groups outside of schools consuming soda and other cheap, artificially
flavored drinks from the nearest bodega. They’re also digging their fingers
into bags of chips and cookies. Others are walking around eating slices of
pizza and some love to share a large order of French fries from the nearest
Chinese takeout place. If we’re worried about their liquid diets, we should
also worry about the snacks they’re buying that contributes to the
deterioration of their health.
According to the Health
Department’s data, 40 percent of public high school students reported consuming
an average of one or more sugary drinks per day. If the Department of Education
has already placed posters or other advertisements in schools promoting healthy
consumption – and it’s not working –
what makes other agencies think they’re going to be able to make a difference?
“Sugary drinks contain empty
calories that can cause damage to your child’s body, even if your child is a
healthy weight,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett in a press
release. “Too much sugar can increase the amount of visceral fat, an
organ-hugging fat that can lead to a variety of health problems. Choose water
or fruit as a healthy alternative to sugary drinks.”
Fruit? If you see a herd of
students chomping on apples at the corner – let me know!
Other campaigns sponsored by
the Health Department since 2009 included initiatives like “Pouring on the
Pounds,” “Sounds Healthy,” and “Drink Yourself Sick.” If any of these refreshing
initiatives actually worked, former mayor Michael Bloomberg wouldn’t have tried
to bully New Yorkers to practice healthy consumption by banning big sodas.
Obesity will continue to be
an epidemic for adults AND children, who consciously decide to pick up the
cheapest and most thirst-quenching drinks with the highest sugar content. Bring
it on Health Department – show us all of those photos depicting grotesque,
heavy and sloppy yellow fat growing hugging our heart…it will keep beating
another day so we can consume another
dose of deadly ingredients! Drink up!
Unpublished as of June 17, 2015
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