I became a grown-up last year. I know that’s when I became a grown-up, because it’s when I started listening to NPR, which is the true mark of an adult. (For non-Americans, NPR is National Public Radio…the station where they play news and talk a lot rather than playing music).
Yesterday NPR had an amusing story about how Mayor Bloomberg of NYC wants to put a limit on the size of soda cups in restaurants. Basically, he wants for the largest size to be 16 ounces. (Again, for non-Americans, that converts to…I have no idea, but it’s larger than a standard soda can). Bloomberg’s concern is for the obesity epidemic. He reasons that if portion sizes are limited, people will be less likely to indulge in copious amounts of soda.
What was ridiculous about the story were some of the responses of people they interviewed for the show. Yes, restaurant owners were validly concerned about how this would affect their profits. And some people argued that the government should allow the people to make their own portion-size choices. And then some super funny things were said:
a) A soft-drink company argued that because soft-drinks account for only 7% of calories consumed in the U.S., they were not to blame for the obesity epidemic. Seven percent? Seven percent? Are you kidding me? Americans, I think you should know: Soda is not good for your body!
b) Some guy from the Bronx argued that this was a really bad idea because of the way it hurts the economically disadvantaged. He argued that sugary drinks are less expensive than other drinks, so if they put limits on the size of sugary drinks, then what will poor people drink? Oh no! The poor economically disadvantaged people who will be forced to drink FREE tap water. What will they do?
One way to make water-consumption more delicious is to drink water out of a martini glass. Everything tastes better out of a martini glass!
Okay, this is supposed to be a running blog. I really don’t want to write too much about eating or dieting. But what we eat affects how we run, so I want to occasionally have conversations about food and diet. And here are my brilliant dieting tips for today:
a) Soda should account for approximately 0% of your calories in a healthy diet.
b) Water is brilliant, calorie-free way to hydrate.
So, there you have it, fabulous dieting tips from a fabulous runner-girl. I’m here to help.
Are you a grown-up? Do you listen to NPR? Are more than 7% of your daily calories in the form of sugary drinks?
Your comment about poor people comes off as elitist to me. Not everyone lives a healthy runner lifestyle like we do. The tone rubbed me the wrong way.
I’m sorry if I offended you. I know I always run that risk in writing because I am very sarcastic and things can get taken the wrong way…plus when I blog I’m writing to people who don’t actually know me or my lifestyle…like the fact that I don’t have a super healthy diet. As I type this I’m eating chocolate frozen yogurt for breakfast…with a side of salted peanuts. I wasn’t in anyway trying to imply that I have a super healthy diet and anyone who doesn’t is bad, bad, bad. I actually just thought the argument was funny. For most food items the argument would be perfectly valid. In the US many bad-for-you food items do cost significantly less than their healthy counterparts. In the case of soda the argument simply doesn’t hold since it’s relatively easy to get free water here. I know it was just one guy saying his not-so-well thought out argument, but it was just funny to me that he was very confident that those with less money would not have anything to drink. (He actually asked, “What will they drink???”). I’m not sure if that helps or not. I definitely DON’T think it’s funny that processed foods are usually less expensive than healthy foods. I also hope it doesn’t sound that I don’t care about the economically disadvantaged. I truly do. I grew up in the inner city and am passionate about caring for the poor. I can definitely see that if you don’t know me and my history and actions you might read this and think I’m heartless. I admittedly am NOT passionate at making sure that economically disadvantaged people get plenty of soda. I DO care that they get food, clean water, necessary healthcare, malaria protection etc. I actually think that’s part of why the guy’s comment was so strange to me…so many people don’t have access to healthy water, so to complain about reduced access to soda in a country where there is easy access to healthy water was pretty odd.
I started to write a long reply then deleted. Basically I really appreciate your reply. We pretty much have the same point of you, I just got a little defensive after reading so many healthy living blogs that have that superior vibe feel, know what I mean? I definitely love sarcasm too so I should have caught that. You’re awesome!
Free refills takes care of that 16oz limit issue. Also, did you know kids are not supposed to have more than 4-8 oz of juice and/or sugary beverages a day now according to recommendations from the AAP? Dang, I drank way more than that when I was young. I think any attempts being made are better than no attempts now.
(In NYC the plan is that people would have to PAY for refills). What’s funny about the proposed law is that beverages would be exempt if they contain 75% or more juice…which is hilarious since juice often has more calories than soda!
I don’t drink soda.. any more. 7% of my calories do not come from sugary drinks only because I am really trying to limit how much sugar I have. And I don’t listen to NPR. I am still not a grown up!!
I really like root beer, but I know it’s not so good for me, so I try to avoid it. Every once in awhile I indulge, and when I do I’m just in awe of how delicious it is!
It’s probably good to avoid NPR. It’s kind of a dorky think to enjoy, but I really like listening to it!
My coworker listens to NPR and shares stories with me that interest her. I don’t think I could listen to talk radio while working.
i so rarely have soda. when i became unemployed i stopped buying it, but also…it created issues with my digestion. So happy to dump it. I do have soda water sometimes though…add some Mr T’s marg mix….MMMM, happy! Keep up the sarcasm. love it.