My Take: Applause for Mayor Bloomberg’s Plan to Ban Large Soft Drinks

Jumbo sodaAs you’ve probably heard by now, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been both condemned and praised for his plan to those huge soft drinks.

Here’s a quick summation of my thoughts, which appeared recently on LBN Alert’s June 13th edition.

What do you think of New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to make it illegal to serve sugary drinks bigger than 16oz?

I heartily applaud New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to ban jumbo-sized sugary drinks (more than 16 ounces) in fast-food joints, restaurants, etc. He’s not being a nagging nanny, as the soft drink industry wants you to believe. Instead, Mayor Bloomberg is acting like a concerned parent, who dishes up tough love when necessary. But, more important, Bloomberg has quickly and cleverly woken up millions of people worldwide to the far-reaching dangers of sugars and other sweeteners–an urgent cause some of us have been trying to do for years. When you repeatedly guzzle soft drinks and overdose on both sugary “treats” and refined carbohydrates–as most people are doing–you could be killing yourself. People need to be shocked, scared, shaken up or even angered out of a potentially deadly sugar stupor. Cutting out (or even reducing your consumption of) soda is one of the fastest, easiest ways to peel off the pounds. Not only that, but releasing your sugar addiction–which can be easy and fun–could help reverse or slow down the progression of type 2 diabetes, cancer, or heart disease. – Connie Bennett, former sugar-addicted journalist and author of the new book, Beyond Sugar Shock, (www.BeyondSugarShock.com), and Sugar Shock.

What do you think of Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to ban large soft drinks?