To get all the nutrients needed for the body, we must eat a balanced diet while at the same time, avoid some food products that may be harmful to our bodies (Ivey, 2016). One of such harmful food products is added sugar. We can reduce sugar consumption if people are well educated and can make informed decisions.
Claim
The government should impose high taxes or ban on sugar to ensure that people lead healthy lives (keener & Robert, 2014).
Ground
According to a Havard professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Frank Hu, sugary beverages increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease heart disease, and tooth decay.
High sugar consumption poses many health risks and ailments in our bodies. One of the known risks is obesity and weight gain (Thomas, 2019). These two conditions exposes one to the risk of getting Diabetes type 2.
High consumption of sugar has also been attributed to ageing fast. This is because the excess sugar attaches itself to proteins which later form molecules responsible for the sagging and the wrinkles on the skin.
Additionally, high consumption of sugar causes tooth decay which may later result in loss of teeth.
Furthermore, sugar causes mood swings and cravings. When sugar gets into the brain through the bloodstream, it causes a release of a feel-good chemical known as Dopamine in large quantities. This chemical affects the moods of an individual’s whenever there is a shortage or excess of sugar in the blood.
Backing
In 2015, The British Medical Association called on Mr Cameron government to put a 20 per cent tax on sugar. They said that such taxation had the potential to improve the health of the people (www.hsph.harvard.edu). In November 2015, The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) added their backing in the tax debate on sugar to all world leaders.
Mexico has registered a reduction on sale of sugary drinks by 6 per cent after a 10 per cent tax was introduced in January 2014.
The sugar ban should apply to all drinks with more than sixteen ounces, including milk-based, fruit and alcoholic drinks. Additionally, the ban should apply to all outlets, including restaurants, convenience stores and other selling points (https://london.ac.uk/health ).
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Rebuttal
Although sugar has some effects on our health, it is hard to point out a sugar-dose relationship between sugar and obesity. This is because this relationship differs among different people (Francis, N et al.,2017). Additionally, the imposition of high taxes on sugar could lead low-income families to turn to other options which could be expensive, unhealthy or sometimes inconvenient.
It is also good to know that as much as sugar ban might be effective for some time, a more permanent and reliable mode should be adopted as the government works towards the reduction of sugar intake in our drinks. This is by educational campaigns that would educate and encourage people to make informed choices regarding sugar consumption
Another strategy that could be adopted would be to a crackdown on advertising on sugar and other sugary products and promotional deals of sweet drinks and food.
According to Dr, Laura Cornelsen, a professor at London school in public health economics, it is hard to change behaviour, especially if people say they like a product which they have used for a long time. She says that in such a situation, a change of price may not affect the consumption of a product by a high rate.
Qualifier
It might be presumed that a ban on sugar will automatically help people live healthy lives. This is not completely true because high sugar consumption is not the only contributor to unhealthy food in our diets. Intake of salt, saturated fats and high-calorie dairy products have also greatly affected peoples’ health (Voon, 2014). Ban on sugar only might, therefore, send a wrong message to the public that sugar was the only unhealthy product. Additionally, the government should work on measures like subsidizing on healthy foods, so that to make them attractive to the people. Regular exercise is also another good habit that should be encouraged.
Works Cited
Ivey, Joyce A. Divorcing Unhealthy Foods The “Appeasal”. Page Publishing, 2016.
Kiener, Robert, and CQ Press. Food Policy Debates: Should the Government Regulate Unhealthy Food? 2014.
Thomas, Michael. Unhealthy Food: The Ugly Truth About Eating Habits. Lulu P, 2019.
Voon, Tania, et al. Regulating Tobacco, Alcohol and Unhealthy Foods: The Legal Issues. Routledge, 2014.