Killing kids with aspartame seems to be the way to go

[savafan]

Nice. Diet soda is a great healthy substitute.

For those like me who are deathly allergic to nutra sweet, and I know of one other person besides myself, so I'm sure there are others out there, I guess I should just be happy that I'm not in school anymore.

I don't see this as a solution to our nation's obesity "epidemic". The solution is getting kids off of the couch and away from watching television and playing video games. When someone can figure out a way to do that, I'll applaud them.

Of course, I guess none of this precludes kids from packing their own lunches and bringing soda with them to school...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060503/...drinks_schools



By SAMANTHA GROSS, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 41 minutes ago

NEW YORK - The nation's largest beverage distributors have agreed to halt nearly all soda sales to public schools, according to a deal announced Wednesday by the William J. Clinton Foundation.

Under the agreement, the companies have agreed to sell only water, unsweetened juice and low-fat milks to elementary and middle schools, said Jay Carson, a spokesman for former President
Bill Clinton. Diet sodas would be sold only to high schools.

Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and the American Beverage Association have all signed onto the deal, Carson said, adding that the companies serve "the vast majority of schools." The American Beverage Association represents the majority of school vending bottlers.

The deal follows a wave of regulation by school districts and state legislatures to cut back on student consumption of soda amid reports of rising childhood obesity rates. Soda has been a particular target of those fighting obesity because of its caloric content and popularity among children.

"It's a bold and sweeping step that industry and childhood obesity advocates have decided to take together," Carson said.

A man who answered the phone at Cadbury Schweppes' London headquarters said no one was available for comment. Calls seeking comment from the other distributors were not immediately returned early Wednesday.

Nearly 35 million students nationwide will be affected by the deal, The Alliance for a Healthier Generation said in a news release. The group, a collaboration between Clinton's foundation and the
American Heart Association, helped broker the deal.

"This is really the beginning of a major effort to modify childhood obesity at the level of the school systems," said Robert H. Eckel, president of the American Heart Association.

Under the agreement, high schools will still be able to purchase drinks such as diet and unsweetened teas, diet sodas, sports drinks, flavored water, seltzer and low-calorie sports drinks from distributors.

School sales of those kinds of drinks have been on the rise in recent years, while regular soda purchases by students have been falling, according to an ABA report released in December. But regular soda is still the most popular drink among students, accounting for 45 percent of beverages sold in schools in 2005, the report said.

The agreement applies to beverages sold for use on school grounds during the regular and extended school day, Carson said. Sales during after-school activities such as clubs, yearbook, band and choir practice will be affected by the new regulations. But sales at events such as school plays, band concerts and sporting events, where adults make up a significant portion of the audience, won't be affected, he said.

How quickly the changes take hold will depend in part on individual school districts' willingness to alter existing contracts, the alliance said. The companies will work to implement the changes at 75 percent of the nation's public schools by the 2008-2009 school year, and at all public schools a year later.

Many school districts around the country have already begun to replace soda and candy in vending machines with healthier items, and dozens of states have considered legislation on school nutrition this year.

The agreement follows an August decision by the American Beverage Association to adopt a policy limiting soft drinks in high schools to no more than 50 percent of the selections in vending machines. That recommendation was not binding.

[westofyou]

Soda makes kids fat, period, no amount of complaints can make that a moot point. But of course we didn't have soda in school way back when I went, so I never got in the habit.

[deltachi8]

Soda is a big problem with weight gain that I never fully realized until I stopped drinking sugared soda as part of a weight loss plan. Amazing how many calories you can drink in a day and not realize it.

I agree with Sava in getting the kids outside and away from the TV. It amazes me that my 9 year old makes me feel like I am punishing him if I say shut off the TV an dlets go play catch. No TV on school nights became the rule and after a few arguments, he adjusted, as I am sure most kids would. I will admit to bending the rules for the hockey playoffs though...

[Johnny Footstool]

Soda doesn't make kids fat. Kids' lifestyles and genetic makeup make them fat.

Sugar-heavy calories in soda do contribute heavily to the problem, but the bigger issue is motivating kids to engage in physical activity, as savafan indicated.

I don't see this as a solution to our nation's obesity "epidemic". The solution is getting kids off of the couch and away from watching television and playing video games. When someone can figure out a way to do that, I'll applaud them.

Simple rewards.

My kids will be allowed to drink soda or other high-fructose drinks provided they are physically active -- i.e. before or after playing sports or running around outdoors. Sitting and playing video games or watching TV will earn them a nice, cool glass of water or milk.

A game of catch or HORSE with Dad will earn them a bit of candy or something sweet, maybe even a Balance bar. Challenge Dad to Madden 2015 and we'll share some orange slices or peanuts.

[SeeinRed]

I agree that Soda is a factor, but not the culprit. Placing blame on one part of the equation just compounds the problem. I'll be honest, I drink about 7 cans of Coke a day easy. I'm in college, so I eat pizza, McDonalds, and so on every day. (when I can afford it.) I weigh 155 lbs. and am about 5'11". I'm a small guy. Why? Maybe its genes, but one thing I do right (about the only thing) is I am very active. I play sports with friends (baketball, volleyball, football, golf) and I run every day. I'm by no means a physical specimen, but I don't let myself sit around and watch TV. I think a lot of the problem today though lies not on the TV, but the fact that we live such hectic lives that we don't take the time to be active. We work, study, drive around, etc. so much that we don't take the time to run, or play some sports. Then you add in that kids are expected to do more in the class room now, maybe pick up a musical instument, get involved in extra curricular activities that don't involve sports, and yes even TV, you realize that parents maybe aren't pushing their kids to be active as hard as they used to because of all the other stuff they expect them to do, and they are too busy in their own lives to make time to be active with their kids. Its a sad excuse, but I see it all of the time. In other words, maybe the problems with todays youth, is the lifestyle of today's adults.

[Blimpie]

Soda makes kids fat, period, no amount of complaints can make that a moot point. But of course we didn't have soda in school way back when I went, so I never got in the habit.

We didn't have vending machines of any sort while I was in school...that's what ditching was for.

[creek14]

Creek Jr gets one pop (hey, I'm from Ohio) when we go out to eat. None at home. He's never had artifical sweetner or caffeine (except in the occasional piece of chocolate, which he doesn't even really like). I'm not into giving my kid a death sentence.

[Roy Tucker]

We just never made a big deal of pop. We kept some in the fridge along with a bunch of other drinks. We had a nominal limit of one a day. We steered away from caffeine but sometimes we slipped and got Coke or whatever. Or A+W root beer which is caffeinated.

Everything had to get finished off before my wife would make another beverage run. So if the kids drank up all the pop the first day back from the store, they didn't get any more till all the juice, water, etc. was gone. We didn't obsess about it or brain wash them or make a big deal of it. We just didn't buy any more. So they just never got into the habit.

So my son drinks milk by the gallon, probably 1/2 gallon a day. My 2 girls drink juice and water. They love Propel so we get them that as a treat. If they go to a sporting event (to play), they take a Propel. They still drink some pop, but its like 1 every 2-3 days. And they are all skinny as rails. But they are active too.

[Falls City Beer]

Sodas are clearly part of the problem. Getting rid of them in public schools is part of the solution.

[deltachi8]

Sodas are clearly part of the problem. Getting rid of them in public schools is part of the solution.

I read that too fast as "getting rid of the public schools is part of the solution."

Not that I would disagree with that as well...

[Unassisted]

Down here, drinking soda is such an integral part of the Latino culture that some stores sell packages of kid-sized 6 oz. cans of soda. Many is the time I will see little kids on the street or in a store drinking some kind of sugary soda or fruit drink.

My kids drink far less soda than I do. My youngest would drink water 3 meals a day if we let him. (Gotta get some calcium via milk or OJ into the kid. ) My oldest drinks lightly-flavored water drinks like Aquafina or Diet Snapple and chocolate milk.

[Falls City Beer]

I read that too fast as "getting rid of the public schools is part of the solution."

Not that I would disagree with that as well...

Yeah, because private schools do such a fine job of serving all citizens. Let's turn everything over to the private sector; because profit margins usually align with doing the proper thing.

[deltachi8]

Yeah, because private schools do such a fine job of serving all citizens. Let's turn everything over to the private sector; because profit margins usually align with doing the proper thing.

lighten up francis, its a joke.

my kid goes to public schools. not complaining, however, if i could afford it...

[paintmered]

Yeah, because private schools do such a fine job of serving all citizens. Let's turn everything over to the private sector; because profit margins usually align with doing the proper thing.

Easy, killer.

[Larkin411]

It's funny because I read that diet sodas actually are correlated with more weight gain than even the awful high-fructose drinks(btw, many breads have high-fructose corn syrup in them too, tsk tsk). Some speculate that it's because the drinker then thinks they can have more calories since they choose a diet drink. However, I think it's also been shown(don't remember where so I could be wrong) that your body gets all out of whack from the false sweet taste and responds with hunger.