By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
October 20, 2002
What would you do if you're a member of a school board facing this dilemma? You need money for the school gym and a soft drink company has offered to install soft drink vending machines and share the profits with you? The end result of course, will be money for the school, and damaged health for the children. But there is way where everyone benefits.
Today schools are justifiably criticized for placing soda pop machines within reach of students. After all, it's downright hypocrisy to preach the importance of sound nutrition to children. Then allow sugar laden drinks to add to the epidemic of obesity in children. One can only wonder why the Minister of Health remains silent while this happens.
Excess calories of any kind cause obesity. But there's no easier way to get an over-abundance of calories than by drinking sugar-laden drinks. The majority of people have no idea of the huge number of calories they consume with soft drinks.
The human body simply doesn't register the calories we drink as much as it does the calories we eat. For example, it's easy to drink a soft drink and still feel hungry. It's not easy to eat a couple of apples without feeling full.
Several studies have shown how this works. In one study people were asked to eat 450 calories of jelly beans a day for four weeks. Then for the next four weeks they were asked to consume 450 calories of pop every day.
On the days they ate the jelly beans they compensated by eating 450 fewer calories of other foods. But on the days they drank the pop they ate 450 calories more than usual.
For this reason the sugar in pop is referred to as "silent calories". They are invariably added to the calories we normally eat. And excess calories eventually equal obesity.
Medical consumers are not the only ones who remain unaware of the health implications of soft drinks. I recall telling a former Minister of Health that a 10 ounce soft drink contained eight teaspoonfuls of sugar. He replied, "Oh is there that much?" But it was apparent this fact passed through both ears without making any impression. Even though he or she is responsible for the overall health of the nation.
If you were to witness a friend or family member putting eight teaspoonfuls of sugar in a glass of water or the morning coffee you would be amazed. You'd probably recommend a psychiatrist.
An occasional sugar laden soft drink isn't going to kill anyone. But the problem is that North America's appetite for soft drinks has dramatically increased over the years. Worse still, over 75 percent of these drinks are the sugar-laced type.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. It used to be that a drink was a drink was a drink. Now you have the choice of small, medium, large and extra large. The extra-large version contains 620 calories. And if you're at a movie offering free refills and you're thirsty three extra large soft drinks is all the calories you need for one day.
So what's the solution? Since it appears these days that money decides the every issue I don't foresee many school boards saying no to vending machines.
But there's nothing wrong with vending machines if you have the right drinks in them. So in all this debate I've never heard anyone suggest the logical solution. One in which you have your cake and eat it too. Namely, allow companies to place vending machines into schools. But they must substitute sugar-laden drinks with unsweetened fruit juices and milk.
This would solve another problem. Today, parents don't pay enough attention to their children's bones. During early school years children must get sufficient calcium to build up bone tissue. Failure to do this often results in osteoporosis (brittle bones), fractured hips and ending life in a wheel chair. The best prescription to prevent this tragedy is "nature's near-perfect food", three glasses of milk daily.
Parents who are concerned about their pudgy children should become proactive and demand that school boards make the right choice. If you approach a school board let me know what happens.
W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com
My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:
Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1
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