Recently, in the Bay Area, two initiatives to bring sweetened beverages to the consciousness of the consumer were placed on the November 2014 election ballot. San Francisco had Proposition E and Berkeley had Measure D. Both initiatives proposed a Tax on the sales of Soda and Sweetened Beverages.
As Reported by The San Francisco Chronicle’s SFGate:
“With 98 percent of the vote counted, 55 percent of San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, but it needed two-thirds to pass. With 23 percent of the Berkeley vote counted, 73 percent of voters approved Measure D. It needed a simple majority.”
Patterns of consumption of Sweetened Beverages such as fruit juice and smoothies as well as sports and energy drinks are alarming:
Nearly half of the caloric intake from sugar in the U.S. is from sugary beverages. The average American consumes 156 pounds of sugar per year.
With kids being more active and involved in sports, sports drinks have gained an increase in popularity. Each 8 ounce serving of those sweet sports drinks contain 4 cubes of sugar. However, sports drinks do not come in 8 ounce bottles. Instead, those bottles come in 24 and 32 ounce sizes, which is equal to 12 and 16 cubes of sugar, respectively. There are a lot of hidden calories bottled in each sports drink. Constant consumption of caloric sports drinks can considerably increase the risk for obesity and tooth decay in children and teenagers.
–Dr. Jon and Team HappyHealthyTeeth