Sugar tax

[AFoxy74]

Why is childhood obesity put down to sugar intake alone? Government pushing for cartoons to be taken off advertising sugary foods and for parents to make children exercise more. If the government had a crack down on gangs hanging around areas for decent children to go to exercise parents would feel safer about them going out!!
It's just a way for the government to feel like they are doing something to help in the fight against childhood obesity by charging on sugar, which if we remember diabetics need to fix hypos, without looking at the bigger picture!!
It's not just about sugar.

 

[ThePenguinPimp]

Why is childhood obesity put down to sugar intake alone? Government pushing for cartoons to be taken off advertising sugary foods and for parents to make children exercise more. If the government had a crack down on gangs hanging around areas for decent children to go to exercise parents would feel safer about them going out!!
It's just a way for the government to feel like they are doing something to help in the fight against childhood obesity by charging on sugar, which if we remember diabetics need to fix hypos, without looking at the bigger picture!!
It's not just about sugar.

It is so hard to educate people when the food industry knows it is carbs that raise our blood sugar, are addictive and are cheap so make them their gazillions. They have unlimited 'advertising' budgets and confuse the issue always banging on about sugar.

Here is a link to a petition to add carbs to front of packaging. It would be a small but significant step to start educating people that it's all carbs that raise our blood sugar level (and cause us to store any fat we eat but that's another debate).

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/display-carbohydrate-value-on-front-of-all-food-packaging

 

[Guzzler]

Sorry, but what you are saying, in essence, is leave sugar alone and just make children excercise more and this would solve childhood obesity. The problem is far more nuanced than that and when all said and done excercise alone helps only in the interim. I wish I could remember which boffin coined the phrase 'You can't outrun a bad diet ' but it sums up what is wrong in a system that allows us to beleive that sugar intake is secondary to excercise.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Exercise is an inefficient way to lose weight especially if you don't eat the right things. I think it was Malhotra who said that you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet. I believe him.

The bad publicity that sugar is getting is justified and I believe it is just the start of the education process where everyone learns more about carbohydrates in general. They all turn to sugar when digested.

 

[AFoxy74]

Sorry, but what you are saying, in essence, is leave sugar alone and just make children excercise more and this would solve childhood obesity. The problem is far more nuanced than that and when all said and done excercise alone helps only in the interim. I wish I could remember which boffin coined the phrase 'You can't outrun a bad diet ' but it sums up what is wrong in a system that allows us to beleive that sugar intake is secondary to excercise.

Didn't mean it to sound like we shouldn't keep lots of sugar out of our children's diets and of course exercise is important but everything in moderation. I took it from this sugar tax that the government believes its the sugar intake alone that is the biggest problem to society becoming 'bigger' and I don't believe this is the case, there are lots of other factors to consider.

 

[dbr10]

Sorry, but what you are saying, in essence, is leave sugar alone and just make children excercise more and this would solve childhood obesity. The problem is far more nuanced than that and when all said and done excercise alone helps only in the interim. I wish I could remember which boffin coined the phrase 'You can't outrun a bad diet ' but it sums up what is wrong in a system that allows us to beleive that sugar intake is secondary to excercise.

Aseem Malhotra IIRC

 

[dbr10]

Didn't mean it to sound like we shouldn't keep lots of sugar out of our children's diets and of course exercise is important but everything in moderation. I took it from this sugar tax that the government believes its the sugar intake alone that is the biggest problem to society becoming 'bigger' and I don't believe this is the case, there are lots of other factors to consider.

Yes there are. One of them might be Tate & Lyle and other manufacturers lobbying to get proposals watered down or scrapped altogether. There seem to be parallels with the Tobacco Industry.

 

[Guzzler]

Didn't mean it to sound like we shouldn't keep lots of sugar out of our children's diets and of course exercise is important but everything in moderation. I took it from this sugar tax that the government believes its the sugar intake alone that is the biggest problem to society becoming 'bigger' and I don't believe this is the case, there are lots of other factors to consider.

Completely agree, the sugar tax is a baby step but at this rate it is too small a step imo to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity. Legislation aimed at Big Food and the education of the of the general public plus the redress of physical activity by way of sports facilities/access would be my approach. It is going to take the government decades to make any impact at the rate they are going.

 

[Deleted Account]

Exercise is an inefficient way to lose weight

That is not a reason to dismiss exercise. There are many other benefits of exercise and not everyone exercises to lose weight or to counteract a "bad diet".
Personally, I exercise to feel better, take out my frustrations, strengthen my core so I am less likely to fall over as I get older and don't need to yank on the back of the seat in front of me to get up, socialise, get out of the house, stay mobile, walk to town to save money, cut down on pollution (just a little bit but walking or cycling 2 miles is better than driving 2 miles) ...

 

[Guzzler]

Aseem Malhotra IIRC

Thank you, I have used the phrase often and would like to give him credit.

 

[dbr10]

Completely agree, the sugar tax is a baby step but at this rate it is too small a step imo to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity. Legislation aimed at Big Food and the education of the of the general public plus the redress of physical activity by way of sports facilities/access would be my approach. It is going to take the government decades to make any impact at the rate they are going.

Maybe that's the plan - talking about doing something, but not actually doing it.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

That is not a reason to dismiss exercise. There are many other benefits of exercise and not everyone exercises to lose weight or to counteract a "bad diet".
Personally, I exercise to feel better, take out my frustrations, strengthen my core so I am less likely to fall over as I get older and don't need to yank on the back of the seat in front of me to get up, socialise, get out of the house, ...

I never dismissed exercise and I recommend it. If anyone feels the need to play football or run through fields of corn or whatever then I am all for it.

I just said that it is an inefficient way to lose weight. If someone goes to a gym every week and then consumes sugary drinks and a bad diet then they are wasting their money.

 

[ThePenguinPimp]

Exercise is an inefficient way to lose weight especially if you don't eat the right things. I think it was Malhotra who said that you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet. I believe him.

The bad publicity that sugar is getting is justified and I believe it is just the start of the education process where everyone learns more about carbohydrates in general. They all turn to sugar when digested.

I believe the bad press sugar gets is to distract from the huge amount of carbs in just about everything pre prepared. They can call things healthy if it doesn't have sugar in it but all carbs raise our blood sugar. You have to be willing to prepare your own food if you want low carb for which there is no excuse!

 

[Guzzler]

Maybe that's the plan.

Perhaps it is the plan but it is taking too long for my liking. Yes, there will need to be a cultural shift just as there was with drink driving or smoking in public buildings children may be harmed in the time it takes to make this shift. Time is of the essence.

 

[Rachox]

Aseem Malhotra IIRC

Yes I agree he tweeted it!

Edit, no I had second thoughts and Googled it was Prof Tim Noakes!

 

[dbr10]

Perhaps it is the plan but it is taking too long for my liking. Yes, there will need to be a cultural shift just as there was with drink driving or smoking in public buildings children may be harmed in the time it takes to make this shift. Time is of the essence.

Yes it is. Unfortunately, it suits some interests to try to hold things up.

 

[Guzzler]

Yes I agree he tweeted it!

Edit, no I had second thoughts and Googled it was Prof Tim Noakes!

Malhotra and Noakes are just two of my favourites, thanks for searching.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

Here is Zoe Harcombe on the subject of who said it first.

http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2017/10/why-we-cant-outrun-a-bad-diet/

 

[Guzzler]

Here is Zoe Harcombe on the subject of who said it first.

http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2017/10/why-we-cant-outrun-a-bad-diet/

Thank you, Noakes it is then.

 

[Mr_Pot]

Carbs are usually inherent in the ingredients, whereas sugar is often added. Unless you are going to have a flour tax or a rice tax or a potato tax it would be difficult to penalise high carb foods in general. Labeling might be the answer but first PHE et al would have to accept that high carb was not a good thing or the carb labels would all be green.