LA Councilman and Soda Ban, Leads to Obesity and Violence (VIDEO)
Los Angeles city Councilman Mitch Englander has put forward a motion that would put a ban on sodas.
Soda packs a punch, having a massive amount of calories and sugars despite having any health benefits whatsever, and one city councilman believes that the sugar-packed cans are beating down on kids.
"Here in the city of Los Angeles, one in four children is obese," Englander told local news station KTLA. "In many of our communities, it's one in three."
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With that said, the councilman has pushed forward a motion that would ban sodas in city parks and libraries. Englander announced his motion at the Arts, Parks, Health & Aging Committee on Tuesday after his daughter complained that there were no alternatives in park vending machines.
Englander is also president of the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association and is concerned about the increased risk that a high sugar diet can pose to diabetes and obesity. The councilman pointed out that just one 20-ounce bottle of soda has 22 packs of sugar in it.
The recommended sugar intake for a diet of 2,200 calories is below 45 grams of sugar, for kids that number is even lower. One 20-ounce bottle of coke has 65 grams of sugar.
Others were very unsupportive of the motion and stated that it was an overreach of government that did nothing to educate consumers.
"A ban on soda [in] city parks and libraries will do nothing to improve obesity, and it does nothing to educate consumers about nutrition," David Thorpe, a representative of the American Beverage Association told the Huffington Post.
The Post also pointed to a study which links increased violence in youth to soda drinking. The study revealed that children who drink soda could be up to 15 percent more likely to exhibit violent tendencies.
"Nearly 2,000 teens aged 14 to 18 from inner-city schools in Boston participated in the study, which found that teenagers who consume large amounts of soda are more likely to act violently than teens who stay away from the stuff," the Huffington Post reported.
