The Fizzy Drink Tax

Recently in the media there has been yet another wave of panic over foods that aren't good for you, aren't what they claim to be and foods that have been labelled incorrectly.

Is this something new? No of course it’s not, there is always a report from someone, a study by some university, a group of doctors who through their research, have found that .... certain foods aren't good for you.... or cause health issues etc etc.

Should we all listen intently to every word they say? Well yes it’s probably a good idea to keep up to date with recent findings because when armed with all the facts and information you are able to make an informed decision yourself.

It's the ability to make decisions for yourself or the view that we can’t, that makes me angry about all these findings. After each new revelation, certain groups of society assume we can't make informed choices and try and do it for us!

Take the doctors who propose, that a tax on fizzy drinks will help fight the growing epidemic of obesity. Do I understand that fizzy drinks are loaded with sugar?... um yes I do, do I know that large amounts of sugar can lead to debilitating health problems?... yes I do, do I understand that the number of obese adults and children is rising? Yes I do, do I understand that obesity costs the NHS hundreds of thousands every year? ...well yes again I am aware of this, and yet it is assumed that although I am aware of these important facts, that I still can't be trusted to make a decision over whether I should purchase a sugary fizzy drink of my own free will and so to 'help' me they are going to make these drinks more expensive.

Would this is stop me from buying a fizzy drink when I feel I want one? No probably not it'll just make me moan that I'm forking out more cash than I used to.

Do I let my children drink sugar fuelled fizzy drinks? On the whole no I don't, as an adult armed with the knowledge that a lot of these drinks are full of sugar and sweeteners and caffeine and colours and additives, I don't have them on offer in my house on a regular basis.... note I say 'on offer' there are such drinks in my house but if you are under 18 years old you have to ask if you can have one and the answer is nearly always no. This is because I know they rot your teeth, and can lead to health issues and I don't want to be the person who introduces such problems to my own children....

However I am not a fizzy drink fascist if we are out for lunch with friends I will allow a fizzy drink with the food (I do try and steer their choice but in the hope that I will one day have free thinking well informed adult offspring who are capable of making their own food and drink choices I ultimately let them have the final say...unless they are under 6 years old then what I say goes!)

 

I am usually more concerned with the drinks containing caffeine because I don't want three boys bouncing off the walls, I wouldn't let them have an espresso and so won't let them have a coke, but I made that decision I didn't need someone to help me or make it for me. I am therefore wondering is it an education thing? Are there still people out there who don't understand the repercussions of consuming such foods? The answer is probably yes, there is a certain section of society who doesn’t really understand... so is the way to tackle this by making the foods much more expensive? I personally don't believe so, it’s to educate people and not in that “I am significantly cleaver than you” way it is often approached. No one wants to be made to feel stupid and to be made to feel that they don’t have their families best interests at heart-they probably do, they want happy family members and a drink of something nice makes them happy… and this is when we stumble upon comfort eating/drinking.

I hold my hand up…… I am a comfort eater, food makes me feel better, if I’m stressed I reach for something sweet, if I’m upset or hurt I like any food going! Especially stodgy savoury meals, if I’m lonely I eat- almost like the food is instead of company, if I have company in the evening I like to share a little something. Is this a problem? Yes it is. Instead of dealing with the problem, I am eating to cover the feelings. Are there consequences to this? Yes I have put on weight and am now classed as overweight.  Should I do something about this? Oh come on? Anyone reading this knows I should and so I am, the first step has been to recognise what I eat and when, I have been keeping track of both and have been quite surprised.

Next is to cut down (there’s no way I would completely cut stuff out so cutting down is good) and then there is tackling the cause of the problem that made me want to eat in the first place. That’s the bit that’s difficult but without the aid of professional help I think I am doing pretty well. I find that as this year as I am approaching 35 years old, a creeping ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude is becoming noticeable and my ever present liking of sarcasm is becoming more prominent.

Do these things help me when the feeling of wanting to grab something edible to make me feel better comes over me? Surprisingly yes, being able to identify the cause of the problem and thinking I don’t give a fuck right now means that instead of sitting hidden in the kitchen eating the contents of the fridge I am able to go and do something else.  I am educated enough to know for my own health I need to lose weight and the best way to do that is to eat sensibly and exercise more. I may not always be consistent and being overweight can sometimes in its self-lead to feelings that make me want to eat but I can make the choice not to…..and to exercise when I do indulge.

All this said I will add one Exception…….. at 11am when I’m at work and as the only non-coffee/tea drinker in the office, I reserve the right to have a fizzy drink as a sugary/caffeine fuelled pick me up! Judge me if you wish I simply don’t give a fuck.