Over-sized sugary drinks banned in NYC
Naturally Sweet Products
New York City is known for being a leader in the fashion world, but could the trendy American area also be making waves when it comes to health? We hope so! The city's Board of Health placed a ban on over-sized sugary drinks at a meeting last week, meaning no more giant sodas and Frappuccino's will be sold by retailers other than supermarkets. Under the new regulation, which was originally proposed by NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, a ban will be imposed on sodas, sweet teas and juices and other similar beverages that exceed 440ml. The restriction will not apply to diet soft drinks, juices that are more than 70 per cent fruit or dairy beverages that are over 50 per cent milk. Alcoholic drinks and those sold at grocery stores will also be exempt. Mayor Bloomberg said that this decision "is the biggest step a city has taken to curb obesity" and believes the regulation will help New Yorkers decrease the amount of calories they consume and therefore improve their health. Meanwhile deputy mayor for health and human services Linda Gibbs believes that this shows the government is prepared to help people make healthier choices. "Over time, our environment has been increasingly working against us - people move less and eat more, portion sizes have grown, and sugary beverages - full of empty calories - have grown exponentially and nearly 6,000 New Yorkers are now dying each year of obesity-related illness," she said. "The question rightly became not: how dare the government intervene, but how dare the government fail to intervene?" Sugary drinks can be especially dangerous for the waistline as they are high in calories yet low in nutritional value, meaning that you can consume large amounts without feeling full or satisfied. In addition, they can be extremely damaging to a person's dental hygiene, and may wreak havoc on a person's energy levels and even lead to the development of diabetes. If you are on a weight loss journey, you may want to consider cutting sugary, sweet beverages out of your diet. Where possible, it may also be worth avoiding adding extra sugar to meals or hot drinks. For those who love the taste of sweet foods, you could use healthy sugar alternatives such as Stevia or Xylitol. At Xlear Australia, we stock a range of products that are high in taste and flavour, yet low in calories - the perfect sugar replacement for those who love sweet treats.
