Addie Keefer
Mrs. Bucks
Health 1- 3A
21 October 2014
Soda and Sugary Drinks Over the span of the past thirty rates, obesity rates in the United States have significantly risen. “More than 12.5 million American kids and 78 million adults are obese” (Healy 2). Due to the fact that rates have risen so much, the government has been looking for ways to bring the obesity rate down. One thing that seems to be a large contributor to the growing rates of obesity, is soda and sugary drinks. It is thought that around two hundred twenty two calories are consumed by most Americans, just in soda and sugar high drinks. I believe that there is a simple way to stop quickly increasing obesity rates that are involved with sugary drinks, by simply getting rid of soda in vending machines, limiting the size of soft drinks available, and by cutting down on the amount of sugar in the drinks themselves. The first way that we can reduce obesity rates is by getting rid of soda in vending machines. Vending Machines are all over the place and are very convenient, though most of the products they contain are not healthy at all. Drink
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An average soft drink contains large amounts of high fructose corn syrup and many other chemical preservatives. “A twelve-ounce soda contains ten teaspoons of sugar and provides about 150 calories” (Nestle 1). However, how many of these additives are unnecessary or can be cut back on? “First, health officials told restaurants they could no longer cook with oils containing trans fat, since those were the easiest to replace” (Burge 3). It seems that if an ingredient once thought necessary in cooking could be replaced, then so could ingredients in soft drinks. So, the last way that we could decrease obesity rates is by reducing the amount of sugar and preservatives in the drinks