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Tag Archives: capitalism


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WHAT THE BEVERAGE COMPANIES DON’T TELL YOU

1. “WE MARKET SODA AND ENERGY DRINK TO CHILDREN BUT THEY ARENT FOR ANYONE”

City of San Francisco filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that Monster Energy is marketing its caffeinated beverage to minors as young as six. The lawsuit follows a decision by the Food and Drug Administration last week to investigate the effects that food and beverages high in caffeine have on young people.

Sodas have no essential nutrients for kids. Period.

2. IF YOU HAVE TEENS, PAY ATTENTION: CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL ARE A DEADLY COMBINATION

The number of people showing up at emergency rooms reporting symptoms like racing heartbeat, seizures and headache after drinking energy drinks soared from 10,000 to more than 20,000 from 2007 to 2011, according to the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Most of those visits were made by teens or young adults.

3. SODA IS BIG BUSINESS AND THEY ARE A HEALTH RISK FOR KIDS

Rising consumption of sugary drinks has been a major contributor to the obesity epidemic, according to a 2012 report published by the Institute of Medicine. And too much sugar consumption is one of the most direct causes of Type 2 diabetes. Drinking one to two sugary drinks per day increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 26%, a 2010 study published by the Diabetes Journal.

Between 2005 and 2009, as public-health advocates were making a big push to tax soda at the national level, lobbying spending by the soda industry rose more than 30-fold, to $40.3 million in 2009. That spending effort contributed to the defeat of the proposals at the national level.

4. DIET FOOD AREN’T HEALTHY

One recent study by French researchers published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found a strong correlation between diet drinks and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. when consumed in equal quantities as normal sodas, artificially sweetened drinks were associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes.

5. CAFFEINE IS THE NEW ADDICTIVE ADDITIVE

One 16-ounce can of Monster Energy, one of the most popular energy drinks on the market, has around 160 milligrams of caffeine (vs. 38 milligrams in a 12-ounce can of Pepsi). A grande (16-ounce) Starbucks coffee has 330 milligrams of caffeine, and a 16.5-ounce Panera frozen mocha has 267 milligrams, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.

6. PACKAGING SIZE IS INCREASING WITH TIME

So what do you think it does to your waist size?

7. “WE HAVE DEEP CONNECTIONS AND WE USE THEM”

In 2009, Coca-Cola paid $600,000 to the American Academy of Family Physicians to help create a website advocating healthy diets. Talk about the fox guarding the hen house J


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ASTHMA CIGARETTES

THE DANGER OF BELIEVING IN ADS

This classic advertisement from the early 20th century shows how crooked companies have exploited people.

It is an ad. for a tobacco cigarette and they sell on its “Asthma curing abilities.”

Ooh! But they are considerate …. It is not recommended for children under 6!

And the kicker: It is called DOCTOR BATTY’S. Exploiting the trust consumers place on the word “Doctor”.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

Don’t trust commercial speak.

Know their motives.

And on the same vein, if you come across a study, check out who funded the study.


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1 SODA – ONE SWEET DEATH SENTENCE

European Study confirms earlier American study results that 12 Ounces of Sugary Soda a Day Raises Diabetes Risk by 22%!!!

STUDY:

The finding in the journal Diabetologia is based on an analysis of data collected from more than 28,000 people in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The study found an association between consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and heightened risk of type 2 diabetes. Consumption of pure or diluted fruit juice was not significantly associated with diabetes risk, according to the report.

The 22 percent increased risk of diabetes among Europeans who drink sugar-sweetened soft drinks is similar to previous research showing that North Americans who consume these types of beverages have a 25 percent increased risk of diabetes, the researchers said in a journal news release.

SO WHAT?

Diabetes is very serious disease. Ask someone suffering from it and you will hear horror stories of its effect on blood vessels, lungs, eyes and wound healing. Additionally, since it is non reversible (in most cases) one has to live with-in limits for the rest of the life. Would you ever wish that on your worst enemy?

No! So why do we let our children knowing or unknowingly consume so much sugar.

Do you realize that there are 16 stacks of sugar cubes in one soda?

ACT:

a) Avoid Soda. In fact cut out soda from any parties or restaurant meal and replace it with water or fresh fruit juices instead. This is what we do in our family.

b) Check the labels on your food items to find the level of sugar. To learn more, check out: http://www.sugarstacks.com/

c) Minimize use of white sugar and substitute with natural sweeteners like honey, dates etc.

But before we go preaching to our kids, let us start by cutting soda and refined sugar out from our own diet.

A journey of a thousand mile, Lao Tzu says, starts with one step.


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The invisible hands of capitalism and you child’s health

A recent article in the newspaper screamed that ADHD diagnosis is rising in the US. 11% of the kids have ADHD.

The article points:

A.D.H.D. has historically been estimated to affect 3 to 7 percent of children. These new rates reflect a marked rise over the last decade and could fuel growing concern among many doctors that the A.D.H.D. diagnosis and its medication are overused in American children. About two-thirds of those with a current diagnosis receive prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall.

And even more teenagers are likely to be prescribed medication in the near future because theAmerican Psychiatric Association plans to change the definition of A.D.H.D. to allow more people to receive the diagnosis and treatment. the new rates suggest that millions of children may be taking medication merely to calm behavior or to do better in school. There’s a tremendous push where if the kid’s behavior is thought to be “abnormal “— if they’re not sitting quietly at their desk — that’s pathological, instead of just childhood.

So who benefits:

The pharmaceutical industry. Sales of stimulants to treat A.D.H.D. have more than doubled to $9 billion in 2012 from $4 billion in 2007, according to the health care information company IMS Health.

And what is worse, parents don’t even realize that they are being manipulated. Several doctors recently mentioned that advertising from the pharmaceutical industry played off parents’ fears — showing children struggling in school or left without friends — encouraging parents and doctors to call even minor symptoms A.D.H.D. and try stimulant treatment. A pamphlet for Vyvanse, for example, shows a parent looking at her son and saying, “I want to do all I can to help him succeed.”

What can you do about it?

Resist the urge to find quick fixes. ADHD is not a life sentence. And once you put your child on medicine, it harder to wean them off. ADHD medicine can also lead to addiction, anxiety and occasionally psychosis. So, think thrice before you start medicating your kid for ADHD.