Delicious Poison
Difficulty level: ***
Read an article by Fox News about Mexico's sugary drinks consumption and then watch the following video. After that write a short opinion essay about sugary drinks, marketing and the health risk Mexicans face.
Article:
Mexico Leads World in Consumption of Sugary Drinks, Study Says
Published September 06, 2011
EFE
Mexico is the biggest consumer of soft drinks in the world, with a per capita consumption 40 percent greater than in the United States.
The average per capita consumption is 163 liters (43 gallons) per year, while the neighboring country reaches only 118 liters (31 gallons), according to the results of a study that the director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Kelly Brownell, released at a press conference in Mexico City.
For that reason, health and consumer groups demand that the government put a 20 percent tax on soft drinks.
The proposal to impose such a tax, according to Alejandro Calvillo, director of Consumer Power, stems from the recommendations of international organizations on comprehensive policies for combating obesity, since "these drinks are the chief source of calories" in Mexico.
He recalled that the World Health Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations have called on the government to take measures against this epidemic, but "they have been ignored."
Calvillo also cited the statement by Health Secretary Angel Cordova, who said that the obesity problem has gone beyond the capability of the public health system to deal with it, and predicted that in six years the cost of addressing obesity-related health problems will equal the system's current annual budget of $14 billion.
A tax on soda pop "would bring about a 16-24 percent drop in consumption," which would in turn lead to fewer calories being ingested and would be a boon to household budgets, from which "more is currently spent on soft drinks than on eggs, beans and tortillas," Calvillo said.
He also said that with the funds from taxes, the health conditions of the general population can be improved and there would be more money available to treat health problems resulting from the high intake of these products.
As an example he mentioned the introduction of free drinking-water fountains in schools and public spaces, which would reduce even more the indiscriminate drinking of carbonated beverages.
"Our country has become a factory for producing anemia and obesity, because people with such habits go from malnutrition to obesity by substituting nutritious drinks with soda pop," Dolores Rojas, coordinator of Oxfam Mexico, said.
On the eve of the Mexican Congress' debate on the 2012 budget, Rojas said that the proposal is "precise and specific" because it would bring drinking water to those who don't have it.
According to a report from the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to nutrition, Olivier De Schutter, seven out of every 10 Mexicans are overweight.
For more information: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2011/09/06/mexico-leads-world-in-consumption-sugary-drinks-study-says/#ixzz2J7ftIL00
Video:
i think that the video say the tru sugar is finshing with the people happiness.
ResponderEliminaryou think that consume alot of sugar is good but the true is here you can get the diabetes
and the diabetes doesn`t has cure and you can die o you can get fat and fat
be careful when you consume a lot of sugar
you can save your Life and others life
in the video we could watch the reality, these picture is like a photo in the hospital of mexico, the people didnt understand that the sugar is the causer ours diseases and these diseases are mortal, like the diabetes. we have to drink more water and moderete the sugar in the all the foods because the sugary drinks just are the principal reason.
ResponderEliminar7th, Valle.
ResponderEliminarI'm impresed because Mexico is the biggest consumer of soft drinks in the world and I don't like it. But in my opinion I think that all the humans need the sugar for survive because our body need it but the problem is that we don't know take the precautions and we just forget about our health and we drink a lot soft drinks. No exactly with soft drinks also with candies, ice cream etc.
The marketing has a lot influency in the people because they change the reallity information for their convenence because they don't give us the true or helthy infomation about soft drinks and for that reason they have a lot sales.
We the Mexicans are in risk if we don't stop it, maybe starting with us or traing to explain to other people about this problematic. So far the minority people speak it.
However we can stop this problematic of overweight with this following advices: Do exercise, play some sport, play an instrument or do productive activities.
¡WE CAN, LET'S DO IT!
i`m so impressed about the article, I know that in Mexico are a lot of people with obessity and other eating disorders, desafortunalety in Mexico the media and magazines or marketing influency a lot ot people and they don`t know about the damage that do them, maybe if we learn good eating habits, and worry more about our health the sugary drinks wouldn't have a lot of success.
ResponderEliminarI am in shock, we are the biggets consumers of soft dinks in the world?!! but is true, now a days people is so lazy and they don't want to spend time preparing limonade, Orange juice, etc any kind of heatlhy drinks, they prefer spend money on soda, this increase the population with overweight, is good to drink soft drinks once or twice a week, but if you drink every day soft drinks you can develop health problems.
ResponderEliminarSugar is good for the body because it brings you energy for the day, but in excess all it's bad.
The video of the bears it's a good example of the things that can happen to you if you drink a lot this unhealthy drinks. The Marketing show you the good things of their products but they never going to show you the problems that their products can do to you. But they often put legends in their ads, like: "eat fruit and vegetables", "Do exercise", etc.
i`m a little like surprised with the article, becuase whe can read the true of the this kind of drinks. and in the video you can see what is happening with a lot of people, they drink this kind of sugar drink and just when they are so bad, (with diabetes and others sikness) they can see the problem with thhis sugar drinks and then they reflect about this. so we need to be careful when we drink this.
ResponderEliminarThe article was didn't surprise me for one side, why? because since i was a child my mother told us to mys sisters and me about the risk or how was dangerous for our healt drink soda.
ResponderEliminarBut the incredible if this article it's the number of people that drink soda, we ara a country fat, and it's really sad not only for the appearence also the healt it's the incredible that how many people suffer diabetes in our country, and the mayority of the people know that the soda is bad for their heath but still drinking soda, in fact when you try to say them about the damage that produce the mayority said that " They din't care they have to died of something" but every day it's more common watch in the streets people fat and without legs or arms causes by diabetes. Unfortunately the mayority of the people in our country obeys or believe all the things that in the tv appears, i think it's a coulture case too, the goverment needs leave the economic desirability and worry more of the people, it's necesary create an strategy to teach to the people how protect their helth and the people needs think beyond that the tv said, need think for themselves!!!
It´s very amazing to read such thing. We are the worlds first place country to consume soft drinks. I think it´s a good idea to make an increase on the soft drinks, now that we know that instead of increasing the percentage of consumers it will decrease it down to 16-24 percent. We, as mexicans are the first to be in risk. We need to start getting worried of whats happening around us. But this is no surprise for us, we make ourselves lazy, we don´t excercise or do anything good for our daily habits. In fact, a lot of people know that they suffer from diabetes, and they know the fact about it and they seem to not care and won´t do anything about it. I think it´s important to take more consitous, and reflect more about what we drink, and not only about drinking also about what we eat.
ResponderEliminarI like the video a lot , because they use the polar bear (image of coca cola) to send the message about the risk of the sugar drinks, and the article it's good, personally did not know that Mexico is first in consumption of these drinks, but I think that people have a part of responsibility in the consumption of these drinks, because the company is not forcing anyone to drink sugary drinks.
ResponderEliminarIn fact, I belive the diet of the people can change with the good education abaout the eating habits.
I like the video because this video makes me think more about the problem of the drinks with sugar like sodas because this drinks are so delicious but the problem is when you consume alot this you going to get a health problems like diabetes and this health problems kill you every day
ResponderEliminarPART 1
After we know how big is the health risk of sugary drinks comsumption is very important to take measures against this epidemic, how is called too.
ResponderEliminarIn Mexico and the rests of the world sugary drinks are what most people consume, even when we know that is not good for our health and we do it because it has a good flavor but mostly because companies have good marketing. They sell us the product like something good for us, example coca cola they say that family come together when you open a botlle of coke and unfortunately we believe it. They show the public good messages to be better but they don`t tell us that this drink is bad for our health.
ResponderEliminarI`m agree with the taxes they want to put into this drinks because maybe poeple would stop buying sugary drinks and probably obesity will stop.
I have seen this video before and really make me think in what I`m drinking, it is reallity, it`s what`s going on in Mexico and the rest of the world. People having deseases is the result of consuming this drinks and the companies are making money with us. So I think we should think twice before we drink sodas.
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ResponderEliminarEste comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminarIt's impressive how danderous could be a simple drink, I think is very very sad that we are the biggest consumers because it's a bad habit, perhaps it's because we have a bad culture and we don't measure the risk that it will have in the future unfortunately we look after for stupid things when we must look after for our own healthy. A obese Mexico is a tag that we have been created acroos of the years, I think the marketing don't have all the fault because we know all the risks and it's our decision to do or drinking all that sugar. I think the nescience is the principal problem. The fact is the government is the responsible of all the obese and all the problems that it entails because they don't try to change the image that we have created of products. This video has a good message because it makes to think us about all the sugary drinks, like the worst habit we could have.
ResponderEliminarI didn't know what's problems we could have with suggar drinks, really I stopped to consummer this type of drink (coca cola) only for better diet, rest my family follow do it. I think will be good idea put this video in T.V., so, people should to take more conscious about what we ingest to body , so easy when we can make us better drink instead of a drink that is useless. We need to start changing our own eating and bad habits,and doing more exercise, a good diet for have better health, and always think, start oneself, for change the world!. I like a lot this video and will teach it my family and friends! :)
ResponderEliminarIs a goode video to think about how harmful the soft drinks can be for you,these proposals are good to make a change in the nutrition of the country, but I don't think that putting a tax on soft drinks is a solution, the goverment have enough money to treat health problems of the comunity.
ResponderEliminarIs a good idea to put free drinking-water fountains in public places, but here in México it can be a problem because of the vandalism in the cities, so what we need to change first is our habits and make conscious about the damages that we can do to our body