Sugar: Drink Responsibly

Reducing the amount of sugar that Americans drink per year would help address the issue of excess sugar consumption in America. Excess sugar consumption can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. According to the CDC, “The prevalence of Americans who drink SSB (sugar-sweetened beverages) at least once per day differs geographically. For example, 68% among adults living in the Northeast, 67% among adults living in the South, 61% among adults living in the West, and 59% among adults living in the Midwest reported drinking SSBs one or more times per day.” (CDC, 2017). Those are incredibly high statistics, regardless of the region, well over half of Americans are consuming some sort of sugary beverage daily. I recently saw that Panera Bread started distributing beverage cups with a table stating the sugar content per beverage choice. I thought this was brilliant! It made me think twice before making my choice of drink. Providing the information so bluntly to consumers at the time before they are going to make their beverage choice could help a majority of Americans make better choices. I think, most Americans know soda is bad, however, they do not think about this consistently. Having the FDA mandate that all restaurants who serve beverages provide this information on the cups would make a difference. There is no better opportunity to impact someone’s behavior than right before they have the choice to. This type of corrective behavior is similar to when you are driving, you are more aware and willing to adjust your driving speed when you see a police officer on the road. This is not to say you would speed regularly, however you may not be as conscious or willing to check unless made aware. Education is key in preventative care, there is no better time to provide education than when there is an opportunity to apply it.

“Get the Facts: Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Consumption.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Feb. 2017, http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html.