Tax on sugary drinks and junk food

There has been some talk about increasing tax on sugary drinks and junk food. Let me tell you what I think about it, but first let’s look at why SUGAR has become a major concern in our society thanks to those in the health industry who keep alerting us all about the dangers of it.So what is wrong with this “sweet” looking powder (white death)!!
Apart from causing the blood glucose roller coaster and having a detrimental affect on the gut flora, it has also been shown to have a damaging effect on the immune system. There is documented evidence to show that sugar is a leading cause of more than 70 illnesses (so that is not only diabetes and obesity, like most of us think).

Sugar leaches the body of precious minerals and vitamins because of the heavy demands its detoxification and elimination make on our entire system. As an example, to metabolise only one molecule of sugar the body requires around 56 molecules of magnesium. Consumption of sugar is a major reason for widespread magnesium deficiency.
In order to protect our blood, a lot of calcium is leached from our teeth and bones which can result in osteoporosis and decay. The constant lack of nutrient absorption could be linked to depression, PMS symptoms and stress. High consumption of sugar and the corresponding elevated insulin levels can cause weight gain, bloating, fatigue, arthritis, migraines, obesity, anxiety, chromium deficiency, copper deficiency, rise in adrenaline, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children, decrease in your insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular disease. Sugar also feeds cancer cells.Sugar is like crack, it sends you on the same destruction ride of highs and lows with the same uncontrollable cravings except it is socially accepted by society. Sugar is not only highly addictive, it also deprives your body of lots of very important nutrients.Children these days consume on average 30 spoonfuls of refined sugar everyday. NOOO, they don’t just sit at the table and scoff down some white powder. The worst is that they don’t even know they are doing it, neither do most of the parents and that my friends is the MAJOR issue. Sugar literally stops your brain from registering you are full which is why companies add it to every food possible. So even if you avoid eating SUGAR (brown, white, raw, etc), you will not be able to escape it being hidden in drinks, sauces, canned foods, fruit juices, yogurt, breads, spreads and pretty much anything that is manufactured. The manufacturers want us to eat more of their products and our body craves the sweet. That is a deadly combination. Sugar is a multi-billion dollar industry and just like smokers, we have been deceived for decades into thinking there is nothing wrong. This is just the beginning of our awareness. Lots of consumers still think that it is ok because we don’t understand the colossal problem we are facing.Many people still believe that sugar issues is far away from their lives. I know my mum always says: “I am too old to worry about the effects of sugar and since I am going to die anyway, I may as well enjoy what I like”. Just like it has taken a long time for smokers to understand the effects of cigarettes, it might take a few more years for the vast population to understand how damaging sugar is.

I have also heard many of my friends show proudly that they are drinking a “diet” type of soft drink and that somehow seems to make it all ok!! It is actually worse. Now you will have all the chemical additives, preservatives, colourings, flavourings etc to deal with. The chemicals have also changed names and can be labelled differently. Be aware if your food label says: “Additive 951”. There is NO safe artificial sweetener.

Not everybody who ingests these chemicals becomes ill immediately, if that was the case life would be much simpler and we would not have such a problem. Because of the time it takes for a symptom to appear, it is somehow difficult to connect it with particular foods.

What can you do? It will depend on how addictive you are to sugar and those foods. Many people who crave sugar have an overgrowth of candida and this needs to be looked at first. A good probiotic is needed as well as talking to a health practitioner about how you can control your cravings.

So back to the question about introducing a higher  tax to these foods. My PERSONAL opinion is that it may help get some people thinking about why the government is doing that and then getting them to do their own research, but I believe that unless we TEACH people about the risks and conditions caused my sugar, people will not be able to make an informed decision for their own health.

I would love to see some classes being taught at primary and high school to get children involved. They are the ones who will be able to educate society and even better, their parents. We need to work as a group and stop turning a blind eye to this horrible situation.

What do you think can be done to solve this problem? How can we all help?

Erika