Soft Drink Ban in Ontario schools

[Kevin]

I'd agree with this! Substitute teaching, I've learned tons about the schools... what goes on, what kids are doing lately.. most of ya'll would be shocked at some of the stuff I've heard from HS freshmen.

Anyhow.. these drinks are everywhere in schools. Many kids have 2-3 sodas per day. That's several hundred extra calories that most of their lazy butts will never burn off.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by ktsnake
I'd agree with this! Substitute teaching, I've learned tons about the schools... what goes on, what kids are doing lately.. most of ya'll would be shocked at some of the stuff I've heard from HS freshmen.

Anyhow.. these drinks are everywhere in schools. Many kids have 2-3 sodas per day. That's several hundred extra calories that most of their lazy butts will never burn off.

That's quite a bit! I hated pop (we call it pop in most of Canada) when I was a kid and didn't have my first one until I was 7 or 8. Even then, I was only allowed to drink it at birthday parties and other special occasions. For meals at home and even at restaurants, I had juice, milk or water.

[bcdphie]

The ban on pop will be throughout all Canadian elementary and jr. high schools.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by bcdphie
The ban on pop will be throughout all Canadian elementary and jr. high schools.

Oops...my mistake.

[Lady Pi Phi]

I didn't read the other posts, but removing soft drinks from veding machines in schools isn't going to help the obesity and health problems kids are facing.

The schools are still going to keep their contracts with the soft drink companies, but instead of soft drinks they will be replacing them with juices, fruit drinks and sports drinks. The Toronto District school board has a contract with Coca-Cola. Coke will be replacing their pop with Fruitopia, juice, iced tea and powerade. What I don't people realize is that these drinks contain just as much sugar as soft drinks. These drinks are not a healthy alternative for kids.

[sugar and spice]

Actually, considering the fact that before they had the option of diet soda and now they won't, from a standpoint of calories it'll be even worse.

The only thing it'll help with is the caffeine, which I think is more what they're aiming at.

[Dionysus]

A little sugar isn't going to hurt...too much.

I would've been pissed if they replaced my WHITE bread with wheat bread.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
I didn't read the other posts, but removing soft drinks from veding machines in schools isn't going to help the obesity and health problems kids are facing.

The schools are still going to keep their contracts with the soft drink companies, but instead of soft drinks they will be replacing them with juices, fruit drinks and sports drinks. The Toronto District school board has a contract with Coca-Cola. Coke will be replacing their pop with Fruitopia, juice, iced tea and powerade. What I don't people realize is that these drinks contain just as much sugar as soft drinks. These drinks are not a healthy alternative for kids.

The vending machines can always only sell the bottled water that Coke makes...D-something or other

ETA: It's called Dasani (sp)

[Lady Pi Phi]

Yeah I know, but I also know they won't only sell water. Kids don't want water. It's all about making money and Coke is going to try to make as much as they can.

If they really want to help kids they should start with the crap they serve in the cafetierias.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
they will be replacing them with juices, fruit drinks and sports drinks. The Toronto District school board has a contract with Coca-Cola. Coke will be replacing their pop with Fruitopia, juice, iced tea and powerade.

Exactly, a "fruit drink" is not the same thing as fruit juice (i.e. Sunny D is not orange juice, people).
And Powerade, etc. is full of coloring, sugar and chemicals.

And while pop/soda is loaded with sugar, I "ain't" convinced that Diet Pop is that great for you either...aspartame hasn't been around long enough for us to really know if it is all that "harmless".

Thank You.
The End.

[sugar and spice]

Aspartame's been around since 1981 and over 200 studies have claimed that it is safe to use. I think there was maybe one study that proved otherwise, and that was a badly carried out research project with a focus group that was far too small. Granted there's still the off-chance that some horrible side effect could pop up in the next few years, but it's unlikely given its record so far.

Some people worry about artificial sweeteners because studies have shown that one fake sweetener (saccharine, which is the same stuff as Sweet 'n' Lo) has been linked to cancer and they just assume that all artificial sweeteners are the same. But saccharine isn't the stuff that's in diet soda, and aspartame hasn't been linked to cancer.

Granted water is still better and nobody should drink too much diet soda (too much comes out to more than one or two a day depending on how old the kid is) but any well-qualified nutritionist recommends diet soda over regular. Let's say you drink two sodas a day -- if you replace those with diet sodas, you've cut out enough cals to lose roughly 35 pounds in a year. And let's face it, at this point obesity is a much bigger issue for kids than the possible but unlikely health risks of aspartame.

[Lady Pi Phi]

There is nothing wrong with aspertame. I think caffine is a bigger issue than that.
I am a diabetic and I only drink diet pop. I love pop and if there wasn't diet pop I would go nuts.
When I was diagnosed I was told the amount of aspertame that I could have in a day was equivilent to 24 cans of diet pop.
Now I don't drink 24 cans a day (I would be bouncing off the walls because of all that caffine if I did), but I have to agree there is nothing wrong with aspertame.