Save your pocketbook and begin the journey to better health
It is not hard to understand the outrage at Cook County's Sweetened Beverage Tax. We all know it is another pathetic attempt to squeeze more nickels and dimes out of residents under the guise of protecting and promoting public health. This tax really hits hard, gouging people's wallets with every can of pop they buy at the vending machine. Most of my former co-workers at various office jobs drank at least 3-5 cans of pop and sweetened fruit juices per day.
At least this pathetic attempt looks like it has failed and this week the County is expected to repeal this hated tax. But the tax will continue until December 1 so residents will still feel the pinch. In the meantime, the best way to protest the tax is to stop drinking these beverages.
Probably not the advice you wanted to hear. I understand because I have seen those sappy, sepia toned commercials on daytime TV supporting the tax. Sure, the children deserve to live happy and healthy lives, free of obesity and diabetes but this tax does nothing to alleviate the underlying conditions that create childhood obesity. Instead, the tax punishes anyone who wants to enjoy something as simple as a can of regular pop and happens to be in Cook County.
But do you really know how many calories your daily pop and juice habit costs you? Let's do the math on this one together. Sweetened beverages typically contain at least 100 calories per serving. A 12 ounce can of Coke contains 140 calories. Drink 5 cans a day at the office and add a whopping 700 calories to your diet. Let that number sink in for a bit. Seven hundred calories, more than a third of the daily recommended calories for the average woman. Men get off a little easier but that extra 700 calories still hurts their health.
Even worse, all those 700 calories are empty calories, providing zero nutrition as they add to our fat stores. Think about it. Do you really want to waste 700 calories on what you drink? For about a hundred calories less, you could enjoy a half pint of ice cream. Or that 300-400 calorie "muscle-replenishing, antioxidant" smoothie that you treat yourself to after a hard workout at the gym. Or you could come out ahead and simply eliminate those 700 calories from your daily diet altogether.
Let's use Cook County's tax as a wake up call to begin a journey to better health. It won't be easy to give all that sugary pop and juice. Start slow and decide to swap one can of pop for water or another unsweetened beverage. Allow yourself to feel the boredom and resentment from the bland, uninspiring taste of water and let these emotions pass through you. Think about the happiness you feel from not paying another penny into Cook County's bankrupt budget. Know that you are changing your health.
Commit to protesting the tax and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised with a slimmer waistline and less belly fat.
At least this pathetic attempt looks like it has failed and this week the County is expected to repeal this hated tax. But the tax will continue until December 1 so residents will still feel the pinch. In the meantime, the best way to protest the tax is to stop drinking these beverages.
Probably not the advice you wanted to hear. I understand because I have seen those sappy, sepia toned commercials on daytime TV supporting the tax. Sure, the children deserve to live happy and healthy lives, free of obesity and diabetes but this tax does nothing to alleviate the underlying conditions that create childhood obesity. Instead, the tax punishes anyone who wants to enjoy something as simple as a can of regular pop and happens to be in Cook County.
But do you really know how many calories your daily pop and juice habit costs you? Let's do the math on this one together. Sweetened beverages typically contain at least 100 calories per serving. A 12 ounce can of Coke contains 140 calories. Drink 5 cans a day at the office and add a whopping 700 calories to your diet. Let that number sink in for a bit. Seven hundred calories, more than a third of the daily recommended calories for the average woman. Men get off a little easier but that extra 700 calories still hurts their health.
Even worse, all those 700 calories are empty calories, providing zero nutrition as they add to our fat stores. Think about it. Do you really want to waste 700 calories on what you drink? For about a hundred calories less, you could enjoy a half pint of ice cream. Or that 300-400 calorie "muscle-replenishing, antioxidant" smoothie that you treat yourself to after a hard workout at the gym. Or you could come out ahead and simply eliminate those 700 calories from your daily diet altogether.
Let's use Cook County's tax as a wake up call to begin a journey to better health. It won't be easy to give all that sugary pop and juice. Start slow and decide to swap one can of pop for water or another unsweetened beverage. Allow yourself to feel the boredom and resentment from the bland, uninspiring taste of water and let these emotions pass through you. Think about the happiness you feel from not paying another penny into Cook County's bankrupt budget. Know that you are changing your health.
Commit to protesting the tax and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised with a slimmer waistline and less belly fat.