Fighting Obesity With Soda Tax
A major problem in the United States, but in many more countries around the world, especially highly developed ones, is obesity. It is even more alarming if obesity affects a large number of children. Obesity can have far-ranging negative effects on a person’s health, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, various kinds of heart diseases, joint problems, sleep apnea, cancer, metabolic syndrome and different psycho-social effects.
Healthier Lifestyle and Higher Prices – Less Obesity
One of the ways to fight obesity and influence people toward a healthier lifestyle, among many others, is a soda tax, a specific taxing system aimed at specific soft drinks. The logic is straightforward and the comparable example are cigarettes – raising the price of a product through increased taxation will lower the demand, hence people will drink less sugary drinks. The comparison, some say, is not in place, since cigarettes are not food (we do not need to smoke, but we have to eat) and, will people drink less sugary drinks because of the tax or because of better available information concerning the negative effects of sugar intake? And so on…
Let us look at some important facts. People, generally, do not need access to „added“ sugars in their diet. There is no need to introduce sugars other than the ones typically found in foods people around the world consume every day. For instance, natural orange juice contains many kinds of natural sugars, but sugary drinks contain other extra sugars ( mostly based on high fructose corn syrup). Some studies show that more than half of sugar in our diet comes from drinking soda drinks, sport drinks and other sugary beverages.
Now, the main problem. Most of the ingredients found in sugary drinks with added sugars have no or very little nutritional value and healthy ingredients. There are very strong arguments, according to a growing number of scientific studies which confirm this, that these drinks are linked to obesity and diabetes. The problem exists because people, when they consume a high-calorie drink, do not feel full. Instead, to remedy this feeling, they eat and intake more calories. This means that drinking sugary drinks will not stop you from consuming food. And these extra calories will add up over time, causing weight gain.
Increase the Price – Lower the Demand
Some products are considered necessities, like milk and eggs. Even if the price of these increases, people will still continue to buy them. However, with products like sugary drinks, and many other, for that matter, which are not considered to be necessities (are not essential, staple food products), increased price usually means less demand and lower consumption. Consequently, this leads to lower calorie intake, and encourages weight loss.
Of course, besides the simple tax raise in order to raise the price of soda drinks, the complete strategy would also include organizing obesity prevention programs, setting up children’s health promotion funds and nutrition education programs in schools and communities. The money raised from this tax would be used, in short, to educate the people on the detrimental effects of sugary drinks consumption and promote healthier diet choices.
Compare The Bowflex Tread Climber & Max Trainer To Decide
September 13, 2016 by Daron Middleton • Workout Machines • Tags: bowflex, max trainer, treadclimber, workouts •
Both the Tread Climber and the Max Trainer are machines from the renowned fitness equipment company Bowflex. For anyone who is looking to get a good workout and who likes the Bowflex company, either of the machines would be a good selection. Of course each and every individual has different needs when it comes to working out, as well as different preferences. So it can help to look at a comparison of the Bowflex Tread Climber and the Max Trainer to see which one is better for you personally.
Any unbiased review is going to state that both of these machines as mentioned will give you a great workout. Personally, I have read some great reviews about both from the folks over at Flex Master. They give a great breakdown of the TC, and another solid write up about the MT. Some of their differences again deal with the type of workout they provide, which can cater to certain groups of individuals better than others. Another thing you want to know is that there are currently different models of each machine available. For example, there is a Max Trainer 3 and a Max Trainer 5.
When you take a look at the Max Trainer, you’re going to be thinking it’s an elliptical machine of sorts, and the Tread Climber resembles a stair climber. That is on difference you’ll notice right away just by sight. Again, to be fair, you have to compare the features of the different models. In this case, it might benefit you more to use the latest models, as those would be the ones you’re likely going to buy, unless you’re buying used fitness equipment.
The Tread Climber is known for an effective workout without causing you to have to move too quickly. It’s a low impact workout, yet you really get going still because you’re climbing. If you’re wondering how fast you can go, reviews say that you can climb up to four miles per hour. Don’t compare that to simply just walking on a treadmill, as the Tread Climber will get ya. Don’t worry about getting an effective workout with this machine.
When you’re comparing Tread Climbers, two examples would be the TC5000 and the TC3000. However, there’s also the TC5, the TC10 and the TC20. So you can see just how many models are available. Now, one thing you might want to know is if the machines are noisy. It is important to point out that the Max Trainer is supposed to be noisy, and that includes all models. As a matter of fact, it’s mentioned that the newer model is noisier than the older model.
The latest Max Trainer model has more levels of resistance, which is one thing you want to know about this particular machine for sure. In fact, it has 16 levels in comparison to the 8 levels of the previous model. The comparisons between these two types of machines and their various models goes much deeper than all of this though. You also need to be doing a price comparison, as fitness equipment isn’t cheap. You want to make sure that you get the right machine for your home so that you enjoy your workouts.