NEW YORK—People throughout the city are taking pledges to avoid sugary drinks for a week, as part of NYC Go Sugary Drink Free, of the nationwide Food Day initiative.
On Monday, passersby got a lesson as to why avoiding sugary drinks may be the right way to go, as a NYC Go Sugary Drink Free booth on Times Square gave out information. Among the health impacts from soft drinks are obesity, tooth decay, heart disease, and kidney stones, according to the 2005 report, “Liquid Candy: How Soft Drinks Are Harming Americans’ Health,” from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
One high school kid proudly declared “We just took a pledge to go sugar-free for a week,” near the booth. Another chimed in “Can we start tomorrow?” after a volunteer told a group about the program.
They planned to load up on sugary drinks from Duane Reade before their week of sugar denial began.
“We hear about it at school,” said Reggie, a sophomore at Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts, before taking the pledge. “A lot of people [at school] think that if you drink a lot of soda, you’re a junk food junkie, but if you don’t drink soda at all, [they think] you’re actually a health nut.”
“That’s 18 teaspoons of sugar,” said Cathy Nonas, pointing at a half-dozen water bottles marked soda. The sugar was equivalent to the amount in a 20 oz. soft drink.
Nonas is the director of the New York City Department of Health (NYCDH) Physical Activity and Nutrition Program. The NYCDH was responsible for requiring calorie counts in fast food restaurants and the complete ban of trans fat in the city, and made the special edition Food Day broadsheet’s “Terrific 10,” which is “improving Americans’ diets, health, and the environment.”
The NYCDH is pressuring the food industry to lower sodium levels and make fresh produce available in food deserts.
NYC Go Sugary Drink Free is also educating against sweet teas, sports drinks, and juices that have high amounts of sugar, and has been widely implemented throughout the city.
Legislation has banned sugary drinks from day cares and school vending machines, while city agencies are prohibited from ordering them for catered lunches or meetings, according to Nonas.
“It’s Time to Eat Real, America!” boldly proclaims a headline on a special edition, eight-page broadsheet for Food Day.
Indeed, in Times Square, a highlight was learning how to identify ingredients that typically do not show up in home-cooked meals—including high-fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, and maltodextrin. Learning how to avoid them was highlighted.
The independent and privately funded organization Food Fight, founded by former NYC schoolteachers Carolyn Cohen and Deborah Lewison-Grant, is in 15 city schools. The elective class focuses on exploring views of food and its impact on our lives, and includes teaching youth how to cook their own meals instead of relying on fast food—which is full of additives.
Subjects include food politics, titled “What’s in the Food,” and media branding, described as “how sophisticated and multi-dimensional advertising & branding tactics have become.”
The issues have drawn heavy public interest. There has been a federal deadlock over labeling Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which are foods that are genetically manipulated to increase crop yields and weather drought better. Critics warn these foods have harmful effects. There is a push in California to introduce legislation to label them.
Food-product advertisements are a worry, particularly for youth who are typically shown ads for unhealthy products; 97.8 percent of food advertisements viewed by children two to 11 years old and 89.4 percent viewed by adolescents 12 to 17 years old were high in fat, sugar, or sodium, according to a study done by the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal in 2007.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) were the Honorary Co-Chairs for Food Day 2011. The event is sponsored by the non-profit watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest.
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley spoke at the Times Square event, while Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn addressed the food manufacturers’ business and networking expo at Baruch College.
Nyc.gov’s newest portal, NYC Food, was also launched on Monday in honor of Food Day, along with a tumblr page for New Yorkers to share recipes.
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