Stop the guilt trip, please

For a little over a month soda drinkers in Maine have been given a guilt trip by the Bureau of Health, which is urging Maine families to cut back on their soda consumption. The ad doesn’t tell to you stop drinking it altogether, it merely says to drink less or find a healthier drink, but the tone of the ad is nonetheless critical.

Showing an overflowing glass of soda, saying is it sweet enough for you makes all soda drinkers out there feel like they are being talked down to.

The goal is to stop teenagers and families from being overweight. Good idea, but there are other ways to do this then attack people drinking soda. Just stop the ad and stop the guilt trip.

The bureau’s ad campaign states that an average teenager consumes 870 cans of soda a year. That is a little over two cans a day. That’s not really a lot of soda consumption, but apparently the Bureau of Health thinks so.

According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals shows that 22.5 percent of 12-16-year-olds consumed no soft drinks on the day of the survey. Fifty percent only had one 12 ounces serving or less and fewer than 25 percent of kids had more than one soft drink. Only 5 percent had three or more.

Sugar and calories are two components that the bureau seems to be attacking in sodas, but if you compare soda to other drinks it is not as bad as you may think.

In an 8 oz. portion of Coca-Cola soda there are 27 grams of sugar and 97 calories. When you compare that to orange juice 27 grams and 112 calories, apple juice 28 grams and 111 calories, and grape juice 32 grams and 128 calories, soda isn’t as bad as you may think.

The impression one gets is that soda is the cause for kids and such being overweight.

The fact is that obesity is caused by too many calories and not enough physical activity. It is not because of soda or any single food. The bottom line here is to eat a diet based on a variety of foods and eat in moderation along with regular physical activity.

This is what the bureau of health should be emphasizing and promoting and not attacking people who drink soda.

According to the American Dietetic Association all beverages including carbonated soft drinks have a place in a well-balance eating pattern.

Soft drinks can actually contribute to a diet in two ways. Soda is predominately water so they can help quench thirst and meet the body’s fluid requirement, which is about two quarts of liquid a day. Also, soft drinks sweetened with sugar provide carbohydrates, which are readily available to the body for quick energy.

In the end soda is the not the root of all evil here. While it may not be one of the healthiest out there, it is still fine to drink.

Just don’t go overboard in drinking it. Like everything else, eat and drink in moderation. Instead of solely attacking soda and television viewing as of late, let’s refocus the ads on promoting healthy eating habits and exercising.

Matthew Hritz is a junior majoring in journalism at the University of Maine.