In a letter published Dec. 16, Dr. John Clark of Dover-Foxcroft criticized a Dec. 9 op-ed commentary by Matthew Hritz stating that the state’s ad campaign against soft drink consumption should be stopped. The doctor cited an article by the Center for Sciences in Public Health Interest and added information about how the body processes glucose, most of which only doctors and nutritionists would understand.

Many health professionals agree that it’s nearly impossible to eliminate a food or beverage from one’s diet. Many advocate “everything in moderation” so people don’t feel deprived and won’t binge. Moderate doses of caffeine, about 2 milligrams per pound of body weight, the amount in two cups of coffee, an hour before activity can actually help some people’s athletic performance. When used in limited amounts, drinks containing caffeine aren’t likely to impair performance. Studies investigating the effect of sugar on children are inconclusive.

If eliminating sugar from children’s diets is the goal, maybe the ads should target foods like candy, sugared cereal and ice cream. The Dec. 16 letter asks how many people only drink eight ounces of soda, but how many people only eat a half-cup serving of ice cream? A half-cup serving of Ben & Jerry’s vanilla ice milk has 21 grams of carbohydrates and 17 grams of fat. Many people eat the whole container. That’s 84 grams of carbohydrates and 68 grams of fat.

What the state should do is refocus its campaign so that kids know when to say when to a variety of foods. The soft drink industry should not take all the blame for the shape our children are in.

Susan E. Bingham

Bangor