How Would I Base a Lesson on the New York Sugary Drinks Ban?

In an attempt to curtail the obesity epidemic, Mayor Bloomberg of New York City proposed a ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces in public places such as restaurants, street carts, sporting venues, and theaters. This ban would not extend to diet drinks. Our discussion of the ban in class sparked very heated conversation. There seemed to be a fairly general consensus in our class (at least with the people I talked to) that this ban will be completely ineffective. While I see that what the ban is trying to achieve is positive and important, I agree with this consensus. Several fellow MAC interns related this ban to prohibition, which was obviously a failure. People don’t like being told how to live their lives. Also, people would still be able to purchase these drinks. Large sizes would still be available in grocery stores and they could always buy more than one small drink. I would like to talk to someone who supports this ban in order to better understand his or her line of thinking. For this blog post, we have been asked to incorporate this ban into a high school lesson.  

I plan to teach biology. A discussion of the politics involved in this ban will not be particularly useful in biology class. I would, however, introduce the topic and allow students to briefly discuss their opinions. I believe, however, that a better approach to the obesity problem is nutritional education. In my opinion, the government shouldn’t just start banning all unhealthy food, but they should work on better educating the public about nutrition. I would then launch into a discussion about the effects of excessive sugar on our bodies, namely obesity. I would then link obesity to heart disease and diabetes. I would also discuss the issue of hydration. Many kids believe that they are being adequately hydrated by energy drinks and other heavily caffeinated beverages. This is a myth that needs to be dispelled. Caffeine is a diuretic, which is ultimately dehydrating. Sugar also has dehydrating effects. I would, therefore, discuss the wonderfully healthy effects of drinking water and how all of our important bodily functions that rely heavily on plain old H₂O.

One of the biggest surprises to me is the exclusion of diet drinks in the ban. There is so much discussion in popular media right now about the unhealthy and dangerous effects of artificial sweeteners. This information has gone so far as to say that regular pop is actually better for you than diet pop. I would provide the students with information that supports both sides of this argument. This is an important discussion to have with students who may think that they are making a healthy decision when opting for Diet Coke instead of a regular Coke.

Another exercise would be to compare different beverages. What are the sugar differences between pop and fruit juices? What do we have to watch out for when juice labels incorrectly say “all-natural” or “made with real fruit”? Teaching students how to be investigators when it comes to finding the healthiest food is very important. This involves teaching students how to read the nutrition facts and ingredients of the food they choose. I want my students to be knowledgeable and aware of what they are putting in their bodies.

                                           http://blog.fooducate.com/tag/sugary-soft-drinks/ 

                                          What a great lab experiment! 

At the end of the class, I would again ask the students of their opinions on the ban to see if it has changed. Is it necessary to actually prohibit people from consuming these beverages or will simple education of their dangers be sufficient?