Dr. Manny: I support Bloomberg ban on supersize sodas

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Goodbye Big Gulp? NYC targets sugary drinks

Mayor Bloomberg seeks to ban sales of certain beverages over 16 ounces in anti-obesity effort

The Bloomberg administration in New York City has proposed new legislation that would ban ‘super-size’ sugary drinks served in cups greater than 16 ounces.

The city will be the first in the nation to impose a 16-ounce limit on the size of sweetened beverages sold in food establishments.  The ban will affect restaurants, movie theaters, stadiums and arenas, as well as mobile food carts.

Personally, I think it’s about time. Despite the fact that I hate government regulating how we behave, this one makes a lot of sense to me.  For decades, the sizes of drinks and food have gotten out of proportion.

Foreigners who come as visitors are often amazed by the portions of the foods that we serve in comparison to the rest of the world.

And of course, the fault lies in ourselves, because we keep asking for more and more, and companies are more than happy to oblige and find interesting ways to sell more.  Often this involves making foods or drinks larger and even more fattening.

We’ve come to celebrate restaurants that glorify high-fat, nutritionally deficit foods.  Take the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas, for example, which features ‘Triple Bypass Burgers’, and has landed in the news more than once this year after customers collapsed while eating.

I’m all for a free market economy, but at what cost?

There have been studies that have found correlations between food portion sizes and rates of obesity, blood pressure and heart disease.  A report by the CDC found portions increased 75 percent between 1977 and 1991 – unsurprisingly, we’ve observed huge jumps in obesity rates as well.

Studies have shown that people with more on their plates eat nearly 50 percent more than people who are served smaller portions.

So, in this case, I’m going to support Mayor Bloomberg. I hope other states follow suit, and hopefully we will all learn that moderation of anything is part of a good lifestyle.

Don’t kill the messenger.  Applaud the message.