To the editor:
As a parent, I am concerned about the amount of overweight Canadians I now see daily.
With Canadian stats reporting in 2014 that over 60 per cent of adults and 30 per cent of children and youth are either overweight or obese, why is it that pop sales are increasing exponentially in British Columbia?
With obesity a major risk factor for a plethora of illnesses from esophageal, colon and pancreatic cancers to hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, why are parents purchasing pop as a daily beverage instead of only on special occasions?
Perhaps I am dating myself; however, some of you will remember when we were kids having a pop was saved for special occasions, which may have been three to four times per year not per week.
There is a very serious set of consequences attached to high sugar level intakes and we, as a province, need to deal with it today.
The World Health Organization and the American Heart Association have both suggested daily consumption of sugar should be limited to less than 150 calories a day. With a typical can of pop holding 220 calories of sugar if we do the math this continues to prove that this should not be a daily part of our diets.
Obesity in adults currently costs British Columbian’s health-care system over $450 million per year and this sum is destined to increase dramatically as it reflects the burden of obesity-related diseases unless we do something to change it.
I have heard comments that the reason people in B.C. are drinking so much pop is that it is an inexpensive alternate to more health oriented less sugary drinks.
Maybe instead of reaching for a glass of pop when we are thirsty next time, we should consider reaching for a fresh glass of B.C. water to quench our thirst. The price is certainly right and the health benefits remarkable.
Kevin Anderson
Kelowna
