Mike from our community posted something within our community forum (thank you Mike). I shared it on social media and it’s caused some conversation and reactions. I want to include you in on the conversation and give you a heads up about a free online workshop I created.
This should be illegal to market to children, what do you think? By the way 93 grams of sugar is equal to 19 teaspoons of sugar.
Notice I said “illegal to market”, not illegal to sell. Freedom to sell things is important, even if I don’t happen to like it. (wink)
If people want to do drugs or smoke cigarettes, they can have free choice to do so. There are laws so cigarette and liquor companies cannot market towards children.
Now sugar, that’s a different story. Sugar is 8 times more addictive than heroine or cocaine. Click here for the short version of the science behind this.
Why don’t we have laws in place in the United States that restrict marketing sugar and junk food to young children? I live in the states and I know there are many grass root efforts. We have what I would consider a corporate oligarchy when it comes to our food system. A handful of companies and an elite few control our food system. This makes short term change challenging.
The money spent on selling sugar in the United States in particular, is staggering. Coca Cola spent $269 million on advertising Coke in the states and Pop Tarts spent $32 million last year. Here is a quote from the article:
“Despite the fact that fruits and vegetables are the only foods that experts encourage us to eat with abandon, all fruits, vegetables, and nuts are considered “specialty crops” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Less than five percent of land planted with food goes to growing fruits and vegetables. More than 50 percent goes to growing soybeans and corn, to feed animals and refine into sugar.”
In contrast, there are over 8 countries that are taking action against junk food marketing to children.
How will the United States get on that new marketing train?
You + Me + Education.
Okay, back to this conversation I’ve been in with people on social media that I want to include you in on. We were looking at this McDonald’s advertisement for a shamrock shake that markets to children and adults alike with 93 grams of sugar!
Many people are chiming in and saying things like:
“yuck” or “disgusting” and some are sharing how good it tastes.
Some are sharing that this is about education and teaching people how bad this is for them.
I could not agree more that it is about education. Education is where it all begins.
Another person was sharing that she spent 25 years dieting and starving herself because of her weight. She shared that it was her biggest source of stress and angst and that the struggle ruled her life. She ended up reducing her sugar and dropped 25 pounds in 40 days. She went on to lose 85 lbs! She explained that she was eating a lot of other foods and not sugary ones and her weight came off.
I started wondering a few things…
- Do people know how much sugar impacts brain health, hormones and the body’s ability to gain or lose weight?
- Do children know how they are being marketed to with products that can hurt their development and brain health?
- Do parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and caregivers know how both they are their loved ones are being targeted by marketing companies?
- Do people realize how much the constant marketing of sugar, driven by the subsidies that we give our agricultural industry for corn, soy and refined sugar, are psychologically impacting them, their family and children?
- Do you know about the fact that sugar hides inside 74% of our packaged foods and this makes it challenging for people to stop eating so much sugar, even though they may want to.
I am curious if people within our growing community realize the addictive dependency that sugar/fructose/artificial sweetener creates on a person’s physical, emotional and mental self.
Do you know how much excess sugar impacts you in your daily life?
These questions and so many more inspired me to create an online workshop on the topic, called:
The 4 Types of Sugar Addiction: How To Control Your Relationship With Food, Create Long Term Harmony and Become Truly Happy On The Inside
We must start with educating ourselves first. Knowledge is powerful. Learn the 4 types of addiction to sugar and which of those 4 ways is impacting you most.
I hope you join me and so many members of our community on this free online workshop and in the revolution to create change in our body and minds.
Talk with you soon,
Renee
PS. Remember, seats are limited for the online workshop, whether you’ll be with us LIVE or desire the recording make sure you register here.