The pros and cons of obesity officially being a disease

While other groups have considered obesity to be a disease for some time now, the same statement coming from the world's largest medical body carries a great deal more weight (no pun intended).  Last week on Wednesday, June 19, the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to officially recognize obesity as a disease, which could radically change how the condition is treated by both doctors and policy makers alike.  Despite its name, the AMA's decision has spurred discussion way beyond national borders, with headlines popping up the world over on how it will effect the international medical community - both the good and bad.

And we're back! A returning announcement and new mission statement

It's been a long time but I have finally taken this blog off hiatus and am returning with regular updates. A small number of you may remember Sugar Rush as a class project I started more than a year ago. At the time it was meant to examine state and city restrictions on sugary foods and drinks as a way to effectively combat the country's obesity epidemic. While this is still an interesting topic that I plan to keep exploring, the blog's scope is going to be expanding to cover a wider variety of wellness topics as well though still keeping a nutritional/lifestyle bent. People often think that living healthy means giving up just about everything worth living for - chocolate, your favorite fast food joint, alcohol, etc. - or switching to expensive organic foods and products or a drastic lifestyle change you just don't have time for right now. Sugar Rush will hopefully make this all a little less intimidating and all encompassing. Highlighting new ideas, as well as debunking some outdated ones, on how to stay healthy without becoming a neurotic.

Soda Taxes Beginning to Bubble Up

View Soda Taxes bubbling up in a larger map


Though we may not be seeing something like Denmark's "Fat Tax" in the States anytime soon, legislation is popping up around the country to cut down on the one of the biggest and most infamous sources of obesity.  This map points out the varying levels of taxation with thumbtack representation - plus a few other facts.


Key: 
$ - highest level of additional sales tax on soda at 7%
Green thumbtack - 5.75% to 6.5% tax
Light blue thumbtack - 4% to 5.5% tax
Yellow thumbtack - 1% to 3%
No thumbtack - No tax
Fast food icon - high levels of consumption and other facts

Soda Marketing and the American Teen

When you're trying to get people into healthy habits - be it a more nutritional diet, creating exercise routines, etc, most of the focus is going to be on an ad campaign promoting these goals.   Some focus will be on discouraging sugary food and drinks, loafing on the couch, video games and so on.  Recently, healthy initiatives have to expend more and more  effort into pushing against this seemingly implacable structure that is the snack industry. 

But no one really considers that it might start pushing back.

You Know When Everyone Jokes that They Have a Sugar Addiction?