Oh, America. You were doing such a good job of cutting your sugar intake, but you’re back to drinking too many sugary beverages. Statistics released by the CDC in January show that after a decade of falling consumption, Americans of all ages are consuming the same amount of sugary drinks as they were in 2009-2010, which is when the last time the CDC published comparable data. [1]
A Vermont college just banned the sale of energy drinks on its campus, saying the beverages contribute to risky sex and unwanted behaviors.
Middlebury College Dining Services will no longer sell products like 5-Hour Energy, Red Bull, or Monster Energy on its campus. College officials have linked the beverages to “problematic behavior” such as alcohol abuse, and “high-risk sexual activity.” It says, also, that the drinks don’t contribute to the dining service’s mission to “nourish” its students.
When I was a young adult, unmarried, living at home, and trying to balance life as a night owl with a day job that started before 9 a.m., I regularly dumped 2 full spoonfuls of sugar into my coffee at a time, and my mother would look at me in horror and gasp, “That’s too much!” And she was right.
But that ain’t nuthin‘ compared to the amount of sugar you get in a Starbucks specialty drink – which, once upon a time, was a regular “treat” for me.
