Michael Medici Bloomberg

I’ve blogged before about NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s mandated improvements to the dietary habits of the city’s residents, but his influence has reached far beyond banning trans fats and gallon containers of soft drinks. After 12 years, Bloomberg will leave office at midnight December 31st with The New York Times reporting that his stint has mayor has cost $US650 million ($AUD730 million) of his own money. From the tropical fish tanks he installed in city hall, across staff meals, charitable gifts, campaign funds, private plan travel through cultural philanthropy and much more, the man can only be compared to a modern-day Medici.

Eschewing the normal mayoral salary of $US2.7million, accepting just $US1.00/year, then pouring funds from a seemingly bottomless well into all manner of causes, could be reasons for his three terms in office. But extraordinary philanthropy aside, it’s worth looking to Bloomberg’s other legacies, crime reduction, sidewalk safety, skyline-altering construction, gun-reform, immigration control and volunteerism, because it’s unlikely that New York or any other metropolis will see the likes of Michael Bloomberg again.

Maybe not, but then we do live in extraordinary times, so who knows?

Soft drinks are in the spotlight...

While walking early this morning, the picnic detritus after Australia Day celebrations brought to mind the initiatives aimed at cutting the consumption of soft drinks. Sadly this is shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted and particularly irritating is Coca-Cola’s holier than thou bleating about everybody “working together” to provide low-calorie options. Never mind that Coca-Cola penalises buyers by charging more for smaller quantities, puts vending machines in schools and other institutions and markets aggressively in developing nations with door-to-door sellers preying on the ignorant and ill-informed who think that a sugar drink is a healthy drink. All of that won’t go away in a hurry because it would drastically affect the bottom line of the company and good guys like New York’s Mayor Bloomberg, who has filed a lawsuit to ban jumbo-sized soft drinks, is a man with a difficult furrow to hoe. 

But whatever the industry might and might not be doing, the facts are clear: sugar-containing soft drinks are devoid of nutrition, fattening, do not quench thirst and are directly linked to depression and anxiety. Don’t wait until your kids have developed a taste for them. Don’t look to manufacturers, governments or public officials to do something - do it yourself. 

Your own diet during pregnancy has a huge bearing on the diet your child will favour. Wholefoods grown on healthy soil set taste-buds to appreciate subtle flavours of vegetables and fruit. Make sure your zinc status is adequate during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This ensures adequate taste sensation in your child, which means he’ll be less likely to reach for very sweet, salty or spicy food or drink. Breastfeed and offer only water when other drinks are required. 

Tell your children why you do what you do, why they eat and drink what they do and always set a good example! Explain that each can of soft-drink has seven teaspoonsful of sugar which is seven teaspoonsful more than they need to fuel their brain and body! Kids can understand a story simply told and that some particular foods and drinks aren’t for daily consumption. They can also be quite righteous in their avoidance so watch out for any infringements. 

They might even influence their peers! Think about that  ... a young, water-drinking, soft drink-avoiding, vending machine-boycotting peer-pressure group! Bring it on!