I stand by my stand!

Amy at http://www.diabetesmine.com comments:

Obviously, I disagree. I do think you have to “look a gift horse in the mouth” sometimes if ethics, hypocrisy, and/or dangerous messages are at stake.

Of course Cadbury also makes some “good” products. That is not the issue. On the whole, they represent the companies that are fostering BAD HEALTH with their aggressive marketing of sugary, non-nutritious foods. I think we do well to question their motives here…

Yes, it is good for the ADA to get an influx of money, but at what price?

Amy — and the rest of the people who think this way is guilty of wrong thinking about food. I think that is very dangerous for both diabetics and parents. There are really NO wrong foods.

Gee, I ate a Snickers bar this afternoon. It tasted very good, and it solved a problem I was having — I was having trouble maintaining my blood sugar level. I choose a Snicker’s bar over several other vending machine choices primarily because of the combination of sugar, chocalate and peanuts. There are times I’ll choose pure sugar — if I am having a sudden crash. Other times I might choose chips.

As I said before — there are no “bad” foods and really no “junk” foods. Carbs aren’t bad, protein and fat isn’t bad. We need all of them, we just have to choose wisely.

There are no bad food manufacturers, either. The ADA is not accepting money from evil doers at all.

As for parents, labeling food bad or forbidden DOES lead to food disorders. I’ve seen it in my students, and I saw it in myself and others in the numerous attempts at controlling my weight in group settings.

One of the healthiest things you can do for children is to teach them how and when to eat appropriate foods. Not labeling things as bad or forbidden. That goes for a lot of other items we ingest too.

Comments

5 responses to “I stand by my stand!”

  1. AmyT Avatar

    Obviously, I disagree.
    It’s not just about making certain items “taboo.” I have lived in other countries, and have seen how food is treated and marketed, and I think many companies are doing a disservice to consumers in America.

  2. AmyT Avatar

    On the other hand, I’m the one who has been saying “every individual is responsible for their own healthful lifestyle,” and I still believe that’s true. I don’t think we can sue every company that makes desserts or sweetened drinks, of course.
    BUT I don’t like the idea that large corporations making their money off over-hyped, non-nutritous snack foods are making themselves look like heroes by throwing money at strategically selected causes. THAT’s my beef here.

  3. Shannon Lewis Avatar
    Shannon Lewis

    Hi Kathleen,
    I’m the parent who is against the alliance like Amy is. I don’t label foods as taboo. I prefer to give my son more nutritious foods to treat a low such as 100% juice. I don’t believe carbs or sugary foods are bad. I restrict them to special occasions, therefore I label them as “special treats”. The Schweppes/ADA alliance flies in the face of all that the ADA promoted nutrition wise. If you asked the ADA if sugary Schweppes products are OK to consume, I’m sure they would’ve have said to consume them rarely if ever or opt for the diet products. Now that the ADA is accepting money from them, I see their tune has changed.
    Thanks for hearing me out 🙂

  4. type1dad Avatar

    100% juice is mostly sugar. Hawaiian Punch Light – by Cadbury Schweppes – 100% of vitamin C and only 10 calories. Free for type 1s. Motts applesauce -CS product- made without added sugar. Sure they make a lot of crap but when my daughter was first diagnosed it was hard as hell to find anything besides diet soda to drink. TAKE THE MONEY! TAKE THE MONEY! If diabetes is cured would we really even be having this discussion?

  5. Shannon Lewis Avatar
    Shannon Lewis

    The reason why I give my son juice is to treat his lows. He needs pure sugar to raise them quickly. And most of the time we give him glucose tabs. Juice is not a part of his regular diet…he drinks water or milk. You can’t treat a low with Hawaiian Punch Light or Motts applesauce. It’s really the principal of the matter as far as my opinion of the alliance goes and it’s not like my opinion will stop the ADA from taking money from Schweppes. It’s OK to have a healthy debate over what we think is OK or not OK. I think you all bring up good points, but it’s OK if some people don’t agree with them.

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