The peanut butter ban is due to allergies, and not all schools ban it. Some schools ban any kind of nut.
That's why a lot of flights (maybe all?) stopped serving peanuts, and why some baseball fields considering having 'peanut free' games (not sure what happened with that).
I thought that was due to children with peanut allergies. I very well could be wrong. Not necessarily saying I agree or disagree with a peanut butter ban, but I was under the impression it was for the safety of children with peanut allergies (same reason they banned peanuts on flights?).
I'm pretty sure it was due to allergies as well. They banned it because so many kids these days have deadly allergies to nuts.
Where I live, peanut butter is banned in elementary schools (K-6).
Edit: Oops, sorry, posted at the same time as Quiet Ballerina! Sorry for the redundant post.
Regarding the soda ban, I think they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.
In America, the very art of banning anything is just a political power play - and Americans are very pi$$y about just how far they will allow someone to tell them what they can or cannot do.
While it's necessary to make some laws for the safety of the general public, most things that get "banned" don't do that at all.
Ban x-large sodas (they make you fat)
Ban alcohol (prohibition, anyone?)
Ban pot (can't have all those relaxed people running round loose)
Ban certain books (can't have our kiddies reading *that!*)
Ban same-sex marriage (it desecrates the *true* meaning of marriage)
Ban dogs at the beach (dogs tend to poo outside & god forbid a human being step in dog poo)
Ban fat people from flying (too much weight in the rear of the plane could cause a problem)
Ban black people from drinking from the same water fountain as white people (sometimes it's hard to believe that truly occurred in our great nation!)
Ban women from breast feeding in public (the sheer scandal that a woman might use her breasts for what they were MEANT FOR... feeding a CHILD)
Ban THIS because someone doesn't like it...
Ban THAT because it offends a few over there...
BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN!!!!
WHERE DOES IT STOP? And just where do we draw the line that an adult should be able to make their own decisions concerning their own personal body?
Last edited by Beach Patrol; 09-17-2012 at 11:26 AM.
Nobody complained when peanut butter, a cheap easy form of healthy fats and proteins was no longer allowed in schools...what about poor families who can't afford to buy lunch meat for their kids' sandwiches? Peanut butter, in my opinion was a far greater loss to the kids growing up now than their massive soda cups.
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I believe the peanutbutter ban was because of allergy problems some children are allergic to peanuts. A severe allergic reaction can be very serious.
The ban will do nothing for those that want to drink more than the 16 oz. Even if they banned sodas in NYC all together, people would find a way like driving across to New Jersey and loading up on sodas. I'd rather see more attention placed on what's served in our school cafeterias and making sure we continue to push having calories fully displayed for all food times sold everywhere. I know I've changed my order at some of the restaurants when I've seen the calories displayed. I remember when I found out one of my favorite salads at Panera Bread was over 1000 calories. I had estimated 500 calories when I ordered this at least twice a week. No wonder I wasn't losing weight.
In America, the very art of banning anything is just a political power play - and Americans are very pi$$y about just how far they will allow someone to tell them what they can or cannot do.
While it's necessary to make some laws for the safety of the general public, most things that get "banned" don't do that at all.
Ban x-large sodas (they make you fat)
Ban alcohol (prohibition, anyone?)
Ban pot (can't have all those relaxed people running round loose)
Ban certain books (can't have our kiddies reading *that!*)
Ban same-sex marriage (it desecrates the *true* meaning of marriage)
Ban dogs at the beach (dogs tend to poo outside & god forbid a human being step in dog poo)
Ban fat people from flying (too much weight in the rear of the plane could cause a problem)
Ban black people from drinking from the same water fountain as white people (sometimes it's hard to believe that truly occurred in our great nation!)
Ban women from breast feeding in public (the sheer scandal that a woman might use her breasts for what they were MEANT FOR... feeding a CHILD)
Ban THIS because someone doesn't like it...
Ban THAT because it offends a few over there...
BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN-BAN!!!!
WHERE DOES IT STOP? And just where do we draw the line that an adult should be able to make their own decisions concerning their own personal body?
Amen!!!!
Sums up my thoughts.
It's too bad we're obsessed with "can'ts" over "cans."
They haven't banned them on flights... I just took 4 flights on Southwest Airlines last week and they gave me two bags of peanuts on each.
As for the topic at hand; I support it. Adults can choose to buy more soda if they wish, but I think that the benefits will be showing children what a more appropriate serving size is. 16oz is STILL a bit much for a child (8oz would be better IMO) but I think it's an improvement.
I doubt children will go and buy several sodas, however given the choice between a normal sized and "supersized" version for pennies more they would probably choose the latter (as would most of us, really.)
Had to jump in....The ban is the most misguided, ill thought experiment. I did not hit 284+ drinking soda. In fact, I drank diet most of the time because it made me feel like I wasn't eating that bad.
Great, let's take away the large drinks...it will leave more room for another big mac and fries. Now that has to be much healthier....Oh, better yet. What about the apple pies? Does it make since to anybody to ban a soda and not A MILKSHAKE? I can drink a 52 oz milkshake but not a 16 oz soda....Yea, I exaggerate but you get the point.
For me, I have three children and when we rarely eat in a McDonald's, I would buy one large drink and it would be enough for my entire family of 5 to share. My kids maybe get a drink from Mc Donald's once or twice a year. The ban applies to soda and sugary drinks. I think that includes the fruit punch and powerades. How about a movie theater? No more splitting with your hubby? Nope, fork out more money. If you really believe this is all about health, there's a bridge in Brooklyn at a really great price.....
Honestly, I am hoping this is just the start to banning of certain foods/sizes. You go to Europe and they have way more stuff banned -- and for good reason!
As mentioned before, this benefits the younger generation. They should not grow up thinking that a MASSIVE size soda is "the normal since it comes in one cup". Someone is far less likely to go back for a SECOND soda then they are to just order one giant one.
Also mentioned was how they have not banned HFCS. There will be people complaining about that being banned saying they should be allowed to eat it, just like the soda thing. No one can win!
This response shocked me. You want to see MORE bans? Banning Supersizing, King Size, Family Size, Extra Super Quadruple Big Gulp, etc is going to do NOTHING.
HFCS is basically sugar. Theyre digested differently depending on your glucose levels, but nutritionally they are the same. I think that a lot of the HFCS panic has to do with obesity/diabetes rates rising along with the use of it. However, there are a LOT of other factors (like the simple fact that calorie intake is increasing quickly) that factor into that.
Do you really want more bans? Doesn't the government treat us like children enough yet? You'll notice some other things in Europe that are different too, depending on the country. Drinking beer in public.... smoking basically anywhere.... peeing on the side of the road legally... not having giant signs everywhere that say "jumping off this cliff can lead to injury and death".
Most countries in Europe have double the percentage of smokers that we have and do not have a drinking age. There is only an age at which kids cannot buy alcohol, you're allowed to buy it for them. I pretty strongly agree with some of the things they do, and pretty strongly disagree with some of it. I'm not saying it's better over there, but I'm saying that while you may be impressed with their food bans, they're under a lot less of the other bans that we (sadly) have to deal with. The point is that I don't think Europe has focused on the same things we have and the differences between the 2 places show. Just because they ban certain things and tend to weigh less are they necessarily HEALTHIER than us? Who knows.
In the comment about parents handing out soda and chips outside schools after they were banned, I disagree with drinking soda in school but I understand the spirit of their campaign. How dare the government try to tell them what they can and cannot feed their children! If you dont want your child to think that 24 oz is a serving of soda, go get a CUP and pour him 8 oz. Do we really need the government to raise our children for us?
Another poster mentioned having nutrition facts available. I think this is an EXCELLENT idea. How can we make good choices if we're not informed consumers?
The nation really needs to stop and pause while thinking about our health. Threats and negative reinforcement do NOT create motivation. I'm a smoker, even though I hate that about myself, I'm simply not going to be motivated to quit because of smoking bans. We can't FORCE people to care about their health. 16 ounce sodas? I'll take two! Regular size candy bars? I'll just buy a bag like you do at Halloween. If anyone knows how hard it can be to change it is women on this forum. We all made a CHOICE to change. No one came into our homes and took away all of our food and put a gun to our heads. Women have lost husbands, boyfriends, jobs, and social lives because of their weight. I'm not saying it's a fair thing, but its true for some people (many of them visit this forum). Food is addictive like any other thing. Rehab doesnt work for people who dont want to quit using heroin (and that IS banned), and none of us quit doing the things we were doing until we were darn good and DETERMINED to.
Forcing people to change by cutting off their access to foods is NOT the American way. Do we want it to be?
Last edited by juliastl27; 09-19-2012 at 04:33 AM.
I live nowhere near NY or US, so I won't comment on this.
Around here, soda sizes are much, much smaller and we never get free refills. As for alcohol - you cannot buy or drink it until you're 21. And alcohol is only sold from 10 AM to 10 PM.
Unfortunately this ban has created a lot of laughter on local news here (we border NY state), the gist of it being that the US has begun to enact new laws to keep people from eating too much food, hence the ultimate "first world problem". Not saying that is my opinion (although I must admit it is a mind boggling concept and showing how far we have truly come from our roots as hunter-gatherers), but that is some outside perception... keeping in mind I come from a culture where sugar/fat is very popular but obesity is not common due to portion sizing.
Most people complained about the cigarette law too, but by this point it's done a lot of good. If someone needs 32 ounces of soda that badly, they can just buy two.
