MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES

Nov 26, 2018 Editorial

Many of us prefer sweet beverages because they are tempting, refreshing to drink and easy on our pockets, but they are dangerous for our health. They can wreak havoc on our health by making us obese, or procure diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, or cancer, among others.
Doctors and medical experts have constantly warned us to curb our desire for soft drinks and sugary juices and to replace them with healthier options such as water, coconut water or natural juices.
Curbing our appetite for sugar and sugary beverages could help reduce the skyrocketing levels of non-communicable diseases in the country and the accompanying huge health care costs.
Everyone should make healthier choices by reducing their intake of sugary drinks, which are detrimental to our health, and could significantly reduceour life span.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the sugar levels in locally made soft drinks and juices are way too high and far exceed the entire daily maximum sugar intake for adults and especially children. The WHO also revealed that the high levels of sugar intake have driven children to become hyperactive.
In the interest of the health of the public, local manufacturers should lower the amount of sugar in their products. Interestingly, our leading local beverage manufacturer, Banks Holdings Limited has revealed that its efforts to produce low calorie or no-sugar soft drinks and juices have not been received with enthusiasm by the public. This is supported by several studies which show that the people, mostly children preferred the taste of sugary drinks and juices, even though, in most cases, the prices for the non-sugary drinks were the same and in some instances or lower than the sugar counterparts.
The fact that consumers continue to opt for sugary drinks as demonstrated over the years, local manufactures should in no means be averse to the prospect of supplying lower sugar offerings to consumers. On the contrary, they should help to improve the health of the public by assisting and working with the Ministry of Public Health and other key stakeholders, including the Diabetes Association of Guyana in the production of flavorful lower sugary drinks.
It is important for the government to educate the masses of the danger of sugary drinks in order to dampen their thirst and reduce their appetite. The WHO has contended that the tax on sugary drinks in Guyana and the Caribbean is way too low and should be raised to at least 20 percent or more in order to help change the consumption patterns of the people and to prevent them from sipping their way to ill-health and eventually death,
It has become clear that statistics on the epidemic of NCDs currently gripping the country are alarming and the deaths and the suffering of family members, friends and neighbours with diabetes, cancer or kidney disease, should convince the people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
There is no doubt that the Government has a critical role to play in reducing NCDs and hence health care costs. It must provide effective and easy-to-understand information to educate and encourage people to make healthier choices by reducing or refraining from using sugary beverages.
The government should ensure that nutritious beverages are readily available for public consumption and that they are not priced out of the reach of average citizens. Moreover, decisive action must be taken to ensure children are not exposed to sugary beverages and snacks at school.
Ultimately, the decision to stop using sugary products, whether it is soft drinks or juices or snacks lies with each and every individual. Most adults are aware that these are bad for their health. It is their interest to take care of their health and that of their children, not the government, not the doctor or the beverage manufacturers. Getting rid of bad habits is admittedly difficult but is not impossible. If the value of life and the will to live does not motivate us, nothing will.