Could a tax on chocolate (hmmm... chocolate) be the answer to the obesity crisis?

I live in Australia, about a year ago they introduced a tax for "Alco-pops" (the lolly water alcoholic drinks) to stop teens from spending their pocket money on alcohol. Well guess what, it didn't work, the tax was overturned this weeks, my alcho-pops will be cheep again and it's cost the government 3 million dollars?

Fact is, we all have free will, if we want something we will get it, and it's not chocolate that makes most people fat... it's all the processed and deep fried food that is cheap and available.. then again if it was cheap, I'm sure they'd still find their way to get their hands on it

Cherry

The answer to obesity is twofold.
1) Sit back from the table once in a while.
2) Get up off your hole and do something energetic.

reply to post by whoswatchinwho


Yeah, like this will actually solve anything. They are still going to eat unhealthy foods, and chocolate is not one of them. Actually eating chocolate is healthy for you in moderation. I do not like chocolate at all, but I am not obese either, I am actually within my healthy weight range. That's because I don't eat fast food at all, we never go out to eat, and if we do we go to a nice place. We as a family eat a healthy balance of foods, like meat, carbs, fruits and vegetables. If other people actually balanced out their foods in this way they would no longer be obese,plus being active and eating right does wonders!!

No, they cant tax my chocolate. Or my coffee. Seems to me they would be better off taxing Mcdonalds food any day. Over 1 Billion burgers sold and still going. Yet they are so full of grease. Yet kids love them and cant get enough of them. Makes you wonder why they dont put a huge tax on those things. That would make us all a lot less fatter.

Originally posted by whoswatchinwho

Could a tax on chocolate (hmmm... chocolate) be the answer to the obesity crisis?

www.dailymail.co.uk

Dr Walker, a who works as a GP near Glasgow, said a chocolate tax would make the country healthier and help defuse the obesity timebomb.

Yesterday, his call for the British Medical Association in Scotland to back his stance was defeated by just two votes.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
news.bbc.co.uk

Chocolate (i mean TRUE chocolate, with cocoa butter.......) isn't the reason of obesity.
The problem is people never stop eating, all day long!
Have three meals a day, and stop eating between them...........That's enought!

You may actually have stumbled upon the answer to a different World wide problem. Firstly, no I don't think that taxing chocolate will cure obesity, but here's my theory...
If the girls I work with are any indication at all... a tax on chocolate may solve the world financial crisis!

Well, there's always another alternative....

Grow your own Cacao tree in a greenhouse, pick the berries, and grind them up on a heavy pestal and mortar like the ancients did. Heck, freshly ground cacao without the natural oils removed, and not some brown bar mixed with processed sugars, dairy and wax? I'd try that one!

Wasn't there an ancient civilization in South America who believed that cacao ground with peppers, served as a hot drink, had mystical effects? I need to look that one up, but I seem to recall a story like this.

First of all obesity is not affecting everyone so it might have a lot more to do with certain body types. Some people eat and eat and never gain a pound, others eat very little and gain weight daily.

Second, most people eat a lot because their bodies are craving the nutrients we all need but are no longer in our soils.

Third, most obese people are poor and unable to afford over priced fruits and vegies because we have to buy them from other countries instead of our own.

Fourth, starch items and fast food are just cheaper to buy.

Fifth, I think on a very inner level most people know what is really happening and feel very powerless to stop it and so eat out of an inner depression and fear.

We always accuse people who are fat or overweight that it is because of them consuming to much food.
I have never had a weight problem until my last pregnancy, and I weigh the same as I did the day my youngest was born. I breast fed all my children and returned to my normal weight in six weeks. Not this time, my thyroid just said no.

I consume a healthy diet and am lucky if I can eat 1300 calories a day. But all these weightloos people want me to eat even more food.

One day chocolate is bad for you, another it has many health benefits. Coffee, Eggs, Red Meat, Wine,etc.

We are so hung up on the issue of eating in general, but we all eat. Maybe if we loved each other regardless of our weight, color, gender, etc. people could relax and the less stress might do more to help the obesity and disease care issues.

I had men talk to me often when I was thinner, but the minute I gained the weight during pregnancy and not lose it, they avoid me.

We vhave been taught so well by the media industry and Hoolywood, to see obese people as some kind of sickness to stay away from lest we catch it.

I eat chocolate and I don't gain weight, I also don;t lose it, but to blame any one thing or reason on weight gain just demonstrates or controled thinking and our absolute ignorance.

reply to post by whoswatchinwho


Of course, the more taxes the better right ?

The government will use your money much better than you could.

They are so pure and trustworthy.

They have the highest morals, just ask the Ms. Palfrey, oh wait she is dead.

Any money you might have would much better be given to the
wonderful ppl in DC so they can "SAVE THE WORLD" from "X".

We really need to skip all these small taxes and move to 100% tax.

Then things would be 100 % more better !

LOL

Yeah right...



[edit on 21-3-2009 by Ex_MislTech]

reply to post by emeraldzeus

On the Cacao you are quite right.

Cacao

They also found out it is a very powerful anti-oxidant.

Cacao as one of the 5 major anti-oxidants ?



[edit on 21-3-2009 by Ex_MislTech]

reply to post by spiritwomyn
Also some obesity has been linked to a type of bacteria.

Some Obesity linked to bacteria in the gut

But, even with this evidence we still need to send all our money to DC
because they need it to fix EVERYTHING !

Because we are HELPLESS !

LOL

Yeah...right...