Not Necessary for Survival

The majority of sodas and juices are high in sugar; therefore the best solution for this obesity epidemic is adding an extra tax to high fructose beverages. Sugary drinks can lead to major diseases or health problems including heart diseases, diabetes or even premature death. Taxing sugary beverages would be the best solutions on preventing these health problems, since it would lower the percentage of people buying it. Many people are not rich, and barely have enough to eat and have the necessary stuff, so they couldn’t afford buying a sweet beverage. Americans don’t need sweet beverages to survive, they can live with water or less sweetened beverages.
In controversy, many people disagree and doubt that taxing sugary beverages would help in reducing health diseases. “If we taxed based on BMI, a 300-pound person could lose 10 percent of his or her body weight, but wouldn’t lower BMI significantly” (Ousborne 648). In other words, it might help in some sort of way, but it wouldn’t make much difference. It wouldn’t prevent the hearth attacks type two diabetes or other diseases; it would only reduce your body weight. It would also be too harsh on other people, and it would discriminate overweighed people. According to Kevin Keane, a senior vice president says at the American Beverage Association that, “sugar-sweetened beverages account for only 7 percent of the calories in the American diet” (Clemmit 801) which isn’t much of a difference.
The problem is that there are roughly 31.7 percent of children who are overweight, or contain health related problems, including premature death. There has to be something done, even when very little work is done, it helps in many ways. It probably won’t make a huge difference, but it will make a...

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...beverages will influence family members and even their children. The solution for removing all this kinds of deaths from Americans is by taxing high calorie beverages. People can’t afford paying extra for unhealthy food, making it a good plan for helping Americans lose weight and stop being obese people. Sweet beverages are no good, and not necessary for survival.

Works Cited

Clemmit, Marcia. “Sugar Controversies.” 30 Nov. 2012:n. pag. CQ Researcher. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
Ousborne, Jeff. “Does This Tax Make Me Look Fat.” Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. 12 ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen 12. Mardell. Boston: Bedford, 2012. Pq. Pg 647 – 650.
Engber, Daniel. “Let Them Drink Water.” Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. 12 ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen 12. Mardell. Boston: Bedford, 2012. Pq. Pg 632-633.