Veggie Scene: Clinton Supports Supersize Soda Ban

New Yorkers soon may not be able to say "supersize me", at least when it comes to soda.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg has proposed a city-wide soda ban. The ban would only effect large-sized sugary drinks such as soda, punch and some sports drinks.

While many are crying foul and using terms like "nanny state" to describe the bill, one prominent figure has offered his support.

Former president and current vegan Bill Clinton shared in an interview on CNN that the soda ban could be a good first move to help fight the war against type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Clinton talked about the fact that many Americans are now consuming too much sugar to be able to live healthy lives. The health-care crisis caused by consuming this extra sugar is costing tax-payers and consumers more money at the doctor and on health insurance premiums.

"We've got this explosion of diabetes in America among young people. For the first time, type 2 diabetes is showing up in 9-year-olds and among baby boomers who are retiring. It's a terrible human tragedy, and its basically too much sugar going into the body, we can't process it all."

We at Veggie Scene agree that something must be done to limit the sugar intake of the average American. Is a ban on large drinks really going to accomplish a change in behavior though? Already, many people have said that they will just purchase multiple small drinks and still consume the same amount of soda.

We think a better option would be adding a tax to sugary drinks. Take that tax and use it to help drive down the cost of healthy whole foods. Also use that income to increase the availability of healthy foods in city areas where they have no access to fresh produce. Just limiting access to bad foods is not enough to allow people to really make a change in the type of food that they consume.

While we do feel that more must be done, it is clear that sugar consumption must decrease in America. Whether the soda ban will actually accomplish this goal is yet to be seen. At least we are trying something though, and hopefully it will at least get people to think about the nutritional choices they are making.