Can Fat Tax Make U.S. Skinny?
This past week, Denmark became the first country in the world to implement the much talked about ‘fat tax’ making foods high in saturated fats more expensive. In an effort to curb obesity trends in their own country, France has just announced they will follow suit by imposing their own ‘fat tax’ on sugary drinks. Revenue is estimated to raise over 150 million dollars annually.
In the U.S., most of us are desperate to lose weight, get skinny and be rich. Could a ‘fat tax’ on Americans fix all of our problems in one shot? With 68% of us overweight or obese, revenue from a ‘fat tax’ would certainly put a big dent in our deficit, but would it make us healthier?
“We can’t make saturated fats or sugar alone the scapegoat here. There are multiple issues at the root of our obesity crisis. People must become their own advocates by taking ownership of their health and diet, educating themselves and discovering a clean eating and active lifestyle that will have long-term benefits” says Simla Somturk Wickless, MBA, CHC, CNE, founder of Delicious Health.
Why is losing weight such a task for us? ‘Fat, Lazy, Can’t Cook’ are typical and dismissive descriptions given to overweight people in this country. It’s a fact that ‘not’ knowing how to cook is a big reason why people eat out which is many times unhealthy. For most, it’s a generational shift that started with the women’s lib movement. One little side affect to the magnificent empowerment of women was moving ‘moms’ out of the kitchen and into the work force – building careers, traveling the world and mentoring future generations left little time to slow-roast a chicken and grow their own veggies.
My mother was one of those women who was proud ‘not’ to cook, teaching me how to properly eat at restaurants instead of slaving away in the kitchen like my grandmother. I never thought too much about it until I became an adult and wondered how I was a perfect workaholic but felt ‘lazy’ when it came to cooking. The root of it all is not ‘laziness’ but a complete lack of foundation. So 68% of us are left with the task to teach ourselves how to cook, eat more wholesomely and most importantly save newer generations from having the same problem.
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