Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been talking about a proposal to ban selling sodas and sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces at restaurants and food carts. This move generated a huge amount of conversation from our readers, and we highlighted a selection of comments on the CNN Mash-up.
New York City seeks to ban big sodas from restaurants, food carts
Big Gulp? Meet Big Brother
Friday happens to be National Doughnut Day, and a few readers are tying the soda and pastry issues together.
omegaworks: "Didn't he (Bloomberg) just cut the doughnut this morning for National Doughnut Day? National Doughnut Day... we can't drink soda, but we can celebrate National Doughnut Day ... I guess doughnuts aren't fattening."
Bloomberg's signature is on a proclamation declaring June 1, 2012, to be "NYC Donut Day" in honor of the 75th year of this tradition, which honors dessert-serving Salvation Army volunteers during World War I. The proclamation is posted on a New York Times blog.
A special gift, then? (Krispy Kreme is also marking its 75th birthday this year.)
Top_News: "National doughnut day? I think I'll send 2 dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts to NYC Mayor Bloomberg just for the heck of it. LOL"
And, for that matter ...
Jeff: "How am I supposed to wash down my 12-inch doughnut with this piddly little 16 ounce drink?"
The most-liked comment from the "Big Gulp" piece suggested giving the proverbial sibling something to do. Others said they think obesity is becoming too big a problem.
Rosemary Sterner: "Maybe if Big Brother would bring back physical education and recess to schools, half the problem would be solved."
Jeremy Iverson: "I hate the government telling me what I can/can't do, but Americans are SOO fat. It's hard not to support this on some level if for nothing else than the message it sends."
Many readers talked about the American diet. This reader says Bloomberg should focus on knowledge.
scnn1a: "Wouldn't it be better if Bloomberg tried to educate people on why to avoid sugary drinks? It seems to me that if people are ignorant they'll just get hooked on to another bad habit! Then doughnut shops will do more business."
This person says there's something to be said for Bloomberg's ideas.
amirite: "I'm so sick and tired of having to pick from supersaturated corn syrupy nasty drinks with my meal. There are some sodas that have half the calories of what's in Pepsi and Coke products and they taste BETTER than the nasty supersweet crap. I want a drink, not a birthday cake in my soda. Others are right, the soda sizes have gone crazy. Drinking a large drink like those banned is like eating a dozen of doughnuts instead of a couple, or eating a whole chicken instead of a serving. Big drinks do make you fat."
New York and California, in the crosshairs.
ThisGADude: "NYC's biggest problem isn't soda. It's a mental deficiency that tends to make one believe you know everything regardless of how ridiculous you sound. The symptoms are prevalent in California, too."
Heck yes, America.
jlerari11: "Bloomberg really doesn't get America. The fact that you can buy a 64 ounce Super Gulp for 99 cents makes it the greatest country on Earth. If you want to dictate our food portions, go govern China or Cuba. Besides, we are not fat because of the availability of large soft drinks. We are fat because so many of us just quit moving. We sit behind a computer for 8 hours and then behind the TV for another 4. What would you expect your body to look like? Do you think a 12 ounce Diet Coke is going to fix that?"
iReporter Sean Cochran of Joliet, Illinois, said in a video post that he actually would support a sugary drinks rule in his town.
“I just feel that we (Americans) find every excuse not to lose weight or get in shape. Yet we always complain that we are too fat or that we need to diet. The first time someone tries to make us do something healthy, all we do is complain. I would welcome the change in Illinois.”
Many looked to the future. Could other kinds of, um, dietary changes be on the horizon?
Halley DeVestern: "Yeah, this is silly. You might as well ban all 'unhealthy' food and beverages in NYC. No more Scotch, bacon, beer, vodka, fettuccine Alfredo, coffee, pate de fois gras, ice cream, cheese, filet mignon, dougnuts, etc. We'll be livin' on Soylent Green next ..."
For everyone else, there's this dining option.
Didelphis325: "I'd love to start a restaurant down here in GA and call it 'Banned in NYC.' Our menu would consist only of items that were deep-fried, pan-fried, chicken-fried or barbecued. Vegetables would include fried okra, fried mushrooms, fried onion rings, fried green tomatoes, french fries or fried corn. Beverages would all be larger than 16 ounces. Although we could not allow smoking, we would have spittoons for those who cared to chew. Every chair would have a picture of Bloomberg on the seat. I consider myself a liberal but this guy is something else."
What's your take? Share your opinion, or just your doughnuts, in the comments area below and in the latest stories on CNN.com. Or sound off on video via CNN iReport.
Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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I don't really know where the Mayor gets off telling eight million people to suck it up with 16oz. or less.
You will probably find, most establishments have "free refills" anyways. And all the good Mayor has accomplished, is make eight million people jump up and down, up and down for refills.
New York has the highest food prices in the nation. Now this. But really when you think about it? It really don't make a lick of sense to order a 64oz. or a 128oz. cup when they offer free refills anyways. You just waste your money
Oh no but very good on the user name. LOL, really.
Just set me up with a big ole cup of coffee and a couple of those fabulous looking donuts, and I'm good to go.
Better idea than a tax, remove all corn subsidies. When you have to pay the real cost of HF corn syrup, then the price of soda will go up.
So, in the name of health, they have banned smoking, a tren the fascist governor of my state, CO, followed. Now, he is attacking Americans favorite junk food. What happened to land of the free. Government is not supposed to be or nanny.
Off the wall? How about this. Install a floor scale at each McDonald sales counter. Step up to thier plate to talk McDonaldese? No. A big l.e.d. display, everyone can see says your 5 foot 9 inches tall and 362 pounds. You ask for a Angus Burger, lg. fries, and a coke, all supersized. The sales clerk says you'll either have to sign a waiver, then make your order, otherwise we are not allowed to fill your request.
Have you ever heard of a place called "Official Samples" on the web, they give out a free samples of major brands to promote their products. I just got mine.
Huzzah for Mayor Bloomberg! He kept us thin and saved us from the zombie apocalypse!! *Bronx Cheer* Hey, isn't the part where the paparazzi shows us the picture of him eating a pie or something? Fuhgeddaboudit. I'mma drink six bloody Guinness just for the cajones it's gotta take to tell me what I can drink. Sláinte.
Mayor Bloomberg Hitler, you may try to turn NYC into a communist city, but thankfully, still in the USA you can be voted out. I'm not sure how long voting will be legal though.
Why don't you take a pole and ask how many people want to have their lives run by the mayor? I knew this would come about when they suckered everyone into believing the cigarette bans were good for you. Give them an inch and they will take a mile.
Americans are fat & unhealthy because we make unhealthy choices! We eat waaaay too much junk in supersized portions & don't excercise enough! But I think education in this area Has made a difference! There are a lot of healthconscious people too, alot of grocery stores that offer organic, glutenfree, low fat,free range, vegetarian, cholesterol free foods & focus on farmers market veggies from local growers! My city has hike & bike trails in every park & bike lanes on every major city street & people are taking advantage of it! I hear what Bloomberg is saying, but his "solution" is a nonstarter! He has gotten a convo stared about the issue, though! I agree w/the bloggers who said a better idea would be to bring back Phys Ed & recess for school kids! As far as adults go, we have the info, but the implementation is up to the individual! As it should be, in a Free society!!
Pharmaceuticals with label warnings of weight gain and permanent brain damage should be thrown-in this national discussion on what makes US fatter and stupider ea. year. (National Adult Literacy Survey, 2002-2006 proves we are getting dumber as a people, time-lapse video of Wal-Mart shoppers shows our weight gain, year by year)
All we talk about is junk food and lack of excercise. It's time for US to go-after the real culprits.
Americans would seldom be obese if we (1) returned to candidly calling a fat person ugly and (2) stopped identifying the desire for a beautiful body as a psychological problem or a sin.
A good exercise for men would be to buy the specious pop-psychology book, THE ADONIS COMPLEX, read it, and then ceremoniously burn it.
Those donuts don't even appeal to me....donuts in general don't.
@national discussion:
That would be assuming every overweight person is on some sort of medication.
I do not think that is the case.
@fernace: word.
@mickey1313: word. That stuff is in way to many processed foods!
@JIF: good advice, and hi.
Are medication. So, yes, it is safe to assume everyone is on some sorta medication.
Aspirin doesn't cause weight gain, and is not given to children.
@ banasy:
Hi.
A lot of this is a matter of developing one's taste for healthy food.
That's TASTE, not unused knowledge,
I hate doughnuts and eat one only in an emergency breakfast situation. My last situation like that was in San Francisco in 2003.
I drink only one Diet Pepsi a week: that's in a convenient fast-sandwich shop that makes terrible coffee.
For breakfast today, I ate two boiled eggs with black coffee. For lunch, I was going to indulge in a banana and peanut-butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread, but after reading this article I'm having just a can of tuna.
I have 6% body fat at 175 pounds.
Studies in humans showed that those who drank diet sodas with aspartame as opposed to those who avoided diet sodas had 500% larger waistlines. It appears that diet sodas are aptly named – after you drink them you WILL need to be on a diet.
Although it sounds like you don't go overboard with the soda, I just wanted to throw that one out there for the others who do.
Aspartame is not a good thing, I'll agree with you there!
Nasty stuff.