no more than 16oz soda nanny state or good thing?

Look at it like the regulations on smoking that came in years ago - new packaging requirements, new rules for selling to underage people, etc.

Since unhealthy choices affect the whole society in terms of productivity, health care costs, infrstructure costs(more hospitals, bigger seating etc) I think that these regulations come in from more the financial side than the "take away my freedom side".

Your personal choice to be unhealthy has huge cost to society in many ways. Government is just trying to mitigate some of the impacts by making it harder for people to be unhealthy - to save money and prevent the country from eating itself into a stupor.

Unhealthy people = unhealthy country.

I agree with this for the most part, but I think more regulation is not the answer. If the government is really concerned about health care costs (which they obviously are, as well as myself, for paying large premiums to my insurance company to pay for healthcare for those without insurance), instead of telling us what we can and cannot do, the government should be encouraging healthy foods; making organic cheaper and easier.

For example, going to Jack in the Box, you can get two junior bacon cheeseburgers and a medium drink for just over $3. That less than if I tried to buy two organic mangos at the store... this is what’s wrong. The fact that we can buy the burgers isn't the problem, it’s the fact that with the healthier options, you get less food for more money...

I agree with you on this. If the government wants to truly help, then how about not allowing cookies, snack cakes, soft drinks etc on food stamps? If they want assistance then give them healthier options and do not allow they to purchase such stuff on food stamps.

People buy unhealthy foods with food stamps because they can't afford to buy healthy foods with food stamps. $100 in food stamps can buy a TON of processed food to keep a family of 4 fed, but won't go very far buying whole foods. It all comes back to the problem of government subsidizing the big crops, making corn and wheat ridiculously cheap, making it much cheaper to produce processed crap food. Imagine how healthy we would be as a nation if instead the government subsidized fruit, vegetables, and pasture raised livestock...

WRONG. $100 in FS will go tons farther by buying the ingredients for food and cooking from scratch. The problem is EDUCATION.

I don't disagree with you about the subsidies but I get sick to death of hearing about poor people making bad decisions and being treated like it's not their fault. Cooking your own food from scratch is cheaper and healthier. Every person can and should make their family's health a priority.

OMGosh! I so agree...my sister works for a food bank and has people come in all the time to get free food. She offers them rice, beans, etc. They turn it down because a) they do not know how to cook them and b) they do not want to know how to cook them.

My family is on food stamps. We manage to eat well without going hungry... but we do have to budget differently because for those of you who don't think buying healthier foods isn't more expensive- it is. Mostly because the ingredients used in certain items are more expensive to obtain & buying the ingredients to make something from scratch- is ALWAYS more expensive than buying a premade, frozen, $6 bag of fettucine alfredo. Just saying!

Look at it like the regulations on smoking that came in years ago - new packaging requirements, new rules for selling to underage people, etc.

Since unhealthy choices affect the whole society in terms of productivity, health care costs, infrstructure costs(more hospitals, bigger seating etc) I think that these regulations come in from more the financial side than the "take away my freedom side".

Your personal choice to be unhealthy has huge cost to society in many ways. Government is just trying to mitigate some of the impacts by making it harder for people to be unhealthy - to save money and prevent the country from eating itself into a stupor.

Unhealthy people = unhealthy country.

I agree with this for the most part, but I think more regulation is not the answer. If the government is really concerned about health care costs (which they obviously are, as well as myself, for paying large premiums to my insurance company to pay for healthcare for those without insurance), instead of telling us what we can and cannot do, the government should be encouraging healthy foods; making organic cheaper and easier.

For example, going to Jack in the Box, you can get two junior bacon cheeseburgers and a medium drink for just over $3. That less than if I tried to buy two organic mangos at the store... this is what’s wrong. The fact that we can buy the burgers isn't the problem, it’s the fact that with the healthier options, you get less food for more money...

I agree with you on this. If the government wants to truly help, then how about not allowing cookies, snack cakes, soft drinks etc on food stamps? If they want assistance then give them healthier options and do not allow they to purchase such stuff on food stamps.

People buy unhealthy foods with food stamps because they can't afford to buy healthy foods with food stamps. $100 in food stamps can buy a TON of processed food to keep a family of 4 fed, but won't go very far buying whole foods. It all comes back to the problem of government subsidizing the big crops, making corn and wheat ridiculously cheap, making it much cheaper to produce processed crap food. Imagine how healthy we would be as a nation if instead the government subsidized fruit, vegetables, and pasture raised livestock...

WRONG. $100 in FS will go tons farther by buying the ingredients for food and cooking from scratch. The problem is EDUCATION.

I don't disagree with you about the subsidies but I get sick to death of hearing about poor people making bad decisions and being treated like it's not their fault. Cooking your own food from scratch is cheaper and healthier. Every person can and should make their family's health a priority.

OMGosh! I so agree...my sister works for a food bank and has people come in all the time to get free food. She offers them rice, beans, etc. They turn it down because a) they do not know how to cook them and b) they do not want to know how to cook them.

My family is on food stamps. We manage to eat well without going hungry... but we do have to budget differently because for those of you who don't think buying healthier foods isn't more expensive- it is. Mostly because the ingredients used in certain items are more expensive to obtain & buying the ingredients to make something from scratch- is ALWAYS more expensive than buying a premade, frozen, $6 bag of fettucine alfredo. Just saying!

Depends how you view healthy of course but healthy foods are not more expensive. You may not be able to eat extravagant recipes but you can eat simple and healthy for less then junk foods. The fettucine alfredo can be fine to eat as long ate in a proper portion and add some veggies with it.

Please do me a favor if you ever get a chance, go to the Dollar Tree where everything is ONE DOLLAR and find their selection of "healthier" food choices.

Look at it like the regulations on smoking that came in years ago - new packaging requirements, new rules for selling to underage people, etc.

Since unhealthy choices affect the whole society in terms of productivity, health care costs, infrstructure costs(more hospitals, bigger seating etc) I think that these regulations come in from more the financial side than the "take away my freedom side".

Your personal choice to be unhealthy has huge cost to society in many ways. Government is just trying to mitigate some of the impacts by making it harder for people to be unhealthy - to save money and prevent the country from eating itself into a stupor.

Unhealthy people = unhealthy country.

I agree with this for the most part, but I think more regulation is not the answer. If the government is really concerned about health care costs (which they obviously are, as well as myself, for paying large premiums to my insurance company to pay for healthcare for those without insurance), instead of telling us what we can and cannot do, the government should be encouraging healthy foods; making organic cheaper and easier.

For example, going to Jack in the Box, you can get two junior bacon cheeseburgers and a medium drink for just over $3. That less than if I tried to buy two organic mangos at the store... this is what’s wrong. The fact that we can buy the burgers isn't the problem, it’s the fact that with the healthier options, you get less food for more money...

I agree with you on this. If the government wants to truly help, then how about not allowing cookies, snack cakes, soft drinks etc on food stamps? If they want assistance then give them healthier options and do not allow they to purchase such stuff on food stamps.

People buy unhealthy foods with food stamps because they can't afford to buy healthy foods with food stamps. $100 in food stamps can buy a TON of processed food to keep a family of 4 fed, but won't go very far buying whole foods. It all comes back to the problem of government subsidizing the big crops, making corn and wheat ridiculously cheap, making it much cheaper to produce processed crap food. Imagine how healthy we would be as a nation if instead the government subsidized fruit, vegetables, and pasture raised livestock...

WRONG. $100 in FS will go tons farther by buying the ingredients for food and cooking from scratch. The problem is EDUCATION.

I don't disagree with you about the subsidies but I get sick to death of hearing about poor people making bad decisions and being treated like it's not their fault. Cooking your own food from scratch is cheaper and healthier. Every person can and should make their family's health a priority.

OMGosh! I so agree...my sister works for a food bank and has people come in all the time to get free food. She offers them rice, beans, etc. They turn it down because a) they do not know how to cook them and b) they do not want to know how to cook them.

My family is on food stamps. We manage to eat well without going hungry... but we do have to budget differently because for those of you who don't think buying healthier foods isn't more expensive- it is. Mostly because the ingredients used in certain items are more expensive to obtain & buying the ingredients to make something from scratch- is ALWAYS more expensive than buying a premade, frozen, $6 bag of fettucine alfredo. Just saying!

Depends how you view healthy of course but healthy foods are not more expensive. You may not be able to eat extravagant recipes but you can eat simple and healthy for less then junk foods. The fettucine alfredo can be fine to eat as long ate in a proper portion and add some veggies with it.

Please do me a favor if you ever get a chance, go to the Dollar Tree where everything is ONE DOLLAR and find their selection of "healthier" food choices.

I know what the 99 cent store has, which I believe is about the same as a Dollar Tree and they have loads of can beans, can veggies. You can pick up eggs there too but alot of a can goodies.

My vegetarian chili costs $17 to make and it yields 12 servings. If I used ground beef or even ground turkey instead of the very pricey fake meat and if I used green instead of red peppers and chopped my own onions instead of buying pre-chopped, I could probably make it for less than $10.

It's very healthy and filling. I buy dry beans in bulk and boil them instead of spending much more on canned or pre-packaged beans. I buy a lot of frozen fruit as it's cheaper and lasts longer than fresh and is actually better because it retains its nutrients. I have not found that my grocery bill is any more expensive when I buy healthy foods than when I buy junk. You just have to be willing to do more work.

I eat almonds nearly every day and they're a fraction of the cost if you buy them raw and roast them yourself.

My vegetarian chili costs $17 to make and it yields 12 servings. If I used ground beef or even ground turkey instead of the very pricey fake meat and if I used green instead of red peppers and chopped my own onions instead of buying pre-chopped, I could probably make it for less than $10.

It's very healthy and filling. I buy dry beans in bulk and boil them instead of spending much more on canned or pre-packaged beans. I buy a lot of frozen fruit as it's cheaper and lasts longer than fresh and is actually better because it retains its nutrients. I have not found that my grocery bill is any more expensive when I buy healthy foods than when I buy junk. You just have to be willing to do more work.

I eat almonds nearly every day and they're a fraction of the cost if you buy them raw and roast them yourself.

I am not talking about myself when I say all this, because like I said, my family eats healthy.. we just have to budget differently. When you are nickel and diming every thing you buy, no matter what it is, you tend to see a trend and see where less money is spent. Then it also depends on where you are from, prices are not the same from region to region. Granted, there is usually only less than a dollar in differences but that dollar adds up quickly when you only have 100 dollars to spend on groceries. I do not disagree that if you wanted to, you COULD make better food choices but that goes for EVERYONE. Not just people on foodstamps.

Of course. It's just this argument that people who are on food stamps or on a budget can't afford to buy healthy food that gets me.

My parents were on food stamps for a while and never had trouble eating healthy. A friend of mine fed her family of five very healthy, complete meals every day on food stamps and had some to spare at the end of every month.

My vegetarian chili costs $17 to make and it yields 12 servings. If I used ground beef or even ground turkey instead of the very pricey fake meat and if I used green instead of red peppers and chopped my own onions instead of buying pre-chopped, I could probably make it for less than $10.

It's very healthy and filling. I buy dry beans in bulk and boil them instead of spending much more on canned or pre-packaged beans. I buy a lot of frozen fruit as it's cheaper and lasts longer than fresh and is actually better because it retains its nutrients. I have not found that my grocery bill is any more expensive when I buy healthy foods than when I buy junk. You just have to be willing to do more work.

I eat almonds nearly every day and they're a fraction of the cost if you buy them raw and roast them yourself.

I am not talking about myself when I say all this, because like I said, my family eats healthy.. we just have to budget differently. When you are nickel and diming every thing you buy, no matter what it is, you tend to see a trend and see where less money is spent. Then it also depends on where you are from, prices are not the same from region to region. Granted, there is usually only less than a dollar in differences but that dollar adds up quickly when you only have 100 dollars to spend on groceries. I do not disagree that if you wanted to, you COULD make better food choices but that goes for EVERYONE. Not just people on foodstamps.

Of course. It's just this argument that people who are on food stamps or on a budget can't afford to buy healthy food that gets me.

My parents were on food stamps for a while and never had trouble eating healthy. A friend of mine fed her family of five very healthy, complete meals every day on food stamps and had some to spare at the end of every month.

Oh, I agree completely. We are a family of 4 and we choose to eat healthy foods. What I mean by budgeting differently, is that there are certain things we can't make or can't buy because we might not be able to afford it. But thats fine, we still eat. It just bothered me reading most of that conversation where people were saying the government needs to regulate what people on foodstamps buy... as if we are less capable of making our own choices than they are. What they don't know is that our states already regulate certain things. We can't buy anything pre-made or hot from the deli. We can only buy ingredients and cold products. It isn't anymore "poor peoples" fault that America is unhealthy than it is the rest of America.

My vegetarian chili costs $17 to make and it yields 12 servings. If I used ground beef or even ground turkey instead of the very pricey fake meat and if I used green instead of red peppers and chopped my own onions instead of buying pre-chopped, I could probably make it for less than $10.

It's very healthy and filling. I buy dry beans in bulk and boil them instead of spending much more on canned or pre-packaged beans. I buy a lot of frozen fruit as it's cheaper and lasts longer than fresh and is actually better because it retains its nutrients. I have not found that my grocery bill is any more expensive when I buy healthy foods than when I buy junk. You just have to be willing to do more work.

I eat almonds nearly every day and they're a fraction of the cost if you buy them raw and roast them yourself.

I am not talking about myself when I say all this, because like I said, my family eats healthy.. we just have to budget differently. When you are nickel and diming every thing you buy, no matter what it is, you tend to see a trend and see where less money is spent. Then it also depends on where you are from, prices are not the same from region to region. Granted, there is usually only less than a dollar in differences but that dollar adds up quickly when you only have 100 dollars to spend on groceries. I do not disagree that if you wanted to, you COULD make better food choices but that goes for EVERYONE. Not just people on foodstamps.

Of course. It's just this argument that people who are on food stamps or on a budget can't afford to buy healthy food that gets me.

My parents were on food stamps for a while and never had trouble eating healthy. A friend of mine fed her family of five very healthy, complete meals every day on food stamps and had some to spare at the end of every month.

Oh, I agree completely. We are a family of 4 and we choose to eat healthy foods. What I mean by budgeting differently, is that there are certain things we can't make or can't buy because we might not be able to afford it. But thats fine, we still eat. It just bothered me reading most of that conversation where people were saying the government needs to regulate what people on foodstamps buy... as if we are less capable of making our own choices than they are. What they don't know is that our states already regulate certain things. We can't buy anything pre-made or hot from the deli. We can only buy ingredients and cold products. It isn't anymore "poor peoples" fault that America is unhealthy than it is the rest of America.

I worked as a cashier in a grocery store for two years in college and I will say that you, my parents and my friend were the exceptions. A vast majority of people on food stamps don't choose healthy foods. But then, I think the vast majority of people in general don't either. I've been more and more noticing what people buy when I'm in line at the grocery store and sometimes there isn't anything but frozen waffles and pancakes and a lot of fatty meats in their carts with some Little Debbie snacks thrown in, no matter how they're paying.

Education seems to be needed in general. And not just "this is healthy and that isn't" because I think most people KNOW that already. They need to be taught how to cook healthy foods so they realize how good it can taste.

They can buy 2 and make it 32 oz! If someone chooses to ingest a soda larger than 16 oz that is their choice. I thought this was the "land of the free"...seems more like the "land with some freedoms and others the goverment will control for you"

The next regulation will be that you can only by one per person than they can really control how much you are drinking.

It is so wrong. What if you have children and you buy one big soda to share? Or you share with your significant other? What if you drink half now and save the rest for the next day? And if you want to drink the whole thing, that is your right too. It is going to lead to more regulation to where they control everything you can put into your body.