Can you resist attraction of fresh cookies or cream decorated cupcakes? How about a pizza, roasted meat or barbecued sausages? These all things contain saturated fat.
In “Denmark to abolish tax on high-fat foods”, we are told that Denmark government is going to abolish their ‘fat tax’, which has been imposed on foods containing more than 2.3% saturated fat since October 2011, in order to decrease the number of overweight and obese population, because of food prices inflation and job risk.
I knew already about ‘fat tax’ through my daughter’s school homework a year earier. It was a debatable issue when it was introduced by Danish government. At the first time, I was surprised at the idea that government can control the overweight population by taxation. I had never thought there is the kind of way to limit the population’s intake of fatty foods, but I have lightly expected good results. The article in BBC News makes me laugh. Their termination’s reasons are not getting proper results, just only related to economy. Yah, the economy is more important people’s health?
When I eat food, my mind always hovers on a calorie table, and tries avoiding fat. Judging from my cooking experience, the foods containing fat are more delicious. To give up fat for health or to give up health for palate is undecidable choice. I’m not an epicure, but don’t want to live under abstinence. One of my favorite foods is a brioche, a highly enriched bread, is made out of so much butter and eggs. If I give up delight of a brioche not to get fat, I will be so depressed. How much I am happy is a norm of how much I live well, and I’m ready to do pushups after eating a brioche right now. This writing gives me a sudden urge to eat a brioche.
Reference
Danmark to ablosih tax on high-fat foods, (2012, Novemver 10). BBC News Eurpoe. Retrieved November 15, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20280863
I would not want to give up my daily croissants just because they are full of unhealthy butter. Just thinking of them makes me wish I could run out and get one now. I usually have a croissant, or two, after class - and they must be very full of butter; otherwise, they just aren't delicious.
ReplyDeleteI used to buy them at a French bakery in Convent Road just off Silom, but it closed a couple of years ago. Now, I buy the VIP Butter croissants from Tops at Silom Complex. I wish they would call them something else - I hate the "VIP" title, but I love the 33% or whatever it is butter content!
I think putting taxes on things that are unhealthy is usually morally wrong - including on cigarettes and alcohol: it's just theft and unjustified punishment. If informed adults, like Katie with brioches (which I'm also fond of) want to eat things that they know are a bit unhealthy, or even extremely unhealthy, it's their business, and government interference to force them not to live as they decide is not just, is, in fact, seriously immoral.
And to answer the question that is Katie's neat title: Yes, I dare eat fat. I just wish it would not end up on my waist.
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DeleteYou are so brave. I have never baked croissants. Maybe it's a good chlange for me. Are you sure a bakery's croissants contain real butter? Untile now,I have known most of bakeries use margarine to make croissants, even though receipes of croissants instruct to use butter.
DeleteAbout the taxing part, If you think taxation of unhealthy food is usually morally wrong, do you mean soft drugs are included that usual category? In the last term, I read the article which suggest good things of legalization of soft drugs. One of supprting ideas is taxation. I think it would be palusible.
Yes, I think that the current taxes on "soft" drugs like tobacco and alcohol (I don't think that there is anything soft about them), are unjust except to the amount that would cover the medical or other costs to society. And taxes on cigarettes and alcohol are much higher than that - they are taxed to steal money from people for enjoying something and to discourage them from such pleasures whilst the theft is occurring. It would be as just to tax croissants and brioches at a very high rate to get more money out of citizens who enjoy those unhealthy delights.
DeleteI do also agree with Hartmann that drugs should be legalized, but the thesis I argue for is slightly stronger: for reasons that may appear purely economic but are essentially humane, the sale and use of all illicit drugs should be legalised, nor is such legalisation likely to lead to any sharp increase in the number of addicts. And I think that there are much stronger arguments for legalisation than the two that Hartmann gives on page 227 of Quest 2.
DeleteI cannot think of a single good reason for making some popular recreational drugs, such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, yaa baa (amphetamines) and so on illegal.
Can anyone think of a reason why some addictive drugs, but not others, should be illegal as is currently the case in Thailand, the US and most other countries?
I can think of a couple of reasons why drugs are criminalised, reasons which reflect very badly on the governments of these countries and the citizens who uncritically accept them.
I'm the one who always feel guilty after I ate a lot of sweet tooth. But,I have friends in gym, they have many healthy recipes; low fat, complex crab, high protein, and taste good. Those recipes help me a lot to make my own style of bakery with low calories.
ReplyDeleteGreat! You have that sorts of recipes. Maybe they are new types of foods, but changing already existed foods could be difficult. I don't like myself when I am sorry about eating fat foods, which is necesssary for bdoy if I can control that quantity. That would be more difficult part for good health.
DeleteTo enjoy fat food doesn't always mean that person is likely to be fat. There are other possiblities; for instance, that one works out very hard uevening to burn calories he eats.
ReplyDeleteFat tax is quite nonsensical way of encourage people to look after their health carefully. Many governments across the world usually think instead of their people in order to prevent their health problems that affect government budget of medical care and also have an impact on domestic workforce.
This reminds me of the chapter "Les Corps Dociles" (The Docile Bodies) from Michel Foucault's Surveiller et Punir (Discipline and Punish). He points out that governments impose their power on their people to control not only the whole society but also their bodies.
Foucault's meticulous scholarship and critical thinking as he explores the "history of systems of thought" (the title of his professorship at the Collège de France) to show how they are deployed to control body, mind and soul is brilliant.
DeleteI am glad to see others enjoying his work and relating it to these sorts of questions.
If you are the one who works out for your health, there is no concern, but who works out for health adds attention to owns diet. It's ridiculous thing to worry about getting fat because we are told many cases of famine.
DeleteThe easeast solution for government is imposition tax.Sometimes it's finishes like this failure but I think their idea to control the consumption fat food is ludicrous,on the other hand the attitudes to accept their flop is good.
ReplyDeleteActually I don't like sweet and fat foods as much as I was in teenagers, however I have gained weights many kilograms latest years. I also don't eat meat I think the cause of fat for me is high-carbohydrate foods.
I don't like government's taxation policies. I agree with the idea of Robert Nozick,I have never heard about him, that taxation by governments is morally wrong, though I'm not going to chose this topic as my argumentative essay, but it seems a good opportunity to know about his idea. I think it's kind of exploitation of people, and doubt about how revenue from taxes use. In cases of Korea, it might be related with politics.
DeleteRobert Nozick is one of the most brilliant and best known philosophers of the last few decades, having done original work in several areas, including moral and political philosophy. His own work is challenging, although in my level 7 RW class we do sometimes read one of his essays on epistemology.
DeleteMicheal Sandel's introduction to Nozick's ideas in both the book and the online lecture I cite in question 3. is probably easier to start with than Nozick's own work. In fact, Sandel's whole Harvard lecture series on justice is so good that I put a link to it on the right - in "Or for Something to Listen to?". Sandel's book is based on that lecture series, and is pitched at about the same level. Unlike Nozick, Sandel does not assume that his undergraduate students at Harvard have already read every major Western philosopher from Plato to Wittgenstein and thence to Rawls.
I think the lectures are great listening practice, as well as showing you real lectures at one of the world's greatest universities.
Micheal Sandel was a fad in Korea two years ago. His book 'What's the right thing to do' was a bestseller's book and his lectures were told among many people. I'm sorry that the Sandel's book was chosen as the most unread book, only displayed book ,on the self at home by Korean. But, I can try to listen to his lectures.
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ReplyDeleteMay we eat fat foods or dissert in the morning? Too tired to move. Sometimes I would like to eat chocolate cakes, chocolate or deep chocolate Ice cream. Chocolate wakes my flavor and tongue, makes my brain work and laugh. I just woke up my heavy body and I am going to carry my brain to AUA. Today, I need chocolate. I am probably going to visit convenient store and buy some chocolate things and I would enjoy them. Katie, Could we eat high calories foods?
ReplyDeleteActually, I don't like chocolate. I can still imagine the mysterious taste when I ate a piece of stale chocolate cake, my mom's birthday cake. I had bought it by myself, but other family's suspicion about freshness made me eat several pieces of them in front of others. I had to admit the chocolate cake's taste was wired.
DeleteIt's a kind of funny news like the news in couple months ago that New York banned to sell soft drink for decreas the obese people. Is it good way to solve the problem? I don't think so. We are already know that fat and sugar aren't bad for your health if you eat proper amount. Have you ever know that saturated fat isn't a bad guy? If you compare it with trans fat, rearranging molecule in fat, it is cause of blocking in your blood vessel more than cholesterol in our butter and coconut oil. So I prefer to eat butter in my sweets instead of magarine.
ReplyDeleteIf the banning soft drink's target is adults, I think it is ridiculous ban. Adults can chose what they want, because they have to and can have responsibility of their choice. However, I absolutely agree that soft drinks have to be banned in school. When I say school, school means from elementary school to high school. Children cannot control their soda consumption. Do you think soft drinks are good for children? The problems of sodas are not in only sugar, but also in phosphoric acid which is cause of osteoporosis. Soft drinks are called as 'empty calories' food, that is, high calories but no nutrition.
DeleteYes, I think that the purpose to ban soft drink in New York city is adult which is very ridiculous for me too. And I agree with you that soft drink should be banned in school because it's a bad beverage for kids. But I think that not only kid but also adult can't control soft drink consumption.
DeleteActually, I don't think that phosphoric acid is cause of osteoporosis. According to The American Journal of CLINICAL NUTRITION, they found that the women who drink soft drink "cola", which contains carbonate and phosphoric acid, relate to low bone mineral density(BMD), but not found in the men and other soft drinks and they will find out the more information about pathway and link that why this happen only women and 'cola". And in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical center: A Teaching Hospital of Harvard Medical School website say that the link between BMD and soft drinks is that the women will drink soft drink than calcium-contained drink like milk instead, so this behavior will lead to low BMD.
And I think that the worst effect from soft drink is high sugar and gas that lead to interrupt your gastrointestinal function and stomach ulcer in the future, because our stomach is more sensitive than our bone. I hope my answer will decrease your worry about soft drink related to osteporosis.
References:
1. Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study.(2006, June 12) The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Retrieved November 22, 2012 from:http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/84/4/936
2. Mccoy, K.(2008) True or False: Girls Who Favor Soft Drinks Are More Likely to Have Osteoporosis Later in Life. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical center: A Teaching Hospital of Harvard Medical School. Retrieved November 22, 2012. from: http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/TherapeuticCenters/Osteoporosis.aspx?ChunkID=157002
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