Politicos Should Keep Their Nose Out of Nutrition Law Making

From some publicly interested foundation of crypto anorexics telling us we are all too fat, to people who act as if a plate of mac and cheese is worse than water boarding, to the idiotic term "Food Deserts," too many nuts are running around making us afraid to eat much more than seeds and grass.    

Every week I write this column to help and advise folks to make intelligent choices on both their foods and their medicines. 

But it must remain your choice, not my edict. If you are a faithful reader, you might remember a column called "Politicians in the Pantry" where I argued against the idea that folks on food stamps be denied the ability to purchase soft drinks.

This was another of Mayor Bloomberg's paternalistic ideas. I wrote from the unwavering belief that politics need to be kept out of our food choices, even those of us who might need assistance.  In fact, the less politicians have to say about all of our lives, the better. It's not the same as banning smoking.  Second hand smoke hurts everyone.  If you want to smoke yourself into cancer or emphysema and gasp for breath, puff away!  Just don't subject anyone else to your horrible smoke.  

And like it or not, smoking is legal. Drinking a huge vat of soda only affects the fool who is swallowing it. Please don't give me me the business about how fat folks are costing us money. 

War is costing us money, aid to foreign nations is costing us money, bailing out banks is costing us a stupendous amount of money. If we legislated against every food that might possibly make one fat, we would not only bankrupt several industries that employ thousands of Americans, we would have almost nothing to eat. Forget sweets, potatoes, bread, dairy, rice, butter and eggs would all be illegal. Too much of anything might make you fat.

Now, Mayor Bloomberg is proposing a ban on those enormous sodas sold at convenience stores and fast food outlets. I ask you, how much political foolishness are we supposed to endure? 

The city is literally falling apart but Mayor Nanny has saved us from the curse of mega carbonation. The ban is ridiculous, because  if you reeeally want, crave and desire that much soda, you can order two or three smaller ones and have as much or more to gulp and slurp to your heart's detriment. In fact, the Mayor says it's OK to drink the 32 ounces, only in separate cups. What? Drinking  huge amounts of soda or eating tons of junk food is a terrible idea. But when politicians are allowed to decide what we may or may not eat or drink it's a dangerous idea.    

Mayor Bloomberg, Mr. Healthy Eating himself, made a speech in which he encouraged the consumption of, wait for it...  hot dogs! This deserves hysterical laughter and intense eye rolling, since hot dogs contain nitrates, huge amounts of sodium, fat and heaven knows what other stuff.

Remember "pink slime", waste trimmings that couldn't be marketed but were ground up and used as fillers?  How much of that stuff did we eat without knowing it?  Where was the Mayor when we were munching on slime filled meat?  He thinks a soda is bad? 

Adding to the merry lunacy, Mr. Healthy Eating declared last Friday "Doughnut Day" in New York City!  Is he really concerned about our health, or is he just a wacky, fun loving  billionaire playing with our heads?  Just this Monday , the headline in the Daily News has the Mayor declaring he is fine with bacon sandwiches loaded with mayonnaise.

Given that he made this statement whilst eating one just before the start of the Celebrate Israel Parade, and that the Mayor is Jewish, I have to ask, is this kosher? He goes on to say that a hamburger "fills you up", but a soda "leaves you hungry." Now I'm really confused. I eat, when I'm hungry. I drink when I'm thirsty.  Oh boy! I guess you don't actually have to be a genius to make a lot of money.

The Mayor seems to have a weird hatred of soda that doesn't extend to other seriously unhealthy foods. The average giant soda contains around 300 calories. The average chocolate covered, custard filled donut contains about 400 calories. There is plenty of sugar but no fat in a soda, whilst a fried donut contains about 45 to 60 grams of fat in addition to whopping amounts of sugar.  

Which is worse?  Let's talk about milk. Whole milk is baby food for calves.  Whole milk contains a great deal of fat. It contains casein, a glue like substance which is indigestible and constipating. Whole milk can certainly clog your arteries and harm your heart and coat your colon with a sticky sludge if you drink too much of it. Is the Mayor banning whole milk?

If you don't care that you weigh 500 pounds, stuff yourself with junk, have bad breath, and cavity filled teeth, nothing will make you change your ways.  Politicians are our servants, not our masters.

Our right to live our lives as we choose is being purloined in a sinister way.  It starts with a small thing and leads to having your freedom snatched right out from under you. I want to be free to do dopey things once in awhile if the mood strikes me. I don't want some utterly befuddled megalomaniac deciding what I can ingest.

I don't want some guy who pretends to have a sincere concern about obesity and then declares a day in honor of a deep fried, fat laden, sugar filled, chocolate covered, jelly stuffed, belly busting pastry like a doughnut, telling me I can't have a titanic, sugary sweet, tooth rotting, artificially colored, carbonated soda to wash it down!

Talk about a mixed message! I am perfectly capable of making decisions for myself, good and bad.

Maybe the Mayor should eat his bacon sandwich, go make another billion dollars and leave us all alone.  

Dr. Kleine regrets she cannnot give advice by phone or e-mail.  For an appointment call 631. 472. 8139 or e-mail us at Drfootsi@myway.com