[quote name='ID2006']Are you supportive of the ban? Why?[/quote]
I'm supportive of reducing portions, yes. Obesity and diabetes have risen sharply in the past 3 decades, clearly linked to (a) increasing soda consumption (today, the average American consumes 54 gallons of soda per year, averaging *over* a gallon per week) and (b) increasing costs of health care due to the medicines/screens/etc. that people now have in order to combat the effects of obesity and diabetes.
Freedom isn't free. In fact, your health insurance is accommodating other people's "poor decisions," because so many of us are obese and suffer from processed food consumption related health problems.
I'd also recommend the book "Mindless Eating" by Charles (?) Wansinck. It is an amazing exercise into the psychology of hunger, what we consume and how we consume. Studies show that, among other things, plate size (not portion size) can influence how full we feel after eating.
Soda is amazing because the body/mind don't register the caloric intake (i.e., if you eat X calories on average per day, studies show that, after giving a person a set amount of soda to consume, they'll still eat X calories on top of the soda, leading to considerable weight gain. keep that in the context of growing soda portion size and the increased use of consumer-refillable fountains at shops and restaurants, and you see where this causes a problem).
Will it stop health problems? No. But it will certainly reduce obesity and diabetes, though it will take time to do so.
You could overeat some vegetables and contract different health problems.
Give me an example, please, of this happening.
[quote name='willardhaven']Also Myke, one could argue that a monthly combo meal will do nothing to your health whereas a monthly heroin combo might kill you.[/QUOTE]
Absolutely. Fast poisons are indeed faster than slow ones.