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Posted: June 6, 2017 at 9:41 pm
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Tubelip wrasses eat dangerously, daring to dine on sharp corals lined with stinging cells. New images reveal the fishs secret to safe eating: lubing up and planting a big one on their dinner.
It is like sucking dew off a stinging nettle. A thick layer of grease may help, says David Bellwood, a marine biologist at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, who snapped the shots with his colleague Victor Huertas.
Of roughly 6,000 fish species that roam reefs, just 128 consume corals. These corallivores specialize in different menus. Well-studied butterfly fish, for example, use their long, thin snouts to nip up coral polyps, the tiny animals that build corals. Tubelip wrasses such as Labropsis australis of the South Pacific are known for nibbling coral with their luscious lips, but until now, it was unclear what part of the coral the fish were eating or how they were eating it.
Coral-eating tubelip wrasses slurp up their dinner with slimy lips. Folds in lip tissue make mucus, which helps the fish suck up snot from other organisms, reef corals. Arrows indicate the flow of mucus and suction in the diagram below.
While the surface of the wrasses lips looks smooth to the naked eye, convoluted grooves appear under a scanning electron microscope, the team reports June 5 in Current Biology. Mucus-producing cells line each groove. In contrast, the lips of a wrasse species that doesnt eat corals (Coris gaimard) are sleek and sport fewer slime-secreting cells.
Video footage of L. australis shows that the fish feeds by latching onto coral with its lips and sucking. The slime probably protects the fishs lips from stinging cells that line the coral skeleton and also serves as a sealant, allowing the wrasse to get suction against the corals razorlike ridges.
Their kiss is so hard it tears the corals flesh off its skeleton, Bellwood says. The team suspects that the fish feed primarily on mucus layers and sometimes tissue that lines the sharp skeleton. So, essentially the fish are using their lip mucus to better harvest the corals mucus.
Mucus is, in general, a hot commodity in the marine ecosystem. Some fish use it as sunscreen, others for speed it can reduce drag through the water. Cleaner wrasses even eat slime off the skin of other fish (SN: 8/2/03, p. 78).
Given the threats that coral reefs face from bleaching events and climate change, having fish that suck their flesh might seem a tad brutal. But whether the added stress of snot-eating fish serves as a mere nuisance or a serious threat remains to be studied.
JUST A PECK This slow-motion clip shows a tubelip wrasse closing its mouth around a piece of coral to seal the deal and suck up the other organisms mucus and tissue. Self-lubricating lips make this feeding method possible. V. Huertas and D. Bellwood/Current Biology 2017
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Big slimy lips are the secret to this fish's coral diet - Science News
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 9:41 pm
Chicago Sun-Times | Ask the Doctors: Choose a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods Chicago Sun-Times Dear Reader: In our previous column, we addressed the first half of a two-part question about inflammation what it is, and how it can be affected by diet. In answering the first half of the question, we discussed the two main types of inflammation ... |
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Ask the Doctors: Choose a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods - Chicago Sun-Times
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:42 am
One of the 300 semis that travel every day to and from the Daimler Chrysler plant in Marysville drives along Huron Boulevard.(Photo: Times Herald.)Buy Photo
Marysvilles Huron Boulevard could look a little different after its reconstruction begins next year, and officials hope the change will calm the roadways traffic.
The city is planning a three-phase rebuild of the roadway between M-29 andGratiot Boulevard at a cost of roughly $1.8 million. Construction is expected to start in 2018 and last two years.
The project, however, would not only reconstruct the road, as announced earlier this year, but also change its layout. Officials said the adjustment comes after the engineering firm hired to design the project surveyed the road and traffic volumes this spring.
Vehicles travel along Huron Boulevard Friday, June 2, 2017 in Marysville. The city is planning a three-phase rebuild of the roadway between M-29 and Gratiot Boulevard, reducing it from a four-lane road to one lane in each direction with a center left turn lane.(Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)
Huron Boulevardis currently a four-lane road with two lanes heading each way. Barry Kreiner, Marysvilles director of public services, said after construction it will bethree lanes one travel lane in each direction and a left-turn lane down the middle. Intersections would get right-turn lanes.
Its a safety factor. Theres a lot of activity around the schools. Thats one of the main concerns, Kreiner said, pointing tothe area near Marysville High School. Its safety for kids. A lot of people come across 14thStreet and try to zip across four lanes into school parking lots. There are accidents there.
Marysville planning to rebuild Huron Blvd.
Federal funds will pay for 75 percent of the work, and with each year, a different section will be reconstructed.
City Manager Randy Fernandez said the change likely is more cost effective, but safety trumps that.
Patrick Phelan, of firm BMJ Engineers and Surveyors, previously explained the study of the roadway to the City Council. He called the new design a road diet, that would calm traffic by encouraging lower speeds.
Huron Boulevard has a traffic count of more than 4,000 vehicles a day,according to the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments. The roadway between Gratiot and Michigan also sees an average of four crashes a year.
Vehicles travel along Huron Boulevard Friday, June 2, 2017 in Marysville. The city is planning a three-phase rebuild of the roadway between M-29 and Gratiot Boulevard, reducing it from a four-lane road to one lane in each direction with a center left turn lane.(Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)
Kreiner said engineers still have to turn their designs into the state for approval. For road diets to work, he said roadways have to carry 20,000 or fewer vehicles daily.
The only thing is if youre around 15,000, they require you to do an extra study just to support what youre proposing, but were so far below, we dont have to do that, he said.
Kreiner, also a member of the Marysville school board, said the city has met with some school officials, who support the measure. He said the full board will also get the BMJ presentation at its June meeting.
Additionally, now that council members have had a chance to ask questions, Fernandez said planning commissioners will too.
They will also hear about this proposal in case they want to weigh in, he said. One action item to approve or disapprove. We dont need to get their approval, but its just us doing our due diligence to include as many partners as we can in the process.
Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.
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Marysville to consider 'road diet' for Huron Blvd. - Port Huron Times Herald
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:42 am
Black soldier fly pre-pupae meal offers a partial alternative to fishmeal use in the diets of farmed European seabass, according to a new study.
An international team of researchers in Brazil, Portugal and Spain examined the use of black soldier fly pre-pupae meal (HM) in the diets of European seabass, in place of fishmeal (FM). The group published its results in the journal of Aquaculture .
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary replacement of FM by HM on growth performance, plasma metabolic profile, feed utilization, apparent digestibility, and digestive enzyme activities of European seabass juveniles, said the researchers.
The group found that levels of the pre-pupae meal could replace almost half of the fishmeal in the diet of juvenile seabass with few consequences to production, they said.
This study indicates that up to 19.5% of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) pre-pupae meal (corresponding to 22.5% of dietary protein), may successfully replace 45% FM in diets for juveniles of European seabass, without any adverse effect on growth performance, feed utilization, apparent digestibility coefficients or digestive enzyme activity, they said. Further research testing higher dietary HM inclusion levels, as well as detailed economic analysis of its incorporation in the diets, are needed to better evaluate the potential of HM inclusion rates in commercial aquafeeds.
Pressure to generate more food from aquatic sources, including aquaculture, has increased, said researchers.
Most farmed fish are raised on aquafeeds, and for carnivorous fish species, the diet often includes large levels of fishmeal and fish oil, they said. However, demand has increased the price of these feed ingredients.
Considerable efforts have been made to reduce the reliance on fishmeal and fish oil, they said. Interest has turned to sourcing sustainable supplies of animal and plant feedstuffs for aquafeed use.
Attention has focused on the use of plant protein-rich feedstuffs in practical diets for carnivorous fish, said the researchers. However, plant feedstuffs have relatively low protein content, unbalanced essential amino acid profiles, low palatability, the presence of anti-nutrients, and competition with other food-feed industry sectors.
This has encouraged work to improve the use of plant protein-based diets and for other alternative ingredients including animal feedstuffs and insect meals (IM), they said. Compared to conventional animal protein, insects have several advantages, including being reared on discarded organic by-products with low water input, high feed conversion efficiency, emission of low levels of greenhouse gases and ammonia, few animal welfare issues, and low risk of transmitting zoonotic infections, they added.
Insects offer a protein content of 60-80%; a well-balanced essential amino acid profile; and an alterable lipid and fatty acid profile, they said. The meal generated can be a good source of minerals including potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium and selenium.
Pre-pupae black soldier flies are of interest because there are already ways to mass-rear the insect for industrial production, the researchers said. They provide an average protein content of 55% dry matter and a balanced essential amino acid profile.
Although HM is considered to have a nutritional value close to that of FM, replacement of FM by HM in aquafeeds has not yet been as successful as hoped, the researchers said. Maximum dietary FM replacement level has ranged from 6 to 25%, depending of the fish species, with highest levels being attained for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.
In past experiments, the meal has reduced growth in channel catfish, rainbow trout and turbot when used at high levels, they said. In salmon, Salmo salar, dietary supplementation with lysine and methionine allowed dietary HM level up to a maximum of 25%, they added.
But little work has been doing exploring the use of insect meals on marine fish, they said. And those efforts have not included juvenile seabass.
In the feeding trial, juvenile seabass were given one of four diets for 62 days, said the researchers. These included a control diet with fishmeal and diets with 6.5%, 13% and 19.5% of the pre-pupae meal replacing 15%, 30% and 45% of FM.
Fish were acclimatized to the trial conditions for 15 days, then 12 groups of 10 fish were established, they said. Fecal matter was collected during the trial and fish were weighed at the end of the feeding trial.
The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of the diets were calculated for dry and organic matter, protein, amino acids, lipids and energy, they said.
Blood and intestinal samples were collected at the end of the trial, the researchers said. These were checked for enzymatic activity and plasma metabolites.
At the end of the feeding period, no differences were found among fish receiving the different diets in terms of growth performance or feed use, said the researchers. The insect meal was capable of replacing up to 45% of fishmeal without negatively altering growth performance.
The fish promptly consumed all diets and no differences on voluntary feed intake were observed, indicating that HM was palatable for seabass, they said. Feed efficiency was also unaffected by dietary composition.
Plasma metabolic profiles remained similar, but plasma cholesterol was lower when HM was added to the fish diets, they said. The ADC were high for protein, lipids, dry matter, organic matter and energy and were not altered by the trial diets.
The ADC of arginine, histidine and valine were raised in HM diets compared to the fishmeal only diet, said the researchers. But, lipase activity was reduced in HM 6.5 diet when compared to both the control and HM 19.5 diet.
Source: Aquaculture
Title: Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) pre-pupae meal as a fishmeal replacement in diets for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2017.04.021
Authors: Rui Magalhes, Antonio Snchez-Lpez, Renato Leal, Silvia Martnez-Llorens, Aires Oliva-Teles, Helena Peres
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European seabass production sustained when insects partially replace fishmeal in diets - FeedNavigator.com
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:42 am
by John McClaughry The news media are reporting the battle in Washington over the future of ObamaCare, and its proposed replacement American Health Care Act, as mainly a debate over coverage. This is understandable, but the national debate over health care policy ought to be far more broad. We need to look more closely at why, aside from accidents, people need health care.
Paul Jarris MD was Vermonts exceptionally able Health Commissioner in 2004. At a Snelling Institute conference I attended, Paul told us that 51% of Vermonters suffered chronic illnesses, and 78% of our health care dollars were spent on them. Other estimates of the contribution to health problems of personal lifestyle choices tobacco, alcohol, drugs, obesity, inactivity etc. are in the 40-50% range.
If 40-50% of our health care spending results from poor patient choices, how can we find more effective ways to influence patients to make better choices, and so reduce the enormous expenditures that they are causing?
At a health policy conference in Texas last spring I listened to a persuasive talk by John Mackey, founder and CEO of Whole Food Market. Much of his talk is included in his new book The Whole Foods Diet, coauthored with two MDs.
In it Mackey describes the conference that Dr. David Katz of Yale organized, with twenty one well-known advocates for various healthy diets. While differences in emphasis remained, all of the experts agreed that a healthy dietary pattern is higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low- or nonfat dairy, seafood, legumes and nuts; moderate in alcohol (among adults), lower in red and processed meats, and low in sugar-sweetened foods and drinks and refined grains.
Add to that regular physical activity, avoidance of tobacco, drugs, and liquor, and a positive and rewarding social environment, and you have a consensus path to lifelong health.
Mackey himself is a vegan (no meat, fish, eggs or dairy) but he stops short of promoting that plan. His recommendation is simple: eat whole foods instead of highly processed foods, and get 90% or more of your calories from plant foods.
Mackey tells how Whole Foods Market offers free weeklong wellness immersion programs to its employees.
Often these men and women started out overweight or obese, diabetic, or suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and other life threatening conditions. Many have seen dramatic results in even just one week, and have gone on to lose weight and in some cases have completely reversed their diseases.
Why does Whole Foods Market do this? Partly to illustrate the benefits of a whole foods diet along with other positive choices, and partly because Whole Foods Market wants to keep its employees healthy and control their companys health care costs.
The company is far from alone in doing this. In the 1990s Quad/Graphics in Wisconsin organized its own employee wellness subsidiary QuadMed that now manages programs in hundreds of locations. Marathon Health, headquartered in Winooski, provides onsite and near-site health centers and wellness programs for employers at over 130 locations in 40 States. Last month it won the Deane C. Davis Vermont Business of the Year Award.
Creative private sector programs like these can and do influence employees to make good health choices. For people who dont work for enlightened employers, civic and religious organizations like the Napa County (CA) Community Health Improvement Plan and the Blue Zones Project exist that work along the same lines.
Congress needs to make decisions about coverage, to be sure. Any next generation Federal health care policy ought to include income-tested support for catastrophic insurance that reduces the role of third party payments, tax equity for individual premium payers, expanded Health Savings Accounts to pay for ordinary medical expenses, preventive care and wellness programs, state-level innovation for Medicaid acute-care coverage, high risk pools to cover uninsurables, and improved price and outcome transparency to facilitate increased provider competition.
It should also recognize and support private sector health and wellness programs like Whole Foods, and effective motivational efforts that help people from grade school on to identify and avoid the poor choices that will cause them misery, and cost the taxpayers countless billions of dollars each year.
John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute (www.ethanallen.org).
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McClaughry: The real health care issue is promoting wellness - Vermont Biz
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:41 am
Thousands of children die each year from illnesses triggered by vitamin A deficiency -- and a California nonprofit wants to change that, with help from the old-fashioned USB drive.
Vitamin Angels aims to dramatically reduce these preventable deaths -- of more than 150,000 children worldwide under the age of five each year -- by training public health workers to administer free vitamin A supplements and provide education to families.
The children at risk are typically raised in impoverished communities lacking access to a balanced diet and routine health care. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to complications like blindness in addition to death; Vitamin Angels estimates the cost of providing one child with vitamins for one year at just 25 cents.
Since 1994 the organization has reached 52 million children and mothers in 66 countries. Until now, the system was dependent on Vitamin Angels' own staff of 40 providing in-person training to local public health workers in partnership with NGO partners worldwide.
But to meet their expansion goals, Vitamin Angels realized it would have to use e-learning technology to train more workers more quickly. And with spotty internet coverage in many of the vulnerable populations the group targets, it turned to the trusty old USB drive to deliver the training.
"The goal is to go from training 1,000 field health workers every year to 6,000 or more," Howard Schiffer, founder and president of Vitamin Angels. "It's shocking how much of a difference vitamins make. Kids who get the right dose at the right time in early life are taller, stronger, even better in school."
The group worked with e-learning firm TorranceLearning to develop a system that could reach even old computers, with or without a stable internet connection.
"A USB drive is old, boring technology. It's dumb storage when now everything is cloud-based," said Megan Torrance, CEO of TorranceLearning. But Vitamin Angels' unique request "pushed us to look at USBs."
The final product, which cost Vitamin Angels $92,000, is a simple e-learning course adapted for individuals with limited computer skills. The course is available on a simple $2 to $4 USB drive that contains a Chromium web browser and web server. This allows the e-learning course to play from the USB drive no matter which computer it's plugged into.
The course itself focuses on three areas: educating health care workers about the dangers of vitamin deficiencies, teaching how to safely administer liquid vitamin A capsules safely and how to identify the most vulnerable population in each country.
Each USB drive can train one person or dozens of individuals at the same time, storing individual account information on the device to access later -- including who passed or failed the training. When internet connection is available, the USB uploads all stored data to Vitamin Angels' main learning management system.
Vitamin Angels piloted the USB drive-based training about two months ago in India, Indonesia and Nigeria, and the group plans to do more tests field tests before a worldwide roll out in 2018.
"I can't fix everything," Schiffer said,"but this is one pressing problem humanity faces where we can make a gigantic impact."
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How a simple USB drive can save lives - WBAL Baltimore
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:41 am
ANDERSON A new study claims to have found a connection between drinking diet soda and being at higher risk of developing dementia and stroke.
However, the study's author is calling for more research to be done.
The study found an association between drinking at least one artificially sweetened beverage daily and having an increased risk of stroke or dementia by three times the risk of someone who drinks diet soda less than once a week.
The researchers who conducted the study analyzed the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort. The 2,888 people in the group for the stroke study were primarily Caucasian, over the age of 45. The 1,484 people in the dementia study were over the age of 60.
The authors quickly cautioned in the American Heart Association press release that the research only shows a trend among one group of people rather than an actual cause and effect.
The people who participated in the study had researchers check in with their drinking habits periodically over a seven-year period, according to the press release. The researchers then followed up 10 years later to see who developed the targeted diseases.
At the end of the 10-year period, 3 percent of the people had had a stroke and 5 percent had been diagnosed with dementia.
Matthew Pase, a senior fellow in the department of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, and the Framingham Heart Study, said more research needs to be done to confirm the findings since the sampling of people were primarily white and older. He also said they did not track how much regular soda the participants were drinking as well.
Even if someone is three times as likely to develop stroke or dementia, it is by no means a certain fate, Pase said in a press release. In our study, 3 percent of the people had a new stroke and 5 percent developed dementia, so we're still talking about a small number of people developing either stroke or dementia.
However, the study is one of many that point to artificially sweetened sodas, or diet soda, as not being a healthy option and even causing additional health issues of its own.
Studies since 2010 have showed various health concerns that could be linked to drinking diet soda, such as increased risks of Type 2 diabetes, heart attack and a slower metabolism. Diet sodas may have less calories, but some of the artificial sweeteners have been questioned.
Aspartame is one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners, and its about 200 times sweeter than sugar, meaning much less of it needs to be used. Rumors and studies that arent backed up well have claimed for years that the sweetener causes cancer, but the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies have found it to be safe, according to the American Cancer Society.
Marianne Spangler, patient navigation services director and dietitian at Community Hospital Anderson, said in 2016 that dietitians generally follow the guidelines of the FDA. She said while the FDA has said diet soda is safe, she encourages her patients to drink more water any way.
Michelle Richart, registered dietitian at St. Vincent Anderson Regional Hospital, said she encourages her patients to drink less diet soda because it cuts down how much water they are drinking. If they are drinking enough water, a little diet soda is fine, she said in 2016.
What authors of the study published in the American Heart Associations journal Stroke are really trying to iterate is that while more research needs to be done, diet sodas may not be better for people than their sugary counterparts, said senior editorial author Ralph Sacco, a former president of the American Heart Association and the chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Miller School of Medicine at University of Miami in Florida.
Both sugar and artificially sweetened soft drinks may be hard on the brain, Sacco said in a press release.
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Diet soda a danger? - The Herald Bulletin
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:41 am
Women's Health | 6 Ketogenic Recipes That Low-Carb Dieters Will Love Women's Health The ketogenic diet was developed as a treatment for epilepsy decades ago, but the super low-carb eating plan had an unintended side effect: weight loss, says Karen Ansel, R.D.N., author of Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging: Stay Younger, Live Longer. |
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6 Ketogenic Recipes That Low-Carb Dieters Will Love - Women's Health
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:41 am
Lisa Lillien is the author of the popular Hungry Girl website and email newsletter, featuring smart, funny advice on guilt-free eating. She is also the author of elevenbooks, six of which debuted at number one on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Read her PEOPLE.com blog every Monday for slimmed-down celebrity recipes and more.
Youve probably heard the word superfoodmany times, but what exactly does it mean? Generally, superfoods go above and beyond the nutritional impact of other healthy foods.
Here are a few superfoods you need to know about:
Turmeric
This golden spice has skyrocketed in popularity. Itpacks a punch in terms ofhealthbenefits. Turmeric is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities. It can also sooth your stomach and may protect against diseases like cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimers. Just dont pull a Daisy Ridley and put it on your face.
HG tip:Add a couple of shakes to your eggs, or sprinkle some onto cooked veggies. (Dont use too much, or your food may taste bitter.)
RELATED:Hungry Girl: Why You Should Be Shopping in the Baby Food Aisle If Youre on aDiet
Fermented Foods
Fermentation is for more than booze, people! Im talking sauerkraut,kimchi, kefir, yogurt, tempeh, kombucha all great for you. Fermented foods contain natural probiotics; theyre good for your gut and help you absorb nutrients better. Studies have even found them to be good for weight maintenance.
HG tip:Pair sauerkraut with turkey and whole grain bread for an open-faced sandwich, or stir some chopped kimchi into your cauliflower fried rice.
Apple Cider Vinegar
The unfiltered version delivers big benefits. For example, its been found to help lower blood sugar levels, which is especially good for diabetics. Studies have found it helps satiety and weight loss; one study even found it may help the body break down fats. Add in potential protection against heart disease and cancer, and ACV is a winner.
HG tip:Use it to dress your salad along with a splash of olive oil. Or mix it with water and sip a la Kourtney Kardashian.
FROM COINAGE:Heres When Its Worth to Buy Organic
Ginger
This spicy root is well known for its ability to calm nausea. Its also just plain good for digestion. It has anti-inflammatory properties which have been found to help ease post-workout soreness. (Score!) Ginger is also said to be good for boosting your immune system, helping to protect against small stuff like colds and big stuff like cancer.
HG tip:Crushed ginger will add major flavor to your veggie stir-fry. If dried ginger is what youve got, try this roasted pork.
RELATED:Hungry Girl: Spring Clean Your Diet with These Healthy FoodSwaps
Moringa
This superfood is everywhere! Its full of nutrients (amino acids, protein, potassium, and more), contains antioxidants, and is an anti-inflammatory. Additionally, it can help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol. And its good for your brain, liver, hair, and skin. Youre most likely to encounter the leaves in their dried and powdered form.
HG tip:Mix the powder into a smoothie. Itll barely impact the taste, and youll get those nutritional benefits!
Til next time Chew the right thing!
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Hungry Girl: 5 Superfoods You Should Add to Your Diet - PEOPLE.com
Posted: June 6, 2017 at 3:41 am
Soda distributors in Seattle will soon pay a new tax on sugary beverages. Kevork Djansezian/getty
Seattle City Council members this afternoon approved a 1.75 cents per ounce tax on distributors of sugary drinks, but rejected efforts to lessen the disproportional impact the tax is projected have on low-income consumers.
Politicians in City Hall have wavered on whether to tax diet sodas, which are preferred by a wealthier, whiter demographic. When Mayor Ed Murray first proposed the tax, he didn't plan to include diet drinks. A formal proposal sent to the city council in April flip-flopped on that position. In committee discussions, the city council removed diet drinks. Worried about passing a sales tax that disproportionately hits people of color, Council Member Lisa Herbold last week proposed adding diet drinks back into the legislation. Her council colleagues rejected that proposal.
"The scientific evidence is just not there yet" to show that sweeteners used in diet drinks are as harmful as sugar used in regular soda, Council Member Tim Burgess said today.
Herbold made one more attempt to add diet to list today, proposing a reduction in the tax rate and an addition of sugary coffee drinks. Herbold argued the tax as written was "punitive" because, on the average bottle of soda, the fee would amount to a higher tax rate than those charged on cigarettes, cannabis, and alcohol. The Seattle Human Rights Commission raised similar concerns.
"I drink diet soda," Herbold said today. "I drink sweetened coffee. I'm trying to tax the unhealthy products I myself consume. I don't think it's fair not to spread cost... to consumers like me."
But again her council colleagues rejected her idea. Only Council Member Rob Johnson joined Herbold in supporting her amendment. (Herbold's likely ally, Kshama Sawant, was absent for today's vote.)
The tax gets really confusing when it comes to the minutiae of the world of sugary drinks served by your neighborhood barista. Ready for this shit? Those syrup pumps that add vanilla flavoring or whatever to your lattes will NOT be covered by the tax because lattes are milk based. But if you prefer pomegranate, flower blossom yoga teas, tough luck. Without the milk, you're getting bilked (by the government to pay for public services).
Council Member Bruce Harrell, meanwhile, tried to take drinks off the list, exempting coffee drinks and bubble teas, a move he said in a meeting earlier today was intended to benefit businesses. But the majority of the council rejected that, too.
Soda distributors will likely pass the tax onto consumers. Funding from the tax will support public health and education programs, including possibly food banks and meal programs, thanks to an amendment from Council Member Debora Juarez. "Everyone in the city should have a right to eat," Juarez said today.
Public comment ahead of todays vote echoed potential benefits of the tax pushed during weeks of committee meetings and media coverage. Public health advocates spoke in favor of the tax and urged the council not to exempt sugary coffee drinks. James Krieger, a doctor and University of Washington professor, said the five pumps of syrup that go into a 20 ounce Starbucks coffee drink is the equivalent of 60 spoons of sugar.
Reducing the tax rate or exempting other drinks would reduce critical funding for important programs that will directly benefit our communities, said Estela Ortega, executive director of the nonprofit El Centro de la Raza.
Business representatives and some union members spoke against the tax, arguing it would disproportionately hit consumers and business owners of color. "It is regressive and it hurts working people and the poor the most and it will result in the loss of good family jobs," said Teamsters Local 174 business agent Pete Lamb during public comment today.
In a statement after today's vote, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce CEO Maud Daudon said the Chamber was "deeply disappointed" and called the tax "yet another barrier that will make operating a small business more complicated in Seattle."
Those worried about job losses often cite Philadelphia, where Pepsi this year blamed layoffs on that city's soda tax. The city, in response, slammed Pepsi for laying workers off even as it makes billions in profit. The proposal approved in Seattle today includes a $1.5 million allocation for job training programs.
The question now is whether opponents will challenge the tax through a referendum, forcing a public vote on the issue. If they decide to take that approach, they'll only have a month from the day the mayor signs the legislation to gather signatures to try to make it on the November ballot.
A representative for Keep Seattle Livable for All, the coalition fighting the tax, previously declined to answer directly whether the group planned to pursue a ballot measure.
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City Council Passes Soda Tax, Exempting Diet Drinks - TheStranger.com
