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By Joanna DelBuono
Brooklyn Daily
The battle of the Big Gulp continues — on Monday hordes of those disenchanted with the mayor descended upon City Hall to protest Bloomberg’s proposed ban on sugary drinks sold by restaurants in larger than 16-ounce containers.
But my question to Mayor Mike is: “Why stop at sugary drinks?” If the mayor is so interested in battling obesity in this city, he should nip it in the bud by banning that staple of the childhood diet, fruit juices. They are loaded with sugar, and yet moms give apple juice, cranberry juice, and Juicy Juice to their tots all day long, every day of the week.
And what about hot dog-eating contests? He always attends them, but he should consider banning them. One Nathan’s hot dog is 309 calories, and these guys eat more than 50 in six minutes.
And what about those street fair vendors that sell sausage and pepper heroes (483 calories), zeppole (207 calories per delicious dumpling), fried chicken (506 calories a piece) or other deep fried, sugary, salty, and loaded with triglycerides and monoglycerides foods!
All of these foods are fattening. All of them contribute to obesity, all of them are unhealthy. And my guess is if Mike had his way, they would all be banned!
And so would Dunkin’ Donuts — where just one jelly stick plus one 10-ounce orange Coolatta adds up to an astronomical 900 calories — more than one third of a standard 1,200-a-day calorie diet.
Oh, and Starbucks should also be illegal, because a 10-ounce mocha swirl latte with a classic fudge brownie is a whopping 648 calories. Why is the mayor still silent? Doesn’t he know this?
So, Mayor Mike, what about it? Is the next step in your anti-obesity campaign going to include all these deadly things we allow — and many times look forward to?
Not for Nuthin™, but after three terms of Mayor Bloomberg’s largesse, I’m ready to put this city on a diet and shed this 142- pound mayor for good.
Joanna DelBuone covers national issues — and sarcasm — every Wednesday on BrooklynDaily.com. E-mail her at jdelbuono@cnglocal.com.