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According to Yale Universitys Rudd Center on Food Policy and Obesity, "Sugar-sweetened beverages with little or no nutritional value and a significant number of calories are...heavily marketed, especially to children, often using celebrities, sports stars, and cartoon characters. More than for any category of food, rigorous scientific studies have shown that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with poor diet, increasing rates of obesity, and risk for diabetes."
This year's annual meeting of The Wilton League of Women Voters features a presentation on "The Politics of Sugar" and its effects on children's nutrition by Rudd Center director Roberta Friedman. A leader in building broad-based consensus to change diet and activity patterns in the U.S. while holding industry and government agencies responsible for safeguarding public health, Friedman and the Rudd Center are on the cutting edge of changing the way Americans view sugar. Friedman is the former program director for the Massachusetts Public Health Association, where she coordinated efforts to pass legislation to improve school nutrition. She has also worked with several New England- and state-wide coalitions to develop obesity-prevention strategies.
As featured speaker for the LWV event, Friedman will take guests on a sugar consumption tour that focuses on sugar-sweetened beverages, the latest nutrition research, and recent legislative initiatives designed to promote healthier lifestyles. The luncheon takes place Thursday, June 3 at The Red Barn Restaurant in Westport beginning at 11:00 a.m. Cost is $30 per person. For more information, contact Margaret Creeth, macreeth@gmail.com.
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