Here We Go Again

Sugar.

A committee of scientists has advised the government to halve the current recommended daily intake of sugar.

Nutrition experts say no more than 5% of daily calories should come from added sugar – about seven teaspoons.

Most people consume at least twice this limit.

The government has said it will accept the recommendations and will use them to develop its national strategy on childhood obesity, which is due out later this year.

As I say; here we go again. The amount of sugar – indeed any foodstuff – that we consume is nothing to do with the government. It is not up to the government to recommend anything. It is not there for that purpose. And, given that as usual, we are talking about arbitrary limits plucked from the collective arseholes of the busybodies who come up with this cack, the best thing to do is eat whatever you choose in whatever quantities you choose. If it is too much and you get fat and this subsequently leads to ill-health, that is up to you. Not the state. For it is none of the state’s business.

Prof Ian Macdonald, chair of the working group of the committee, said: “The evidence is stark – too much sugar is harmful to health and we all need to cut back.

“The clear and consistent link between a high-sugar diet and conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes is the wake-up call we need to rethink our diet.

“Cut down on sugars, increase fibre and we’ll all have a better chance of living longer, healthier lives.”

As is usual with public health obsessives, he seems to think that quantity is more important than quality. Many of us would beg to differ. As our lives belong to us and not the state, it is a personal matter how we live them and the risks we take. So, Prof Macdonald can go fuck himself. I’ll consume as much or as little sugar as I see fit, for the only person who may decide what I eat is me.

Achieving the expected threshold for added sugar – no more than 5% of calories consumed – will be a challenge for government, industry and the public.

No, it isn’t. It is remarkable easy. Leave us alone to live our lives as we see fit.

The health arguments are compelling, but will people want to change their eating patterns, and will they be able to afford it?

So what if they don’t. Their business. No one else’s.

The food industry says it is already working to cut added sugars.

If that’s what they want to do, fine.

Many health campaigners want to see a tax on sugar, with doctors’ leaders joining the call this week.

The British Medical Association said a 20% levy on sugary drinks would be a step towards the long-term goal of taxing a wide range of products in the fight against obesity.

And they can stick that where the sun don’t shine.

The government has said it will not be introducing a sugar tax.

It’s not often you will see me saying this; the government is right. Long may it continue.