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The importance of sugar essay
The importance of sugar essay
Society's consumption of sugar
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Why Sugar is Harmful to Americans
Sugar was once thought of to be a special treat, but now the average American gets one third of their daily calories from sugar (Duff). This incredible statistic has caused sugar addiction to be more common, resulting in common health problems such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, all of which are the adverse effects of consuming more sugar than the human body can handle.
Sugar undoubtedly has a negative impact on the human body, but the sugar industry is the real mastermind behind this issue. Though the world has heard the cautionary tales of obesity, not many know how deep America’s sugar problem is. Thankfully, it is now understood that sugar is not an ideal food item for the human body. However,
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Harvard scientists conducted research and ruled saturated fat as the main culprit. More than fifty years later dentist Kristin Kearns found this solution to be odd, so she looked deeper into the matter. In a secret folder she found that the sugar industry payed three Harvard researchers the equivalent of $500,000 today to manipulate their research, blaming saturated fat as the main cause of heart disease when the experiment concluded that sugar did more harm than fat did (Sugar Industry Manipulated Research About Health Effects, Study Finds). Though this situation is a major problem on its own, this is only one study. The sugar industry most likely funded several other studies as …show more content…
The reasons why sugar is so negative for America is not only the direct physical effects sugar has on the human body, but the sugar industry increasing sugar’s impact by endorsing the over-consumption of sugar through endorsements and manipulating research. Because of these factors, the sugar industry can be compared to the infinitely evil tobacco industry because they both put the public’s personal health at risk for their own gain (Colborne). Until the American government commits to making changes such as getting rid of vending machines and implementing a sugar tax, sugar will continue to be a problem for
The article,“ Battle lines drawn over soda tax,” by Associated Press , the Press explains how there is an ongoing “national fight about taxing sugary drinks.” According to Associated Press, “ Health experts say the beverages contribute to health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay.” This quote demonstrates that sugary drinks can lead to health issues. Since sugary drinks leads to health issues, people are considering soda tax. This is because thirteen percent of adult minorities are diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes.
A testimonial appeal stemming from the article, was taken up by Denmark, who, in 2011 said that “any foods high in saturated fat” were to be taxed, and this was passed into law. A secondary testimonial came from the United Nations, which declared that heart disease and “uncatchable” diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, etc. pose a greater risk now than ever before. Another testimonial taken from the text was this: “Western diet is now dominated by “low-cost, highly-proc...
Jon Gabriel explains how sugar has become an addictive drug like nicotine, the only difference is that its legal. Once we become hooked on it we become habituated to its effects and need more and more to satisfy ourselves. As a result of the increase in marketing and the on going dependence on sugary foods and beverages, children are taking in more and more sugar and obtaining less and less nutrients. According to Gentry Lasater,
The food that we as a nation consumes reflects the health and well being of the American people. We have become so accustomed to fast food and easy, unhealthy, diet choices that diseases like diabetes has become very prevalent and on the rise. One in every three Americans born after 2000 will contract early onset diabetes. In the film “Food Inc.” takes a look into a typical grocery store and reveals the illusion of variety. Most of the food in the industry leads back to corn. High fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn starch, is found in many of the foods and beverages that we consume. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to metabolic diseases like obesity and diabetes. Corn has become very affordable and abundant and big food
With such an obsession with sweet foods, there is an obvious desire for an explanation of how such a once unknown substance took center stage on everybody's snack, dessert, and candy list. That's where Sidney W. Mintz comes into play. He decided to write this book Sweetness and Power, and from the looks of all the sources he used to substantiate his ideas and data, it seems that he is not the first person to find the role that sugar plays in modern society important. By analyzing who Mintz's audience is meant to be, what goals he has in writing this book, what structure his book incorporates, what type, or types, of history he represents within the book, what kind of sources he uses, and what important information and conclusions he presents, we can come to better understand Mintz's views and research of the role of sugar in history, and how much it really affects our lives as we know them.
However, the outcome was different from his desired result due to strong protest from the dairy and livestock industry, so the Congress instead urged people to buy lean meat and less fat food so the dairy and livestock industry do not go out of business. This created the fat-free boom in the market in the 1980s. However, food companies began to put more sugar in their products because the taste was bad when they reduced fat in the food. Now, the sugar intake of Americans has doubled compared with before. In the American market, there are approximately 600,000 different food products, and 80% of those include sugar. Although sugar is written in various forms and names, one suggests that it’s bad in any form, especially if taken too much. Sugar consumed naturally through fiber-rich fruit or vegetable should be fine, but the added sweeteners stimulate the hormones that increase insulin. High insulin prevents people from thinking they are full, and thus crave more food. This causes many diseases. Of course one meal high in sugar will not kill them, but the problem is that people generally exceed daily sugar intake in one meal alone when consuming process food. We eat more processed and convenient food instead of fruits, vegetables, and
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
Sugarcane was domesticated some 10000 years ago on the island of New Guinea. It reached the mainland around 1000 BC. In the 17th century, sugar became an item of less luxury and hence consumption spread to the middle class as well as to the poor. The average sugar intake by an individual has however steadily been on the rise since the 17th century. Early consumption of sugar was on average 4 pounds a year. In the 18th century the average intake went up to 18 pounds a year and reached its highest levels in the 19th century to 100 pounds. At the present, we are consuming around 77 pounds a year. The drop in sugar consumptions is mainly credited to the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) (Cohen 1,3). Since the 1970, when HFCS was first introduced, the intake of it has been on a steady rise (U.S. 2). Its use has been widely spread in the U.S. due to it being cheaper than sugar. The government limits the production of domestic sugar and places import tariffs on foreign sugar making it a very expensive commodity in the U.S. However, at the same time, it subsidizes corn production and therefore lowers its price significantly (“How” 2). Only in the most recent years, has the consumption of HFCS been dropped, mostly due to the higher awareness by the public (U.S. 2). Due to its inexpensiveness, this ingredient has replaced a big part of the sugar usage and is included in most every day foods like: “bread, cereal, ketchup, sodas, pasta, and many others. HFCS, a sugar substitute, however is more dangerous to our health than sugar, otherwise known as the white evil, ever was.
Imagine this, it is the 1800’s and you’re shopping for sugar. You see the sweet, pure white sugar and look down. Wham! The price makes your stomach drop. You need a cup of sugar, and the price is five dollars per teaspoon. That’s two-hundred and forty dollars, and you only have two dollars with you! In the articles, How Candy Conquered America by Lauren Tarshis and This Cupcake is Trying to Hurt You by Kristin Lewis and Lauren Tarshis it talks about how the consumption of sugar changes over time from the 1800’s to today. Two ways sugar consumption in the United States differed in the 1800’s than today is how much sugar we eat and how it affects our bodies.
Sugar is considered a toxic poison. Sugar leaches the calcium out of the skeletal frame of a human’s body. Sugar literally sucks the calcium straight from our bones; therefore it is known to many as a “skeletal poisonous powder.” There are thousands of individuals struggling throughout the United States with sugar addiction. Sugar is a leading cause of a number of health-related issues. Sugar causes health issues such as, fibromyalgia, diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis. Like me, many individuals have no clue that they are addicted to sugar. Up until this single subject design, I thought my eating habits were quite normal. I honestly did not realize how much sugar I was taking in everyday. This single subject design has truly encouraged me to live a healthier lifestyle. The purpose of this study is to indirectly determine my sugar intake, by counting calories daily and reducing my caloric intake.
All the statistics and expert opinions reveal one thing – there is possibly a link between sugar and diabetes, but it is inconclusive to say whether it is or not, in a definitive way. There is an established link between soda and diabetes, but that seems to be as far as it goes. My uncle, had his share of soda, but he also had his share of high calorie foods. However, there does not seem to be a solid link between the foods he ate and diabetes. In short, it was necessary to cut back or reduce the amount of sugar he was consuming, but there was no reason for him to eliminate sugar intake as he did. In moderation and on a properly controlled diet a minimal amount of sugar would be fine.
For years doctors have been saying that refined sugars are empty calories and consist of absolutely no vitamins or minerals that people need to survive. Dentists warn that sugary foods encourage tooth decay. Many people avoid sweet food because it can lead to obesity, heart problems, diabetes and cancer. These negative responses by people’s bodies are actually warnings. Maybe people eat sugar for other reasons than the sweet taste. The human body's negative responses to sugar may be a similar purpose to the reason kids feel pain when they are playing too roughly. People’s consumption of sweet foods might also serve as a sign of defiance against their bodies’ health limitations. What many people do not realize is that their tasty treats can affect their mind and emotions.
We are all familiar with sugar. It is sweet, delicious, and addictive; yet only a few of us know that it is deadly. When it comes to sugar, it seems like most people are in the mind frame knowing that it could be bad for our health, but only a few are really taking the moderate amounts. In fact, as a whole population, each and everyone of us are still eating about 500 extra calories per day from sugar. Yes, that seems like an exaggerated number judging from the tiny sweet crystals we sprinkle on our coffee, but it is not. Sugar is not only present in the form of sweets and flavourings, it is hidden in all the processed foods we eat. We have heard about the dangers of eating too much fat or salt, but we know very little about the harmful effects of consuming too much sugar. There still isn’t any warnings about sugar on our food labels, nor has there been any broadcasts on the serious damages it could do to our health. It has come to my concern during my research that few
The first step is to understand the effects of sugary drinks on the human body. Daines states that, “Many factors contribute to obesity, but there’s one pernicious one: added sugar” (632). Consumption of sugary drinks alone has held an increasing placement in our daily eating routine. As stated in A Tax That Invests in Our Health, “We consume about 300 calories more a day than we did 30 years ago, and most of those calories come from sugar-sweetened sodas, energy drinks or fruit-flavored drinks” (632).
But is sugar really that bad for you? Chances are you already know sugar isn’t the healthiest thing out there. Yet you’re probably still overdoing it. The average New Zealander consumes over a kilo of sugar a week, more than double the recommended amount. Which is shocking seeing how damaging sugar is for our health.