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Essays on the effects of sugar
Short essays the health problems attributed to sugar consumption
Essays on the effects of sugar
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INTRODUCTION 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. LITERATURE REVIEW “Sugar addiction is a rapidly growing epidemic (Teitelbaum, 2010).” According to researchers, on average an individual consumes one-hundred pounds of sugar each year. Americans spend billions of dollars a year on gym memberships, healthy foods and beverages, and exercise equipment. Despite the economic strain, Americans continue to make room in their budgets for weight loss products. Exercising makes individuals feel healthier inside and out. Feeling healthier could possibly alter a person’s desire to eat healthier. Although exercise cannot cure a sugar addiction it could take one’s mind off eating sweets. Another benefit of exercising is the possibility of curving the urge for sugar. When an individual is hungry it makes their will power to resist sugar more difficult. Feeding ... ... middle of paper ... ...9). Different in prevalence of obesity among black, white, and Hispanic adults-United States, 2006-2008. Morb. Mort. Weekly. Rep. 58, 740-744. Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., & Curtin, L. R. (2010). Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 1999-2008. Journal of Medical Association. 303, 235-241. Hyman, Mark. (2014). Sweet poison: How sugar, not cocaine, is one of the most addictive and dangerous substances. Daily News. Available at: www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/white-poison-danger-sugar-beat-article-1.1605232 (Accessed on 10 February 2014). James, D. C. S. (2013). Weight loss strategies used by African American women: possible implications for tailored messages. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 26, 71-77. Teitelbaum, Jacob. (2010). Sweet Relief. Better Nutrition Healthy Handbook. August 2010. 28-29.
Lustig, Robert, Laura Schmidt, and Claire Brindis. “The Toxic Truth About Sugar.” The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition. Ed. Thomas Cooley. 8th ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 284-289. Print.
Despite the well-publicized health and emotional consequences of obesity, a successful weight-loss industry, and a high rate of voluntary dieting, the prevalence of obesity in African American women continues to increase. For the most part, African American women are aware of the serious health risks related to obesity. Honest attempts to diet and exercise properly usually resulted in gaining of the weight loss and additional pounds in the process. A limited number of studies suggest that African American women maybe less motivated to control their weight because of culturally determined, permissive attitudes toward obesity (Kumanyika & Guilford-Davis, 1993). In fact a select few of obese African American women may feel more attractive about their bodies than women of other races may.
The American Public Health Association. (2003). The obesity epidemic in U.S. minority communities (Issue Brief ). Retrieved from : : .
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
Another contrast between the article How Candy Conquered America and This Cupcake is Trying to Hurt You is how our health is affected by our sugar intake now and back in the 1800’s. According to the article, Too Much Can Make Us Sick (http://www.sugarscience.org/too-much-can-make-us-sick/), “Heart disease”. Diabetes. These chronic conditions are among the leading causes of death worldwide.
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K., & Flegal, K. M., (2012). Prevalence of obesity and
"Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2011–2012." National Center for Health Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. .
Up to 40 percent of normal weight people have the same metabolic dysfunction as those who are obese. So, 51 percent of the U.S. population is sick with metabolic dysfunction,” (Fed Up). Obesity has become an epidemic in America over the past thirty years. This is largely due to over consumption of foods with added sugars. Sugary foods contain a large amount of calories in a small amount of food. People overload on calories before we even feel full. Ann Marina of Livestrong explains, “Refined sugar is composed of simple carbohydrates, which are converted into glucose for energy. Any unused glucose is stored as fat cells in your body.” Added sugar has an addictive quality, making it easy to eat a lot at once. Income also has a lot to do with sugar intake and obesity. With the recession and many people experiencing money troubles, people often settle for the cheapest foods to feed their families. The cheapest foods happen to be fast foods and foods containing added sugars. The obesity epidemic is a sad truth in America today, but people are becoming more conscious of what they are putting into their bodies when they gain knowledge about the effects of sugar. With the consumption of added sugars, our bodies develop insulin resistance, which is the leading cause of metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. Dr. David Reuben, author of "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Nutrition",
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Curtin, L.R., Lamb, M.M., Flegal, K.M. Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007--2008. JAMA 2010;303:242--9.
Probably some of the most pleasurable and enjoyable memories of a person has to do with sweets. When thinking back to birthdays, there is always the memory of the wonderful cake that mother beautifully made and decorated with frosting and glazes. A typical night out with dad can be transformed into a magical evening with a trip to the ice cream parlor. The end of a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner turns heavenly when a hot apple pie is brought to the table and topped with delicious, melting vanilla ice cream. A good wedding is never complete without the cutting of the splendid multi-level wedding cake, when the happy new couple gets to playfully shove and smear cake and white frosting into each other’s smiling faces. Everyone knows that as a child, the only good part about going to the dentist is getting the candy bar at the end of the visit. Why do some people get sick after eating too much suger? Some people do not even know that the abuse of sugar can lead to negative effects on your body. There is something strangely enjoyable and resplendent about the consumption of sugar. Why is it that sugar is so deliciously enjoyable and at the same time a food product that has many negative affects on people’s health?
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 American Heart Association (AHA) among other experts worldwide have made consistent recommendations regarding daily sugar intake however research has provided evidence that the American population surpasses these recommendations putting their health at risk. These recommendations include limiting added sugar to “6 tsps (25 g) for women, 9 tsps (38 g) for men”, and limiting added sugar intake for children to “Range between 3-6 teaspoons (12 - 25 grams) per day” (UCSF,2014). However, data collected by the Department of health and Human services and the Centers for Disease Control and prevention suggests that “The average American consumes 19.5 teaspoons (82 grams) every day” (Ervin et al. 2013). The US Department of Agriculture translates this to “About 66 pounds of added sugar consumed each year, per person” (USDA,
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).
Exercise combats health conditions and diseases: Being active boosts good cholesterol which is HDL and decrease unhealthy triglycerides. Regular physical activity helps you prevent wide range of health diseases like heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, depression, and metabolic
Another thing exercise does to help your body is combats health conditions and diseases. Exercising, no matter what your current weight is, makes the HDL or High- Density Lipoprotein, which is the cholesterol in your body that is good, increase. Also the unhealthy triglycerides decrease when you exercise. These things help the blood run more smooth and in turn, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Exercise also helps reduce heart disease, asthma, diabetes, and many other diseases found in the body. (mayoclinic.com)