“A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down,” was once stated in the popular Disney film, Mary Poppins (Sherman). While Miss Mary Poppins may have been correct with this statement, did she truly consider the harmful effects that sugar has on the human body? This sweet poison impacts the daily lives of many individuals, and has for many years. Not until recently did the amount of sugar consumption become a prevalent issue to the United States. It is no secret that there is currently an obesity epidemic in United States, and it is true that sugar is the secret destroyer. While it tastes good there are so many problems related to one’s sugar intake, including obesity and disease. Think about it, there are so many holiday’s devoted to sugary …show more content…
As stated in Fed Up, a documentary, there are a few things that everyone needs to know about sugar. One of the first things people should know about sugar is that it is extremely addictive. Addiction can occur when a person becomes obsessive over a substance resulting in domination over any aspect of their life. Becoming addicted to sugar is not just a behavioral component, but also a biological component. The way the substance makes a person feel, along with the person’s biological history is why they are susceptible to becoming addicted. While some experts will say that sugar is not a dangerous substance, but rather a “pathological obesity”, others will counter-argue to say that it is one of the most dangerous substances of this generation (Krans). Sugar can have an effect on a human, just like cocaine or heroin, which gives them the rush that they want and/or need to feel. Refined sugar can be up to eight times more addicting than cocaine (“Sweet Poison”). The happiness experienced from the consumption of sugar can drive someone to addiction, with the obsessive behavior and constant reaching for it. Just like any other addiction, sugar demands …show more content…
High blood sugar has been linked to memory loss and premature aging of the brain, according to the American Academy of Neurology (Fed Up). Research on the brain has shown that the overconsumption of sugar affects the brain in some of the same ways that certain drugs do (Krans). The brain is meant to be pleasured, whether it be from addictive drugs, gambling or sugar. This is known as “reward circuitry,” and anything that stimulates it will be recognized as something that essential for life. The release of dopamine in the brain reinforces the behavior. Individuals that are obese have very few of these dopamine receptors, which is also a characteristic in individuals that are addicted to drugs (“Is Sugar a Drug?”). Not only is the “reward circuitry” affected by sugar consumption, but so is the limbic system, or the part of the brain that is in control of emotions. Hence, the disease of depression as a response to the overconsumption of
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.
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,
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.
Just remember the next time you hear about sugar, spice, and everything nice. It might not be all it’s cracked up to be. Instead, just look over your decisions that put you in trouble towards your diet. One thing that I came across during this research paper was by a man named Jeffrey Rossman, who has his Ph.D., his words towards this topic was to be kind to yourself. To end the struggle with sugar, learn to nourish your body well and respond compassionately to your own feelings. The best sugar substitute is genuine self-acceptance. By learning more on the problems we Americans face by consuming too much sugar, I have made myself more aware on self-decisions towards my eating habits. Hopefully every ones’ eyes will open when they hear about how much excess sugar we consume, but in all reality it’s only going to help a few. That’s better than none though!
Many food companies rely on sugar in there foods for better sells and money. Sugar in foods is what makes their products addictive and liked to consumers. Researchers believe that sugar can be more addictive than hardcore drugs. Body “Almost everyone’s heard
A developing body demonstrates that fructose offer ascent to liver poisonous quality and persistent ailments. Dr. Barclay said that “Sugar consumption had dropped 23% since 1980. Despite this, over the same period cases of overweight or obese people had doubled, and diabetes had at least tripled” (Norrie, 2012). A small amount of sugar is not a problem but it kills the immune system if you take more. “The average U.S. adult downs 22 teaspoons of sugar
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.
In the US from since the turn of the century, obesity has been a rising and very serious issue. In the 1980’s, western culture experienced a fitness surge, and the major food corporations began producing new products that were “fat free”, but the issue was fat free food did not taste as good so people would not buy it. To compensate the taste, the food companies replaced the fat with sugar.
You are out for a quiet lunch with your family, the waitress walks over and your 6 year old child asks for a lemonade with their lunch. Sure, you think one glass of soft drink won’t hurt right? Wrong. That one, seemingly innocent glass of lemonade contains a whopping 6 teaspoons of sugar. I doubt that you would let your child eat 6 teaspoons of sugar from a bowl, so why would you allow them to consume it in the form of a sugary soft drink? Sugar is highly addictive, can cause cancer and is causing childhood obesity. The proliferation of sugar in society is causing widespread problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancers, tooth decay and acid wear. Additionally, Rethink Sugary Drink claims that one can of soft drink a day can lead to an annual
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.
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
To begin, being addicted to sugar is more unhealthy and dangerous than, many other drugs, such as cocaine. In a study, mice were fed cocaine and sugar and given the option to pick one or the other, and the mice became very addicted to sugar rather than cocaine. This proves that since sugar can be so addictive, parents should be able to chose their child’s diet to keep the from being addicted to sugar. Next, if children become addicted to sugar, they can easily become addicted to harmful drugs or alcohol in the future. Sugar is highly addictive, as are drugs and alcohol, but with children’s diets being regulated it won’t be something to worry about.
Sugar also provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in your mouth. No proteins, essential fats, vitamins, or minerals are found in sugar. It is just pure energy. Sugar has also been associated with many different conditions and diseases such as type-two diabetes, arthritis, acne, heart disease, depression, thrush/yeast infections, and cancer. Sugar is one of the oldest ingredients in the world.