Sugar In The 1800's Essay

How have attitudes about sugar changes since the 1800’s?

Is sugar really so sweet? Humans have craved sugar since the 1800’s, the only difference between now and then is that we crave it more, and have free access to it. We eat sugar all the time, some of us, so much that it has become part of life. However, when we eat sugar, do we stop to think of the consequences? The answer for most of us is no, and you dont regret eating candy until after it’s in your stomach. Sugar is harmful and tooth-rotting, but that’s not what we see when we look at a yummy sugar cube.

First things first, We now know that sugar is unhealthy. If you look on page 27 of ‘Death By Sugar?’, you will find proof of this.”New studies have linked high-sugar diets to a

host of other terrifying diseases too- diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and stroke.” Large amounts of sugar are very dangerous and can harm the body. Teenagers today consume 3 times as much sugar each day than they are supposed to, experts say. If you eat too much sugar, it can accumulate in your liver and give you cirrhosis, a liver disease that never goes away. “Sugary drinks are said to contribute to 25,000 deaths a year in the united states.” pg 27. So, not only is sugar unhealthy, but it’s dangerous if you eat too much of it.
Today, candy is cheaper and more common.

Back in the 1800’s people didn’t eat sugar as much because it was expensive and hard to get. Look at page 24 of the article, “Suddenly you didn’t have to be rich to afford a rope of tangy red licorice or mouthwatering buttercream.” Before Oliver Chases discovery, candy was made by hand, so, it was made in small quantities. In the 1800’s, candy was popular in Europe but expensive in America. However, all this changed when Chase started selling his lozenge-making machine across the US. Suddenly, candy could be made faster and in larger amounts. Over the years, steam powered candy machines were invented, making sugar even more common. Companies started selling more and more candy, gaining more and more

money.
Lastly, in the past, candy wasn’t as popular.

As you learned in the last paragraph, candy was made in small amounts and was very expensive, so only the rich could afford it. “Only a few kinds were available-clumps of tooth-busting rock candy, sticks of homemade peppermint, and sticky lemon drops- and even those were hard to find.”pg24. Today, companies have started competing to create more candy with different textures and flavors. Back in the 1800’s, kids had to settle for dried fruits instead of sweets. As the decades passed, people started eating candy for dinner, because people were led to believe that candy was healthy since there was no law saying that what was on the candy box had to be true. Today, companies make over $33.6 billion a year, selling different kinds of candy. Candy scientists have started combining candy with artificial flavors to make new

kinds.
In conclusion, Before candy making machines were invented, people didn’t eat as much sugar and were healthier. However, as more candies were invented, people have started eating 3 times as much as they should of sugar each day. Most people don’t know how unhealthy sugar is, and if they do, they dismiss it. The pleasure of candy only lasts for a few hours, before you start regretting eating it. Its ok to eat candy every once in a while, but its dangerous to eat too much. Too much candy can cause different kinds of diseases and can even contribute to your death. The good news is, now that you know, you can stop eating as much sugar, but it won’t be easy.