Negative Effects Of Sugar

Sugar is a common staple in most households, but now a center of controversy with consuming too much sugar effecting long term health. Sugar was not always available, at one time it was impossible to get and depended on if fruit had ripened or if the bees did their job. Technology enhanced this process and began extracting sugar from plants like sugar cane and sugar beets. The abundance of sugar changed history leading to many plantations, and today it is produced in extensive quantities. “Sugar has been added to virtually every processed food, limiting consumer choice. (Komaroff).” Americans who want to be healthy should be aware of the excess sugar being added to our processed foods leading to an obese society. Therefore, the government should

Mary’s University states “In the United States, the consumption of refined sugar, including that in processed foods, is over 65 pounds per person per year (20 teaspoons per day).” Therefore the consumption of extra calories over the last 30 years has increased immensely, leading society as victims for obesity. Table sugar is made up of sucrose and broken down into two simpler sugars bonded together called glucose and fructose. Cravings for sugar are linked to chemical changes in the brain and leads to alterations of moods. This causes a sugar high or an energy burst to the individual. These empty calories we consume have no nutritional value at all, and leave us craving for more. Sugar is most commonly found in soft drinks, desserts, and candy and now is added to breakfast cereals, breads, soups, frozen dinners, cosmetics and medicine. If we binge on the sweets, it leaves us feeling hungry, because we are hard wired for excess sugar even if you try and eat it in moderation. Having your cake and eating it too, can pile on the pounds and it puts Americans at risk for serious health

They are scared if they reduce sugar from their added foods, their products won’t sell, because sugar is low priced and tastes good. Therefore the companies have no interests in changing this marketable approach. The Food and Drug administration (FDA) would rather change the labels to remove nutrients that are acute toxins those are the chemicals that kill people immediately rather than remove sugar which is a chronic toxin that is killing Americans slowly with chronic disease. If the FDA would take a strong stance (grow a pair of balls) and remove sugar from the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) list, this would send a compelling message around the world along with the European Food Safety Authority forcing them to change and rethink the food industry. Even though sugar is found everywhere and comes in many forms it is listed on labels with many different names such as high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, cane juice, barley malt, dextrose, maltose and rice syrup, etc. The food labels have been in place on food products since the early 90’s, but the important facts have been left out making it hard for the consumer to make healthy