How is the growing trend of sugar consumption becoming a threat to our health?
Introduction
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
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Surveys have shown that sugar-sweetened beverages are the primary source of added sugar in our diets. According to a Coca-Cola history website, the soft-drinks’ bottle sizes have been enlarged drastically over the past 40 years, basically meaning that we are drinking more soft drinks than ever. As an example, half of the population in the US consume sugary drinks every day, in which about 25 percent gain at least 200 calories from these drinks. Sugary drinks are also the top calorie source in teen’s diets, increasing the risk of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart problems from an early stage. It is a significant factor that leads to obesity, so I believe resisting these sugary drinks and promoting healthier products could definitely assist the goal of elevating the number of a healthy
Since nearly the invention of commercially sweetened foods and advertising that celebrates their goodness, sugary foods and drinks have been identified as the cause of several chronic diseases, contributing to poor health. When a person’s diet contains a lot of sugar, especially when it begins early in life, it is likely to cause health problems and possibly death at a young age. For these and many other reasons, it is essential to carry out research in order to establish the extent to which these foods affect people’s health. In gaining more information on this issue, the argument can be made that the government should ban sugary foods and drinks should be sold in elementary and middle schools.
Sugar is one of the most consumed commodities in the world today, and the profits of it are significant. According to Larry Schwartz (2014) “Americans consume 130 pounds of sugar every year” (Schwartz, 2014). We must be acknowledged about how it all started, to appreciate how people lived and how they struggled to provide such a commodity. Sugar was a profitable commodity in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The cultivation of sugarcane expanded to the United States of America, which brought enslaves from Africa to work on the plantation of sugar during the 17th century. Sugar was known as the white gold for its income, which helped the U.S. to achieve independence from Great Britain. Although sugar has the worst history, it is widely used for nutritional, medical and industrial productions, and sugar manufacturing led to an industrial development and economic growth.
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
The average American eats 156 pounds of added sugar each year. Sugar is delicious and once we have it, our body constantly wants more. Added sugar has become an American epidemic. “Eighty percent, or 480,000 of the 600,000 food products sold within the U.S. have added sugar, which, according to researchers and medical doctors, is why we have the world 's highest obesity rate is at 31 percent,” (Fed Up). The addictive quality of added sugar makes our brains want more of it constantly; however, our bodies are being negatively affected by its consumption in many ways.
Consumption of soft drinks has an impact on childhood obesity. According to France Ellisle from France’s Institute of Health and Medical Research, there is a direct connection between weight gain and sugar. The average adolescent is consuming about fifteen to twenty teaspoons of sugar daily. (Scott, 2) Along with the sugar children are eating more and more fast food. The sit down dinner has come to an end. In most families both parents work fulltime leaving little time to prepare healthy meals. Parents look for food that is quick, cheap and satisfies the child. The problem with fast food is that has very little nutritious value and is often high in fat and salt content, with a good measure of preservative thrown in....
The health of the nation’s youth has been under scrutiny lately due to recent reports that are showing an increase in average body mass index (BMI), poor physical fitness, and elevations in blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids (Eagle, Gurm, Goldberg, DuRussel-Weston, Kline-Rogers, Palma-Davis, Aaronson, Fitzgerald, Mitchell, Rogers, Breunger, Jackson, and Eagle 2010). Eagle et al. (2010) Attribute the decrease in health to “fast food, lack of physical activity due to increased TV and computer screen time, and there is also an expanding appreciation for an inherited basis for childhood obesity” (P.1185). Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) account for on average 159 calories daily and an average of 9 tablespoons of added sugar daily (Briefel, Wilson, Cabili, & Hedley Dodd, 2013). ...
Food is the essential vitality of life and the essence of survival. It nourishes one’s physical body to enable pursuit of passion. However, in overwhelming aspects of American society, food is viewed as an enemy. It is seen as the root cause of obesity which carries heavy condemnations of ugliness and weakness. Countless people have become obsessed with food as a means of exerting strength, displaying will-power, and achieving alleged beauty. The way society views nutrition has become misconstrued and disordered, resulting in unhealthy relationships with food, and thus emotional and physical harm. The most effective way to change society’s relationship with food is to target the presentation, practices, content, and intentions of nutrition
In 1977, the McGovern report warned that obesity would be the number one form of malnutrition in the United States. Americans were encouraged to buy leaner products and buy more food with less fat. Subsequently the 1980’s was the beginning of a brand-new market. The food industry reengineered their products. They reduced fat in foods, which in turn they knew it would make the foods and drinks taste lousy. Their solution? Add more sugar!
America is one of the most obese countries in the world, and the reasons are quite obvious. Take a look around. Fast food chains on every block, more and more technology to make our lives easier, and high amount of stress are just a few factors to weight gain in our country. There are many different views on obesity and how the people think it should be resolved, whether it's government making the change or the people taking care of themselves. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Are we doing enough to bring these statistics down? No. In the last 40 years, there has been a growth to more than 160,000 fast food restaurants in America (“Adolescent and School Health”). Restaurants (such as Wendy's, McDonald's etc.) serve more than 50 million people per day, generating about 65 million in sales annually. Only since obesity has become a national epidemic have fast food restaurants changed their ways. But we need to do more than just change the kind of oil the french fries are fried in. Better yet, why don't we remove, or intensely decrease the number of the unhealthy fast food chains, and spread more healthy fast food chains, such as Subway? Is it something government could take act in? Should the United States government take measures to fight the rise of obesity in the country, or are choices concerning diet and nutrition better left to the individuals, free of government interference?
When promoting plus sizes and television shows, are self-esteem or heart disease also being promoted? People throughout the world struggle with being anorexic, bulimic, overweight, or obese. TLC’s now popular reality TV show, My 600 Pound Life, displays the daily struggles of morbidly obese people. While encouraging women to love their body is appealing, there are many dangers in the fondness of obesity. Glorifying obesity can lead to being morbidly unhealthy, as demonstrated by Dominique Lanoise, a woman who died from morbid obesity.
An investment into a healthier America is long overdue, because we are continuing to allow the government to do more harm than good to our health. There is an issue in our nation that is attacking the population’s health and rights. The American diet as a whole is continuing to worsen as time progresses, and no government action is being done to stop it. Genetic engineering now modifies our once natural foods and subsidies are not where they should be. To first get a grip on this unacceptable problem at my school, I would like to propose a change in menus, a change in what the vending machines have available, and more advocates visiting the school.
Healthy and affordable food choices on the go or even just in the store is a huge and worldwide ongoing problem that of course cannot be fixed overnight. To help start and put one foot forward to improvements in the availability of healthy food options and choices in lower income neighborhoods, we as a community and a whole should do the following.
Eating healthy changes you for the best. Healthy eating is good for the soul, mind, and body it helps with stress, depression, and clearing acne. We as a society need healthy foods to stay productive in life, and healthy eating is a choice why not make the best one.
Eating Responsibly To eat responsibly means to know what you are eating and knowing what you are putting into your body, whether it is healthy for you or not. It’s a sad fact that the typical American diet (high in meat and processed foods) is not healthy. There are a lot of different ways to stay healthy, but it can also be very difficult to follow a good diet plan all the time. I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I have tried to eat well before all of my classes. I include the necessary protein of eggs and sausage, and include a fruit of some kind.
A healthy lifestyle is usually picked up as we get older. However, think of how much more beneficial it would be for our bodies when we get older, if we would have learned and adapted to a healthier lifestyle when we were younger? Teaching your kids how important a healthy diet is, will help them maintain that lifestyle in their older years. Not to mention have lower health risks, higher self-esteem and it will give them the energy they need to keep up with their eating habits and maintain their body weight.