Sugar In American Diet The American diet is based mostly in processed food which contains enormous amount of sugar. The excessive consumption of sugar can cause diseases such as obesity, heart diseases, alzheimer, liver diseases, diabetes and others. One of the problems with the consumption of sugar is that people get sick progressively without the knowledge that it is caused by sugar. In addition, sugar is an addictive food and life without it is almost impossible. As a result, processed foods are cheaper than healthy food. It is hard to avoid processed food when Americans do not have time to cook because of their life style. Americans need to know the way to change their diet and improve their lifestyles. Americans sometimes forget about the amount of sugar that a soda or flavored drink contains. These drinks are tasty, but it will not satisfy thirst. Sugar is equally dangerous and has the same health effects than smoke cigarettes. Consume sugar in excessive amounts per day have a significant effect in Americans ' daily life. Americans should be aware of the diseases caused by their eating habits, therefore; they should be more conscious of what they eat and change their diet. One of the common disease in America caused by the excessive consumption of sugar is obesity. In America, the obesity rates had increased in the last decades and affects different on each person. The effects of sugar on people depends on the race, gender, and age of Americans. According to an
The past fifty years has seen a spike in the consumption of sugar, that number totaling a tripling increase. However, sugar is not the only risk factor here, alcohol and tobacco can also be attributed with the spike, albeit not as prevalent as sugar. The biggest question that Lustig et al. poses to its’ readers is this: “What aspects of the Western diet should be the focus of intervention”? (par. 3) The current USDA has been deemed “boogeymen” of diets, as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Lustig et al. all believe that our attention should be turned towards “added sugar”, which is a sweetener that has fructose in it. Perhaps the biggest controversy from the past fifty years has been none other than a severe culprit that experts know as high fructose corn syrup or HFCS.
Sugary beverages suggest a poor dietary quality; they are loaded with added sugars and attribute to the body’s energy density. “A 20-year study on 120,000 men and women found that people who increased their sugary drink consumption by one 12-ounce serving per day gained more weight over time—about 4 pounds per year” (19). Through increasing the daily intake in trivial increments, the body substantially results in an increased BMI (body mass index) and an increased body fat percentage score. Another study conducted at Harvard found that a 60 percent increase occurs in children for each 12-ounce they additionally drink daily. (________) The growing correlation between obesity and sugar has led to further studies, and statistical data. Researchers have revealed that in total, “half the people in the U.S. consume sugary drinks; 1 in 4 get at least 200 calories from such drinks; and 5% get at least 567 calories.” It was additionally found that one-fourth of Americans are consuming more than 135 grams of sugar per day from soda and other sweetened beverages, which compares to people of the past who only had 10 grams of fructose a day (_____). Such a high daily intake of sugar and calories illustrates the risk that arises when people consume too much sugar; that is, sugary drinks result in weight issues and medical consequences.
The United States has progressed from a rural, agricultural nation to an urbanized industrial one in just the last two centuries. Through this the transformation of the American lifestyles have changed drastically. Other countries focus on eating well, excercise, and taking enough time to eat and enjoying what they are eating. One lifestyle that many Americans have adapted to is the Western Diet, but today around the world the Western Diet is not viewed as the most nutritious or beneficial diet for humans. The nutritional patterns of high-fat and cholesterol, high protein, high sugar, and excessive salt intake, as well as the excessive consumption of processed fast foods has collectively defined the Western Diet. Even though this type of
Knowing the causes to obesity are important. Some causes of obesity are thought of off the bat. But some causes aren’t all that well known. Researchers have found many causes to the obesity epidemic in the U.S. Two main causes to obesity are added sugars/processed foods and genetics, specifically with one’s parents and grandparents. The last cause of obesity is the American government. Many citizens of the U.S think that all sugar is bad. This statement is not true. As stated in http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/1/13/14219606/sugar-intake-dietary-nutrition-science “ Sugar is in so many of the foods we eat. It’s loaded into our granola and our juice, our BBQ sauce and salad dressing. Some ¾ of packaged foods and drinks in the US now carry caloric or low-calorie sweeteners.” In a healthy diet an American should consume roughly 6-9 teaspoons of added sugars. However the average in America is currently 41 teaspoons! Statistics have found that in the 13th century one pound of sugar would have costed roughly 360 eggs. Nowadays one pound of sugar would cost the same as only two eggs… this is a serious problem. The 1980’s was the national start of making and selling “low fat” products such as milk. In all reality this was also when the lowered the fat levels and raised the sugar levels sky high. As a result of extreme amounts of sugar in products it has given scientists evidence to prove that sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine. Another cause of obesity is
Long ago, sugar was a rarity as it was hard to obtain; however, it is a whole other story today. The World Health Organization recommends " 'consuming less than 10% of calories from added sugar.' " (Hellmich) However," adults in the USA in 2010 consumed about 15% of their daily calories... from sugar" (Hellmich) At this level of consumption, a significant part of the average Americans' diet composes of sugar-rich substances. "Major sources of added sugars... are sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, fruit drinks, dairy desserts (ice cream) and candy." (Hellmich) For the usual breakfast, breakfast is washed down with a cup of fruit juice or orange juice. This cup already contains few to several teaspoons of sugar. It is quite difficult to find processed foods that does not contain
I don’t think that sugar alone is the main cause of these health issues, but one of many factors found in our lifestyle. Southeast Asia primarily consumed refined grains and were observed to have low levels of diseases related to obesity. After adopting the western diet these levels started to increase at a rate higher than their previous diet. This evidence alone doesn’t show that sugar alone causes these issues, when they “adopted” this western diet, it includes a lot of other chemicals and ingredients that can be also be factors in. The “Adult and kids are eating well above the recommended amount of added sugar” this chart shows that there has been an increase of sugar intake throughout the years, this and the rising obesity rate can be used to infer that obesity may be the effect of high sugar intake. However, this graph does not show the increase in intake of other chemicals and ingredients found in food. To say that the only thing that has increased in our diet from the 1970’s to where we are today is sugar is foolish. Without the ability to create experiments that can remove all the complex factors that play into our overall diet and health, it is almost impossible to even prove if sugar is the cause. In the future as technology advances hopefully we will be able to run these experiments and gather data to help society have a healthier and safer
In the past 50 years the rate of obesity in the United States has tripled, while obesity has increased around sevenfold. Sugar, according to Taubes, is at the center of these worldwide problems. The sugary diet of the average American is often adopted by eastern countries. Once adopted, scientists have seen a dramatic increase in obesity rates. Taubes says this can be attributed sugar’s biological and mechanical properties, though this is apparently a minority opinion. Taubes states obesity is a hormonal disorder often caused by insulin, the primary driver of “our horizontal growth.”
One concept that the author suggests is the link between the choices that American’s make now versus the choices American’s made in the past. The kinds of foods we choose to eat is very crucial to the body and if we don’t pay enough attention, it can lead to health problems later on in life. In the past, there were not much processed foods with added sugars and fats, as compared to now. Americans are consuming more processed foods than eating healthy, but eating healthy is not the only answer to lowering the risks of diseases; we also have to include daily intakes of vitamins and minerals and daily exercise. If Americans continue to choose eating processed foods and not maintain their health and weight; they will have a higher risk of diseases
My nutrition related term was sugar, sugar is something that we all crave and enjoy from time to time. For some sugar can be as addicting as any drug or alcohol. I once watched a documentary on the effects sugar can have on the human body and ever since then I have become obsessed about watching my daily sugar intake. I have become more mindful of it and try to avoid added sugar at all costs.
The personal impact on a sugar baby is multi-faceted. There are many aspects of her life that are irreversibly changed by their decision to pursue a sugar relationship as a form of income. The ramifications of their choices emerge in unforeseen ways. The social and personal repercussions range from perceptions of the self and those around them, to their feeling towards others.
U.S. Sugar is one of the largest producers of sugarcane in the country. Its farms lie in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), which consists of 700,000 acres of drained farmland that were formerly part of the Everglades its self. (Duke University, 2016). U.S. Sugar’s facilities process sugarcane into about 800,000 tons of raw sugar annually (U.S. Sugar, 2016a). Agricultural production generally requires significant amounts of water, but growing sugar cane in Florida’s dry climate requires even more.
Sugar is bad for you so I say the government needs to step in and put all of the added sugar on the label. The proposal being considered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would add a new line to labels on packaged food products. The new information would note how many teaspoons of sugar had been added.some people are diabetic and I think it is important that they put the extra label for the added sugar. Rats were given Oreo cookies in one space and rice cakes in the other It was clear, Honohan said, that the rats preferred the Oreos. They split the cookies apart and devoured the cream first (which is full of sugar) and then went on to eat the cookies. (also Full of sugar)It is basically saying that the rats like high sugar, and oreos
So no matter who you are or how much you weigh, anyone can become obese or have severe health issues from too much sugar. Some Americans think just because they weigh the average weight of Americans that they can just eat whatever they want and it won’t affect their bodies. But in the long run if people keep doing that, they will realize how serious taking care of your body and watching what you eat is.
In the last 20 years, we have increased sugar consumption in the U.S. 26 pounds to 135 lbs. of sugar per person per year! Prior to the turn of this century (1887-1890), the average consumption was only 5 lbs. per person per year! Cardiovascular disease and cancer was virtually unknown in the early 1900's.
Everyday the body is exposed to countless toxins. Whether from environmental or our own metabolic processes, when these toxins accumulate the body becomes overwhelmed and incapable of functioning up to par. For many Americans, a problematic toxin common in the diet is sugar. The average American consumes up to 32 teaspoons of sugar per day, much of this sugar is found in many processed foods and beverages (Lipski, p. 234). Many consume over three times the amount of sugar the body needs for necessary cell function, When this excess sugar metabolizes into body fat it overloads and damages the liver. Which puts the individual on the path for developing chronic disease such as hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, inflammation, high triglycerides and insulin resistance, diabetes, as well as causes damage to lipids, proteins and DNA, contributing to the aging process (Brandis, Lustig, & Schmidt, 2012).