Sugar Documentary Analysis

I grew up playing the game “Candyland”, and I dreamed of finding the golden ticket and living in Willie Wonka’s factory. I was also given a Gatorade after every sporting event I ever played in so what could be so bad about sugar? Sugar, real and artificial, can be found in almost every product we consume and although sugar is a simple carbohydrate that the body uses for energy, its impact on our body is far from simple. The consumption of sugar has been linked to a host of chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The addictive nature of sugar is also a significant problem that leads to the other detrimental effects listed above. Sugar has also been useful to help preserve goods, fuel fermentation, balance acidity, and add flavor to other foods. Whether it’s cereal, spaghetti sauce, or yogurt, sugar is everywhere and has become unavoidable in our daily diets. As Americans, we have become accustomed to the sweet addictive taste of sugar, and our dependence on excessive amounts of sugar in its different forms has become alarming to many health experts. In analyzing preference and dependency with sugar, I will trace the addictive nature and major risks sugar has placed on society.

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.

Michael Pollan says in his argument that the western diet is chiefly to blame for a majority of health deceases, he says “the scientist who blame our health problems on defiances of these micronutrients are not the same scientist who see sugar-soaked diet leading to metabolic syndrome and from there to diabetes, heart deceases, and cancer” (421) Due to all this negative impact to our health Pollan says that the food industry needs new theories to better redesign processed food and the medical community to make new drugs to beget deceases.

Recent evidence linking sugar to non-communicable disorders shows that we need to rethink and re-evaluate what we know about sugar and how we consume it. According to the World Health Organization, sugar should not be more than 10% of the calories you consume daily. This is about 30-50 grams or 6-10 teaspoons of added sugar, depending on the age. Are all types of sugar bed? What are the common sources of added sugar? Are you concerned about eating too much sugar? Should you? Consider the answers to 3 most common questions about sugar and their answers

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.

The documentary “Fed Up” provides some important and disturbing details of the food industry. The 1977 heart disease and diet study known as the McGovern Report warned that the obesity rate was increasing rapidly due to American diets in fatty meats, saturated fats, cholesterol, and sugar. The food industry vehemently denied these claims, but the American people still demanded lower fat food products. The food manufacturers found that the fat removal made the food bland and unpalatable so to address this they replaced the fat content with sugar. Both the documentary and the Harvard Nutrition Source discuss the role sugar has in health conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. They both link the consumption of sugar as the causality for

Thesis: Overall, recent studies have shown that sugar substitutes isn’t and can cause potential health problems.

Obesity, heart disease and diabetes are all serious conditions that are caused by an increased intake of sugar. In the documentary Sugar Coated, it mentions Japan and how over there, they are taking drastic measures to ensure that their nation does not have to be burdened by the diseases sugar can lead to. Before Japan was introduced to a high sugar diet, they were much healthier than Americans. Now, Japan has to combat many years of high sugar diets that is newly occurring and could potentially ruin their economy due to sugar intake. Although one may think they have a well balanced diet, there are many ways that sugar can be disguised by wording through seemingly healthy food items, such as granola bars, fruit juices and yogurts. Another problem

Overeating sugar is the culprit of a mounting number of obesity, heart diseases, and diabetes cases in America these days. Look around, you can see numerous amounts of fast food stores, also all the “amazingly fancy” advertisements hanging in front of them. But behind all of that crunchy, tasty and savory French fries and hamburgers in the stores, there is a deadly lie. Eating a healthy diet is getting more and more alarming, I know you are tired of people telling you to go for a healthy

Growing up my mother would say “You are what you eat and it will catch up to you someday.” Well that day has arrived; no longer am I able to consume any type of food plus dessert without consequences. The results from the sugar intake is making itself known in how I feel and look.

Today in our society sugar is accepted and consumed in large quantities. According to the United Stated Department of Agriculture the average American consumes between 150 to 170 pounds a sugar a year (that’s 30 five pound bags). I myself have undergone an experiment to go without sugar for a week to identify the effects it had on my body first hand. I will present you with findings I have found and hope you learn a little more about this substance we put into our bodies so readily and willingly. Today I will talk to you about the physical effects, mental and emotional effects of sugar on the body, and the proper intake of sugar.

Summary: This documentary showed how sugar is as addicting as cocaine. By 2050, one in three people will be diagnosed with type two diabetes, where in 1980, there was zero reported cases. Companies know this information and reduced the fat, but doubled the sugar in their product.

My diet for the last two days have consisted of ice coffee, teriyaki chicken and rice, a bagel, a pita sandwich, ice cream, shrimp alfredo, and a slurpee from seven eleven. Overall, my diet isn’t the best health wise or natural for that matter, but almost everything is unnatural due to cultivation. Based on the Lieberman interview my diet compared to humans whose diets were adapted in correspondence to their environment differ significantly, as their diets relied on natural selection. Unlike in the past my diet consists of way more sugar based on what Lieberman’s interview. The type of sugar humans from the past have ate are foods such as, honey. Moreover, these type of sugars are completely different from the sugar I consume everyday, because

As we hear of more studies exclaiming alarming findings of negative health concerns related to obesity and our continuously growing percentage of obesity in our country, particularly childhood obesity, sugar is in the spotlight. We often hear of dieticians and weight loss experts warning us that we