16 Lbs. In 1822 And Over 100 Lbs. In 2012

Americans consume per year, the amount of sugar listed above. This is outrageous!

Originally, sugarcane production started in India over 2,500 years ago. Indians were the first to squeeze juice from sugarcane and crystallize it. It could then be transported much easier as a solid than in the liquid form.

Seven Ways To Sugar High!

The sugar crystals in India were called khanda. That later was changed to candy in the US. In Europe, candy is called sweets or confectionery.

The ability to process sugarcane then spread from India to China, the Middle East and then to Europe. Prior to the 1700’s, sugar was considered an expensive luxury item in Europe. Everyone had always used honey to sweeten beverages and foods before loafs of sugar appeared in the marketplace. You purchased a loaf just like bread. Then you had to cut the sugar-loaf using a tool called the “nip”. In the late 1800’s, bags of sugar became readily available.

What Package Has The Prettier Pyramid?

The number of sugar cubes indicates the amount of sweetener in each size. Lovely.

Almost 33% of our sugar intake is from soda. Most of these are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Liquid candy (soda pop) makers use this type of sugar because it’s is sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). So they can make more money since they can use less of cheaper HFCS. If you take a look at the soda section in stores, you may see soda containing cane sugar (sucrose) as a sweetening agent. They charge a premium for this product because sucrose is more expensive and it also has a shorter shelf life than HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). In addition, to distance themselves as a higher “quality” soda they package them in glass bottles. It brings the definition of higher quality to a lower level. It’s just a different way to market carbonated liquid candy.

In 2002, researchers at Princeton, found that the brain effects of sugar may cause a gateway-like effect leading to drugs of abuse. They found that rats became dependent on sugar. In fact, the rodents were fed the same sugar concentration that humans get from soda consumption. The idea is that sweet receptors on our tongue stimulate the brain with the same pathways as morphine and heroin. In fact, it didn’t have to be table sugar,  just anything sweet. So this same addictive pathway they attributed to sugar, may also take place with artificial sweeteners.

Another study in ’08 showed that sugar most likely has an addictive potential.

No Joke-This Is More Serious Than You Can Imagine

What do you think happens when you stimulate pathways with narcotics that not only cause pain relief but euphoria? Think you may start to like this medication more than you should? Well, sweeteners like table sugar (sucrose), HFCS and other sweeteners run the same streets in our brain that narcotics speed by for their effects.

Like you to watch Jamie Oliver on the food/sugar problems and children. We need to help these changes to take place in all of us.

Categories: Health

Tags: candy, empty calories, pop, soda, soda pop, sugar, sugar cane