Sugar,Sugar,Everywhere

Sugar, Sugar, Everywhere

Introduction Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you like gooey desserts and sugary treats? If you do, you are not alone. Studies show that most people love sweets. The average American, for example, eats just over 150 pounds (68 kg) of sugar a year. Yet people are not always aware they are eating sugar. That's because sugar can be found in foods they wouldn't expect.

What Is Sugar? Sugar is a natural ingredient in plant foods and milk. The sugar found in milk is lactose. The sugar found in most grains, fruits, and vegetables is fructose. Apples, pears, and grapes are naturally full of sugar. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and yams, contain even more. The white crystals people sprinkle on cereal and in coffee are table sugar. Table sugar is sucrose. Sucrose comes from sugar cane or sugar beets.

Sugar cane is a tall grass that grows in warm parts of the world. Farms on Pacific and Caribbean islands grow sugar cane. Sugar beets are root vegetables that grow in cooler parts of Europe and North America. The lactose, fructose, or sucrose molecules in food are bonded together. When we eat, the body breaks apart the bonds and turns those sugars into a simpler form of sugar called glucose. Glucose enters the bloodstream and is carried through the body. Glucose in the bloodstream is food for cells. It provides energy for working muscles and organs. The body needs glucose to stay alive.

Hiding in Plain Sight Our bodies want sugar because it is a good source of energy. The body can get all the sugar it needs from naturally sweet and starchy foods. Modern diets, however, include plenty of foods that contain not only natural sugar but also added sugar. It should come as no surprise that cakes, cookies, ice cream, and candy are full of added sugar. Sugar is also added to foods you might not expect. Prepared tomato products like pasta sauce and ketchup often have added sugar. Tomatoes contain acids that can give them a bitter taste when they are cooked. To get rid of that bitter taste, sugar is added during cooking.

Many people eat low-fat sauces and salad dressings to help them stay thin. They may not know that they are eating sugar instead of fat. Oils and fats add flavor to food. When they are removed, the food can taste bland. To give fat-free foods flavor, sugar is added. Instead of soda, many people choose to drink healthy fruit smoothies. A fruit smoothie does have lots of vitamins and some natural sugar. Some types of smoothies may also have added sugar. In fact, a smoothie may have just as much sugar as a glass of fizzy soda pop.