Hello! Today I want to present you my summary of very interesting article ;)
The article entitled “How Sugar Addiction Works” written
by Melanie Radzicki McManus presents the
problem of addiction to sugar. At the
beginning, the author underlines that the average people’s daily caloric intake
of sugar is upper that should
be. In general, the best amount of sugar totals less than 5 percent, but in Portugal, for example, in children’s diet the amount of extra sugars represents 25% of kids’ daily calories. This omnipresence of added sugar is due to
the fact that these sugars are added during food processing to give them a
better taste.
Next, the author passes on a reflection if it is
possible to be addicted to sweets. As in the case of other addictions, people
who adore sweets do not control the consumption. Also, when we eat sweets, huge amounts of dopamine
are emitted. It is released into the bloodstream, resulting in stimulation of “reward
center”. This multiplies the feeling of
pleasure and this is another common trait with other addictions. On the other
hand, one team of scientists
claimed that people can be addicted to eating but not to the chemical
substances contained in food - but it does not change the fact that sugar has bad
impact on health.
In recent years addition of sugar into food has become
very popular. It was due to the change in dietary habits and the resignation of
fats in 1980. But as we know, fat gives flavor to dishes, so the food industry
had to replace it with something. They switched to sugar. Consequently, sugar consumption increased. It is worth to
remind here what is the repercussion of the spike-and-crash syndrome. This
phenomenon causes a “loosening” of blood sugar levels which means rapid rise
and fall of glucose levels. Unluckily, then our body demands more sugar and so on.
Fortunately, there is the light at the end of the
tunnel. The Food and Drug Administration want
to include added sugars on the “nutrition facts” label. It may signify interest
in this problem.
The article ends with a reflection on how to wean from
eating sweets. For example, we can gradually reduce the number of teaspoons of
sugar added to coffee or we can begin to exercise (it affects the brain and
then it is more resistant to sight of sweets).
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