There are two very different types of sugar. On one side is the good sugar. This sugar comes from fruit, it’s nice and sweet, it adds flavor to juices and rounds off a balanced diet. On the other side lives the evil chemical compound that calls itself sugar. This sugar has no healthy aspects.
Natural sugar balances blood pressure and keeps you energized; it’s sweet and found in healthy foods, as opposed to refined sugar which is forced down children’s throats, sprinkled into our health foods, and hidden among our favorite dishes.
High fructose corn syrup, a manufactured chemical compound, is the most common form of refined sugar used to replace natural flavoring with a cheap pseudo or fake taste. It seems harmless, just a cheap alternative which lowers prices and increases consumer demand. However, like any cheap alternative, it has it’s cons.
One of the tallest towers in the high fructose corn syrup castle is candy’s brightly colored packaging and silly names that tempt kids into desiring their putrid contents. Candy quickly becomes a fixation for children who usually have not been educated about the dangers of sugar. Parents can be equally unaware, offering their children the cheap sugar knock-off as a treat.
“EurekAlert,” the self-proclaimed “Global Source for Science News,” shows a study that stated in animals, the distinction between sugar addiction and addiction to cocaine is slim to none: they are almost equally addicting.
The addiction starts young and naive, usually out of control of the victim. The needle was taken by some huge unnamed corporation, gift-wrapped, covered in sparkles, and given a name written across it in a fun, multi-colored font. The parents hand this hefty syringe to their kids to keep them satisfied, not aware or impartial to the impacts it can have.
Tooth decay is virtually synonymous with high sugar intake, weight gain rates grow exponentially when HFCS is involved as the human body has trouble digesting any forms of added sugar.
People start eating sugar at a young age, corn maltodextrin, a chain of simple added sugars, is the primary ingredient in some Gerber baby formulas. From womb to tomb people are offered as much sugar as they can consume.
Sucrose, Dextrin, Fructose, Ethyl Maltol, Diastatic Malt, there are dozens of names for refined sugar, each with a light touch of something new, maybe a dash of flavor or plasticity, texture or color. Every single type sneaking into the arms of children, designed to hook kids for life, forcing them to buy the company’s products until one day it’s given to their own children and the cycle starts again.
The website “Healthline” has shown sugar’s link to depression, cancer, acne, and other general health concerns and risks.
The opinion news outlet, “Earth’s Friends,” talks about how abundant High Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS, makes HFCS based foods incredibly inexpensive to produce.
Completely avoiding evil, bad-boy sugars is really hard to do. Sugar is everywhere, and a large portion of the population has a “sugartooth.” The trick is to be aware of what you’re eating by watching food labels.
Ingredients are listed with the top ingredient being the most prevalent, the second being the second and so on.  If one of the top three ingredients is some sort of scary sounding equation you never learned in chemistry class, look it up. It might be harmless. A lot of fruits are packed with healthy sugars, so don’t judge it based on it’s name. However, it could also be a pseudonym or variation for HFCS.
You should know what’s going into your body, and learning a few common forms of sugar is a good way to stay in control of your health. Reserving desserts for special occasions, keeping fast food to a minimum, and buying whole foods isn’t difficult and can make a major difference. Not only will you physically feel better, but eating better can improve your mood and make you feel better.
You probably can’t eradicate sugar from your diet entirely, but being aware of how much you’ve eaten and how much is in your favorite foods can change your perspective on daily eating habits. Personal health is important, don’t let your fitness be decided by corporations trying to save money.