From breakfast meals to sports drinks to most of the snacks sold at stores, sugar follows Americans everywhere they go, and the consequences are showing. What once seemed harmless, has become unavoidable and part of many Americans daily diets. As the problem continues to grow and become more and more common, it starts to fade in the background and becomes problem that continuously goes unnoticed. In this article we will go into detail of what this problem is and go over the students/ future generations stance and opinions on the sugar problem of America.
Sugar essentially at its base is not harmful to humans. It starts to become a problem when the sugar is processed and consumed in large amounts. This is exactly what has taken place in American snacks, drinks, and food products in general. American snack and drink producers has made it so they have drowned many of their snacks with added sugar to make it appealing to the consumer and taste better. Take cereal for example. Many of the top selling brands like Frosty Flakes, Cinamon toast crunch, and Froot loops are drowned with processed sugars for added taste all so it would sell better to the public. To think that the start of many Americans days are based on sugar, and that processed sugars are drowned in the most important meal of the day is extremely sad. To really understand how detrimental this problem is, it is crucial to get a good understanding of the effects of sugar. As stated earlier, sugar is not bad if consumed in small amounts, but when it becomes too much, it starts to take its toll. Research has shown that long term effects of consuming too much sugar are increased risk of obesity, higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes, strain on heart health and tooth decay. Not only that but it also has many short term effects like crashes, difficulty concentrating, feeling sluggish, and mood changes. This is what Americans are experiencing all because of on component of their diet. With a better understanding of the effects of sugar, the problem of the sugar in the American diet starts to become lot more serious.
“For the longest time I did not know how bad sugar is for you. Now that I have come to know the consequences, it has become clear to me how much it has affected America. I realized that many of the snacks I loved to eat were loaded with sugar and many of the popular snacks that I thought were good for me also were stuffed with added sugar” said senior Tanish Thakar. This speaks for many in America. Many people are completely unaware of the effects and sugar and how much they are consuming daily. When this goes unnoticed it starts to build up and affect them not only long term but also day to day.
“I try my hardest to stay away from added sugars. Even being someone who is against it, it is so common in now days food that it is hard to avoid it. It is very sad to see that it has become such a big part in many peoples lives and it is taking a toll on many.” Junior Shane Borbet started. This shows that even though being well informed, it has become so widespread that it is hard to avoid.
In general, sugar has really taken over the American food industry. It can be seen in every check out to the pantry of most houses. Although the problem has grown so large, there is still hope as newer generations are more informed through new information found on the effect of sugar. Through some preventative measures and a well informed public, this issue can be solved with time.
