All About Sugar

Kids Learning

From being a luxury commodity in the 14th century to being a household product, Sugar has come a long way in acceptance from the human taste buds. Today we get most of our sugar from sugar cane and sugar beet. Sugar provides a lot of energy in a form that our bodies can quickly use, compared to proteins and complex carbohydrates and is a natural preservative. There are different kinds of sugar today: White sugar, brown sugar, Muscovado, Demerara, Turbinado Piloncillo, Jaggery, powdered sugar, Panela, etc.

Some interesting facts about Sugar:

• According to a BBC study, annual consumption of sugar was almost 132 million tonnes worldwide.
• In part of America and Brazil, sugar from sugar cane is fermented into alcohol for use as fuels for vehicles.

Sugar does not contain any protein, mineral or vitamin your body needs, just a few jolts of energy. Too much of sugar in any form such as sugary drinks and juices may lead to various disorders such as obesity, tooth decay, and diabetes. Diabetes is a prominent disease prevalent today among elders. When your body contains more sugar than it can digest, it converts and stores the sugar as body fat. Regular exercises are a healthy way to combat this.

According to a UN study panel, the total free sugars consumed per day (which includes juices, food containing sugars added by manufacturers,etc) must not exceed 10% of the energy intake of a healthy diet.