By Leandrae T. Lapinig
There was a time when soft drinks became a trending topic in social media as people could no longer buy them in their favorite sari-sari stores or even in malls.
“What would happen to me if I could not drink my favorite soft drink?” said Gilbert, who always gulps a soft drink when eating meals. “I may die,” he added jokingly.
A party is not a party without soft drinks, right? Imagine yourself consuming 16 sugar cubes in one sitting. If you think that’s not possible, you’re wrong. You may have been doing it unknowingly. That 16 sugar cubes are eve a little less than what is contained in a 20-ounce bottle of a famous soft drink.
The Filipino sweet tooth
Filipinos love to eat foods that are too sweet. This is the reason why most of their dishes are heaped or covered with sugar – from biko to bukayo, from leche flan to halo-halo. A gathering is not complete without sweet pasta and sliced hotdogs; we’re referring to Filipino-style spaghetti.
Perhaps you may be wondering how many grams of sugar are there in some Filipino delicacies? A serving of three banana cues in one stick can contain as much as six grams or a teaspoon and a half of sugar, according to the website of FWD Life Insurance Public Company Limited.
That’s only for starters. Two-medium sized puto may contain five grams or almost one and a half teaspoons of sugar. Two tablespoons of banana ketchup may contain up to three grams of sugar. A bowl of this famous Filipino “innovation” from a fast food chain contains 19 grams – or almost five teaspoons of sugar.
The Philippines consumes around 2.5 million metric tons of sugar annually, thus making us one of the largest consumers in Asia, along with India, China, Indonesia, and Thailand. “(The sugar consumption) equates to 23.5 kilograms on a per capita basis, near its historic high,” said Chini-Mandi, India’s largest news and information portal for the sugar and allied industry.
When sweetness is too much
How much sugar should a person consume? The healthy level of sugar consumption per day, as recommended by the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO), is nine teaspoons for men and six teaspoons for women.
In the past, sugar was known as “white gold.”
“Sugar was once a luxury ingredient reserved for special occasions,” wrote Tiffany O’Callaghan, an editor in the Opinion section at New Scientist. “But in recent years it has become a large and growing part of our diets.
“If you eat processed food of any kind, it probably contains added sugar,” she continued. “You can find it in sliced bread, breakfast cereals, salad dressings, soups, cooking sauces and many other staples. Low-fat products often contain a lot of added sugar.”
Just like salt, eating too much sugar is doing people no good. According to Louisa Richards, in an article she wrote for Medical News Today, the following symptoms will be experienced by some people who consume too much sugar:
Low energy levels: In a study conducted in 2019, it was found that one hour after sugar consumption, participants felt tired and less alert than the controlled group.
Low mood: In a prospective study done in 2017, the researchers discovered that higher sugar intake increased rates of depression and mood disorder in males.
Bloating: According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, certain types of sugar may cause bloating and gas in people who have digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
If sugar was sought-after in the olden days, sugar is now touted as public health enemy number one. Sugar is as bad, if not worse, as fat.
An addiction like no other
“It is important to be mindful of the amount of sugar we consume in our diets as it can have negative effects on our health,” said a doctor. “Foods that contain high amounts of sugar should be avoided or consumed in moderation. Overconsumption of sugar has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and gout.”
Some researchers even contend that sugar is addictive. In their article which appeared in healthline.com, Anna Schaefer and Kareem Yasin wrote: “Eating sugar releases opioids and dopamine in our bodies. This is the link between added sugar and addictive behavior.”
Registered dietitian Cassie Bjork, founder of Healthy Simple Life, even went to say that sugar can be more addicting than cocaine.
“Sugar activates the opiate receptors in our brain and affects the reward center, which leads to compulsive behavior, despite the negative consequences like weight gain, headaches, hormone imbalances, and more,” Bjork states.
“Every time we eat sweets, we are reinforcing those neuropathways, causing the brain to become increasingly hardwired to crave sugar, building up a tolerance like any other drug,” he adds.
War versus sugar
It’s no wonder why health bodies around the globe are waging “a war on sugar.” The United Nations health agency wants people to cut sugar consumption radically. In the United States, doctors and scientists are pressing food companies to reduce sugar and be more open about how much they add.
In Asia, the Philippines is the first country to introduce a landmark tax measure which imposes a tax on all sweetened beverages, depending on the type of sweetener used.
“Sugar is sugar, so it’s best used in moderation no matter what form it takes,” pointed out American dietitian Andrea D’Ambrosio.
To consume or not to consume, that is the dilemma for some people. “If God hadn’t meant for us to eat sugar, he wouldn’t have invented dentists,” said Ralph Nader, an American activist and author.
But Luc Tappy, a physiologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, disagrees: “You cannot live without essential fats. You cannot live without protein. It’s going to be difficult to have enough energy if you don’t have some carbohydrates. But without sugar, there is no problem. It’s an entirely dispensable food.” – ###
