Humans have fought through both social and ecological challenges as they have developed into the beings they are today, with critical lifestyle alterations. These lifestyle changes, which Hans Selye would term as due to the General Adaptation Syndrome, or the development of the stress response, have created the “stressed” individual. Where humans have once fought to survive as hunter-gatherers in the past, it can be argued that humans are now striving to succeed, in the sense that there is some hierarchy to dominate, causing individuals to handle more responsibilities and become goal-oriented, or rather “stressed.” Alongside the rise of the stress concept, the globalization of sugar can be seen as both a physiological and economic stimulant. …show more content…
The British have records of their historical uses of sugar; but sugar, as a raw material in the form of cane sugar, originated from New Guinea and Indonesia, which spread through the process of globalization. As a standalone substance, sugar could provide a hefty amount of calories for an individual’s dietary intake, but historically, at least by 1700, sugar has been used in a wide variety of ways, including: medicine, alcohol, preservation, and, most importantly, as a sweetener for other stimulants like tea, coffee, and chocolate. The combination of caffeine and sugar further stimulates the body physiologically, as opposed to consuming unsweetened tea or coffee. Not only was sugar used in sweetening beverages, but also with fruits in jams for bread, which became a staple of the lower- and middle-classes in 16th century England; the combination proving to be a cost- and energy-efficient (calories) meal for the working classes. This increasing use of sugar and sweets, especially in the British working class perspective, could be interpreted as individuals’ needs to have the energy, in the form of calories, to physically do work. Mintz adds that the contemporary use of the “coffee break” to satiate the need to consume caffeine has added to the consumption phenomenon; with sugar as both economically and physiologically stimulating. The globalization of sugar was not a single phenomenon, as it could have been a part of a greater process, which could have included coffees and teas. The coffee break may seem like a brief, harmless distraction from a tedious work environment, but the break may be due to the addictive desire for energy, through caffeine and sugar. In concord with exciting the body, the
Half a century ago, President Dwight Eisenhower took the Oval Office and led the Americans through the aftermath of World War II. At the end of his 8-year presidency, Eisenhower left the country with a flourished economy, an America’s first standing army, and a final warning. Mentioned in his 1961 Farewell Speech, Eisenhower introduced a powerful concept about the corruption of human betterment by the undue commercial interest. He warns that the growing military-industrial complex would exert an unwarranted influence on the government which ultimately would threaten the well-being of the civilians. Half a century later, the Americans today find themselves in Eisenhower’s fear.
. . . In this issue of the JCI [Journal of Clinical Investigation], Stanhope and colleagues demonstrate that consumption of fructose-sweetened but not glucose-sweetened beverages for 10 weeks increases de novo lipid synthesis, promotes dyslipidemia, impairs insulin sensitivity, and increases visceral adiposity in overweight or obese adults” (Abstract). Fructose sweetener is another way to say high fructose corn syrup. This study proved that fructose sweetened drinks caused harm to the body and signaled a starting point for diseases such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, insulin difficulties, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and ultimately coronary heart disease. Not only does high fructose cause stress on the body, but fructose can also cause serious
The sweet granular substance proved a sensation among its elite customers, and demand skyrocketed. Cultivation and processing of sugar quickly spread throughout the Antilles and the Brazilian littoral as well as to Mexico, Paraguay, and South America’s Pacific
Everyone craved sugar because it was a sweet-tasting ingredient. Sugar was used
Every bite and every sip and every meal or course one consume determine how long each of the cells in your body lives its life. One of the most amazing thing that this planet own is the food we all love to share and enjoy. There are various foods around the world and they are amazing but they are also unhealthy. The food is so amazing temps one to have more and more because of how good and tasty it is no matter how unhealthy it is. Mr. Michael Pollon describes the dangers of consuming too much of something and how it affects us by comparing and contrasting the republic of alcohol and fat while also using logos and ethos.
When it comes to the topic of sugar most of us would agree that it impacted the world. Where this agreement ends ,however, is on the question of whether good or bad. Whereas some are convinced that it was a negative change, others maintain that it was a positive change. However sugar affected the world in a negative way by causing slavery, poor work condition, inequality, and low wages.
In order to prevent the negative effects that come with sugar, people need to slow down on consuming it so
(424). These powerful words of insight from the author emphasize just how far the consumers of the western diet have distanced themselves from natural food their ancestors used to once indulge on. For example, going back sixty to seventy years ago families had to prepare their meals with more nutritious foods as they did not have nearly the same accessibility to the amount of processed and fast-foods that Americans do
Sugar – a “sweet spice” that changed the eating habits of many early Europeans. Led to consumption of tea, coffee, cocoa, processed foods, and other sweet victuals in much greater number. Transformed labor systems in the new world which began turning it into a much cheaper bulk commodity.
Sugar was a food that no person was ever known to have the power of relinquishing the desire for it (Document 3B). It was also a great sweetener for drinks like coffee and tea, but best of all it was used to make chocolate (Document 4). Over time people started wanting and consuming more and more sugar because it became such an obsession (Document 5). This shows us that people wanted sugar and over time people wanted more and more if it because they found other ways to use it. People all over the world wanted sugar and once they had a taste there was no going back.
The addictive food that is sold by supermarkets is made to appeal to the consumers’ taste and make them addicted to it. In Michael Moss’ “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” he mentions that the potato chip is a snack that provides a feeling of pleasure as well as a rewarding sensation in the brain through its coating of salt and fat (490). Small details food companies put in the food make a difference in the taste, which tends to attract more consumers without them aware of how they are being addicted to the food. In food companies’ perspective, the engineering of food to add more flavor and attract more consumers has no issue since it is how companies make their profits. Stephen Sanger, head of General Mills and the Yoplait brand, was able to produce $500 million in revenue from a new dessert that originated from the yogurt since it maintains a nutritive image with consumers (Moss 475-476).
In the sixteenth century, the only way to obtain sugar was through the
Obesity: Swallowing America Whole The American taste buds are hooked to sweet, spicy, and salty flavors. The mouth controls the diet and emotions of every American. This food obsession, however, has transformed from an excitement to an addiction. Food controls physical and mental health; one eats when sad, happy, or bored.
That Sugar Film is an interesting documentary following a man’s journey to discover the harmful effects of sugar on the human body. Damon Gameau uses his own body to try to show his audience that sugar is harmful. His goal with this documentary is to try to convince his audience to reduce the amount of sugar that they consume. Gameau shows that he is passionate about this subject by eating large amounts of sugar daily after having not had sugar for over three years. This potentially puts his body at risk.
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, which include soft drinks, fruit drinks, ice tea, energy and vitamin water drinks across the globe. Regular consumption of sugary sweetened beverages have been associated with weight gain, obesity and diabetes. The role of sugary sweetened beverages in the development of related chronic metabole diseases such as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, has not been quantitatively reviewed . How is consuming sugary beverages harmful to the body ?