I'm not talking about a famous entrepreneur with his own television program designed to humiliate a series of wannabe celebrities by pointless tasks to entertain the bored millions. No. I'm talking about the latest controversy around our food and how it is produced.
A group of experts and doctors have set up 'Action on Sugar', you can go to their website here. They have posted some interesting facts and figures about the amount of sugar that the food industry put into our food and drink. It appears that to some people it is news that there is a lot of sugar in Coca-cola (other really sweet, chemically flavoured fizzy drinks are available), tomato ketchup or pasta sauces, coleslaw and reduced fat yoghurts. It is also news (apparently) that food manufacturers add more sugar or sweeteners to low fat foods - to improve the flavour.
What is wrong with all of this is not sugar. It is the fact that the palette of the majority of people consuming convenience foods has been manipulated by the food industry (two words which should NEVER be allowed to work together) so that now they are unable to enjoy food without vast quantities of sweeteners, whether this be naturally occurring in fruit or added in some form of processed sugars. It is even worse when artificial sweeteners are used because they are even sweeter than sugar, and the palette adapts, and demands more and more sugars or sweet things.
Action on Sugar are calling for a reduction in the sweeteners or sugars added to our food or drinks. They are concerned that these things consumed to excess cause health problems in the long term, in the same way that alcohol or tobacco do. They certainly have some studies and research to back up these claims. In the mean time a politician has the nerve to stand up in Parliament and dismiss their concerns. He seems to think that he knows better than the medical people, that sugar isn't 'bad' for you.
In some ways he right. It isn't any worse for you than any other naturally occurring element of your diet. It is when it is artificially increased beyond normal limits that the damage is done. Unfortunately the food industry has been allowed to re-educate our palettes for too long, and the road back to a normal palette is going to be a long and winding one. The only solution to those worried about this invisible and insidious process is to prepare and cook as much of your own food at home as possible, and check the labels of anything you do buy in so you know what you are feeding to your family.
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