Colm Fitzpatrick
Sugar has become an intrusive and corrosive part of our culinary life, writes Colm Fitzpatrick
“Sweet-tooth” is often a phrase tossed around describing someone with a penchant for sugary goods, and while it seems like this term only applies to a small number of people, in reality, most of us are secretly addicted to sugar.
The initial and most common response to this accusation is to claim that you don’t eat sweets, have chocolate only on the odd occasion, and confectionary isn’t something you crave. But just because you don’t put sugar in your tea doesn’t mean you’re impervious to this addiction.
The flaw, of course, in this kind of response, is that it seriously underestimates the amount of sugar hidden in our everyday savoury meals, as well as in the drinks that we consume. Sugar, is in fact, everywhere, and it’s almost impossible to get through a day without munching on it in some shape or form.
Of course, not all sugar is bad for you – natural sugars, for example, provide essential nutrients for your body, and give it the energy it needs to function properly and healthily. These types of sugar are found naturally in foods like fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
Others forms, like refined sugars, may appear to be just as innocent, but are extremely harmful and addictive. Refined sugar comes from sugar cane or sugar beets, which are processed to extract the sugar. Food manufacturers add chemically produced sugar, usually high-fructose corn syrup to foods and drinks which appear in local supermarkets or restaurants. Refined and artificial sugars have become a staple of the Western diet and even the most health-conscious individual can find them hard to avoid.
Studies
Indeed, some studies have shown that sugar may be as addictive as drugs like cocaine, and that dependency can become a debilitating issue. New research carried out by St Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City has argued exactly this point.
The authors say: “In animal studies, sugar has been found to produce more symptoms than is required to be considered an addictive substance. Animal data has shown significant overlap between the consumption of added sugars and drug-like effects, including bingeing, craving, tolerance, withdrawal, cross-sensitisation, cross-tolerance, cross-dependence, reward and opioid effects.
“Sugar addiction seems to be dependence to the natural endogenous opioids that get released upon sugar intake. In both animals and humans, the evidence in the literature shows substantial parallels and overlap between drugs of abuse and sugar, from the standpoint of brain neurochemistry as well as behaviour.”
While other research papers suggest that defining high-sugar intake as addiction is a gross equivocation, there is enough evidence to suggest that we are now heavily reliant on it in our day-to-day functioning. And Irish people aren’t removed from this troubling reality. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), we are consuming four times the recommended amount of sugar per day, and the country is predicted to be one of the most obese in Europe by 2025.
Healthy
But how is it that sugar is now part and parcel of our culinary lives, becoming a product impossible to dodge? According to Dr Eva Orsmond, who investigated this very question in a programme called ‘Sugar Crash’, foods that appear to be healthy are actually saturated with hidden sugars.
“There are around 50 different names for sugar which the food industry uses, but only 11 are included in the EU guidelines. So technically you could say your product has no added sugar if you are using one of the other 39,” she said.
Dr Orsmond also points out that since the 1970’s, food manufacturers have reduced the fat content in their products, and this has acted as an impetus to add more sugar to foods to give back some of its lost flavour. In practical terms, this means consumers are being deceived by packaging and are eating foods that appear healthy but are corrosive to their bodies. Paradoxically, someone who might be avoiding dessert because of its high sugar content may have already eaten its equivalent in their main meal.
And this isn’t just a problem that adults face – children are routinely exposed to refined sugars from a young age, appearing unknowingly in the form of a yoghurt or fruit juice. Dr Orsmond says that: “Sugar meets all of the same criteria as alcohol. It is an energy source but not a nutrient and when consumed in excess alcohol does damage to your body. We keep alcohol out of the hands of children but we don’t think twice about giving them a glass of soda or orange juice.”
The facts really speak for themselves. Every week, over 100 children are admitted to hospital due to dental problems that are easily preventable by giving them less sugary foods.
Crisis
The glazed-addiction crisis, however, isn’t a problem the Irish government is persistently ignoring. This year it introduced a new tax on sugar-sweetened drinks, which will see 30c per litre added to the price of popular drinks that have more than 8g of sugar per 100ml. Fizzy drinks such as Coke, Pepsi and 7Up have risen by as much as 10% per can and by 60% per two-litre-bottle.
So, while complaints about price increases are a given, the initiative designed to combat obesity is certainly worth these grumbles and protests.
The measure has received almost unanimous support. The Irish Heart Foundation said the introduction of a sugar tax was “a landmark day in the fight against obesity” and Head of Advocacy Chris Macey noted: “The introduction of a sugar sweetened drinks levy is probably the single most important action Government can take to tackle Ireland’s obesity crisis.” Echoing these remarks Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said it is estimated that around €40 million will be generated in a full year from the new tax.
“It is hoped that the tax will help tackle obesity by providing incentives to reduce the sugar content in relevant products, and ultimately to reduce sugar consumption by citizens. Therefore, revenues generated from this tax may decrease over time.”
The initiative is only one small step in addressing the enormous problem of over-consumption of sugar in Ireland. But it will play a crucial role, however incremental, in curbing preventable diseases and also setting a precedent for what consumers should tolerate.
Luckily, citizens can also have autonomy over their gastronomy, not by waiting for government measures to be implemented, but by actively choosing more nutritional foods for themselves and being more vigilant about what they’re putting into their bodies. This translates into researching online which products are healthy options, or cooking meals from scratch rather than purchasing processed foods.
The benefits, although slow to actualise, will undoubtedly change you for the better. Research shows that staving off the donuts and biscuits will give you more energy, better focus, and improve your complexion.
Alongside these immediate effects, long-term conditions like heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol are less likely to be contracted.
Moreover, these types of eating habits won’t just make an impact on you but also your family and friends who will acclimatise to your new eating habits and give them an opportunity to try it out for themselves.
While it may seem hard at first, reducing the amount of sugar you consume will ironically be the sweetest decision you’ll ever make.