Over the past one decade, the rate of sugar consumption in America has increased dramatically. Much of the increase can be attributed to the increased production of sugar by factories and small-scale producers (Leonhardt, 2016). The manufacturers are encouraged to produce more because there is great demand for sugar and its related elements. Perhaps the primary reason why Americans are consuming more sugar today than they did a decade ago is that producers have continuously used sugar as an essential element of promoting their products. Sugar is generally sweet. When a food producer wants to sweeten his products, he cannot think of anything better than adding sugar. Adding sugar creates a higher demand for food products because people, especially the young population, like tasty foods.
Health doctors recommend that adults should not consume more than 50 grams, equivalent to just over 10 teaspoons of sugar in a single day. According to (Leonhardt, 2016). (year) however, Americans are consuming much more sugar than recommended. The sugar is contained in the foods and drinks they consume. The blame for the increased consumption of unhealthy sugar levels has been directed to the government for failing to implement working measures to ensure that producers do not add unhealthy sugar levels in their products.
Regarding sugar consumption, the Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2010 recommend that people should reduce their sugar intake (McGuire, 2011). If people need to keep consuming sugar, they need to reduce their levels by a big percentage. The guidelines further recommend that Americans should replace sugary foods with valuable foods such as cereals, fruits, and low-fat milk (McGuire, 2011). An effective way of implementing these recommendations would be to keep away from junky foods that contain high sugar levels. Another way would be to purpose to eat more of unprocessed foods from the supermarket and hotel joints.
- Leonhardt, D. (2016). How Much Sugar Can You Avoid Today? The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2017 from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/30/opinion/sunday/how-much-sugar-can-you-avoid-today.html?_r=0
- McGuire, S. (2011). US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, January 2011. Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 2(3), 293-294.
