a cold, the flu, or cancer will result as the body attempts to detox.
PRODUCERS/EXPORTERS/IMPORTERS
The largest producers of sugar (25 April 2017) are Brazil (739,300 TMT), India (342,200 TMT), China (125,500 TMT), Thailand (100,100 TMT), and Pakistan (63,000 TMT). The largest exporter of sugar is Brazil, distantly followed by Thailand, Australia, and India. The largest importers are the European Union, the United States, and Indonesia.
World Sugar Production (1000 metric tons)
Country 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2024
Brazil 31,600 31,850 36,400 38,350 35,750 43,000
India 28,630 15,950 20,637 26,650 28,300 35,500
European Union 15,614 14,014 16,687 15,090 16,740 15,500
China 15,898 13,317 11,429 11,199 11,840 11,000
Thailand 7,820 7,200 6,930 9,663 10,170 10,240
United States 7,396 6,833 7,224 7,110 7,153 8,420
Mexico 5,852 5,260 5,115 5,495 5,650 5,400
Russia 3,200 3,481 3,444 2,996 4,800 6,500
Pakistan 4,163 3,512 3,420 3,920 4,220 6,860
Australia 4,939 4,814 4,700 3,700 4,150 4,000
Other 38,424 37,913 37,701 37,264 39,474
Total 163,536 144,144 153,687 161,437 168,247
We have been misled into believing that cereals are healthy for us. Many people serve them for breakfast because of this misconception, and they are easy. However, this is far from the truth. Most cereals are highly processed into refined carbs, including refined sugar and damaged oils. The chart below is from Sugar in Australian Cereals, by David Guillespie, 23 November 2008.
One small bowl (50g) of Cocoa Puffs from Coles or Woolworths’ house brands contains over five teaspoons of sugar.
Below is the % of sugar in each product.
1. Home Brand Cocoa Puffs 44.0%
2. Kellogg's Froot Loops 41.7%
3. Kellogg's Frosties 41.3%
4. Kellogg's All Bran Wheat Flakes Honey Almond 39.0%
5. Kellogg's Cocoa Pops 36.7%
6. Uncle Tobys Oats Temptations Sultanas, Apples & Honey 34.0%
7. Uncle Tobys Plus Sultanas 'n Bran 32.4%
8. Kellogg's Nutrigrain & Cocoa Pops Chex 32.0%
9. Nestlé Nesquick, Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes 31.7%
10. Nestlé Milo, 31.3% (which they fraudulently promote as a healthy drink!)
11. Coles Frooty Rings, 100 Healthy Calories Hi-Lite Cereal 31.3%
The Glycemic Index —www.glycemicindex.
com
SOLUTIONS
Until the truth about refined sugar and artificial sweeteners is properly acknowledged, the scourge of sugar will continue to worsen. Governments will struggle to cope with and pay for all the diseases caused by the consumption of refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Fad diets, drugs, and radical surgery are not the answer, as is often claimed; neither is exercise alone. Good nutrition is where the change must start, and it needs to start with young women of childbearing age. Young men also need to be involved. If this can be achieved, there would be a significant reduction in sugar-related diseases and soaring medical costs within one generation.
Meanwhile, there are simple measures every parent or person can take. To start, carefully read the ingredients list on all food labels, including those on health food products. Note the order of ingredients, as they are listed in order of quantity. Ignore the hype on the front of labels and AVOID all products containing sugar/sucrose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), dextrose, sucrose, refined flour, rice and potato powder/starch, and even cane juice, which is yet another form of sugar. Also, AVOID products containing damaged (highly refined, GM) oils/fats, such as canola, soy, corn, peanut, cottonseed, and margarine, which are endocrine disruptors.
Search for quality products that are made without refined sugar/carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, and/or damaged oils. Quality products and properly prepared meals do not need the addition of sugar to be flavorful. Keep in mind that most food labels are deceiving. They say “natural,” yet the product may contain refined sugar. Refined sugar is far from natural and should NOT be classified as such. Regulators need to put a stop to this fraud.
Another common misconception is that low-fat products are inherently healthier. However, many low-fat foods compensate for reduced fat content by adding sugar or artificial sweeteners to maintain flavor, which can undermine their health benefits (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2022).
If you see sugar or artificial sweetener (e.g., HFCS) in the ingredients list of a product you like, call the company and suggest, as a consumer, that they make their product healthier, without the use of refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. Provide them with healthier alternatives listed below. Provide feedback to hotels and airlines, whose meals are generally unhealthy and high in sugar and harmful chemicals.
Except for a few small, costly restaurants and cafés, healthy eat-out or takeaway meals are not easy to find. Culinary schools, chefs, cooks, TV cooking shows, recipes in magazines and cookbooks, cafes, chain food outlets, school and hospital cafeterias are all part of the problem because they know little, if anything, about good nutrition. Only by public demand will this situation improve.
So, speak up and support restaurants and cafés that serve healthy, affordable meals without sugar, artificial sweeteners, or damaged oils. If you are unsure, call or visit them ahead of time to ask if they have or will prepare meals without added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or damaged oils. The more you request sugar-free foods, drinks, and products, the more prevalent they will become.
If you care about your children, spouse, student, or customer, don’t condemn them to the life-threatening effects of a sweet treat addiction and the scourge of sugar. Children deserve better!
Mother Nature provides the best sweet treats. They are wholesome, nourishing foods, sweetened naturally with the help of the Sun. In Polynesia, this energy is known as Mana.
Below are suggestions for healthier natural sweets, which are best consumed first thing in the morning, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, or late in the evening. To prevent gas or bloating, avoid consuming sweets after a meal high in grains or starches. Some fruits, such as papaya/pawpaw and pineapple, can be consumed with protein because of their enzymes. Also, fruits can be added to smoothies with nuts, seeds, and pumpkin seed protein powder. Do not combine fruits and vegetables because they require different enzymes for digestion. Eat for your blood type.