While rowing last night, I watched a fascinating documentary about sugar on the History Channel. They covered all kinds of issues, ranging from the role of sugar in the Caribbean slave trade to its use in modern cosmetics.
Perhaps most interesting to this audience were the nutritional details that they covered. For example, did you know that only 10-15% of all sugar consumed in the United States is self-added? The remaining 85-90% is already contained within the foods that we consume.
They also pointed out that a 12 oz can of soda contains the equivalent of 10-12 teaspoons of sugar, though “real” sugar was replaced by high fructose corn syrup in the US soft drink market starting back in the 1980s.
Another interesting tidbit was the importance of sugar in Brazilian energy policy. Sugar cane has been grown in Brazil since the 16th century, but it wasn’t until the 1970s oil embargo that things really exploded. In the decades since, Brazil has more than doubled their sugar production, and ultimately achieved energy independence through the production of large volumes of ethanol.
Anyway, if you have the chance, I highly recommend checking it out. The website doesn’t currently list any additional showing in the near future, but it’s just a matter of time before they re-run it.
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I’d rather stick that sugar in my car than in my body!