Bitter facts about sugar

By Chris “Salt” Williams
| Tue, April 24, 2012 - 12:01 AM

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The recent television and radio campaign promoting the reduction in salt consumption must be complimented.

But, at the same time, if this step in the right direction is not accompanied by an even more vigorous campaign against sugar consumption, I fear little few gains would be achieved, and the downhill slide of unhealthy eating would continue.

Salt must not become the fall guy.

Truth be told, our tolerance level for excessively salty, bitter and sour foods is very low. This is a natural reaction. Our brain recognizes these tastes, and we hold off taking in more.

Sugar, on the other hand, has a disguised and addictive characteristic. The brain seems fooled into not recognizing when there is enough sugar intake.

In fact, a dilemma can occur where the more sugar we use, the more we crave.

This leads to a sugar addiction that may go unnoticed for years until medical problems develop.

Try this: get a fist full of salt and a fist full of sugar. Try eating them. You may soon discover that it is much easier to consume sugar than salt.

If too much focus is given to the evils of salt, a false sense of approval for sugar may occur.

Sugar-based products are at the heart of many megabusinesses, and they will not walk away when great profits keep rolling in. These companies are benefiting from the sugar addicts they themselves helped to create by producing sweet and sugar-laced items.

I hope that the anti-salt agents find favour with the need to attack sugar as well.