ESL Blogs

Sugar is a simple, edible, crystalline carbohydrate. The main types of sugar are Sucrose, glucose, maltose, Lactose and fructose. Common table sugar is typically Sucrose which is extracted from cane or beets. The word sugar come from the Arabic word 'Sukkar', which came from the Sanskrit word ' Sharkara'. Sugar in several language have the same etymology. For example, azucar in Spanish, Sucre in French, Zucker in German and Seker in Turkish.

History of Sugar

People from Polynesian Islands of the pacific used sugar over 5, 000 years ago. They discovered that the stalks of the giant grass contained sweet tasting liquid. They used in the preparation of food. Then Sugar was taken to the coastal ares of India. From there its spread to Persia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Rhodes, Cyprus, Morocco, Tunisia, Southern Spain and Syria. In 1493 Christopher Columbus took sugar to Caribbean Island and Santa Domingo.

Different types of sugar

Granulated: All purpose sugar for general use ( table sugar)

Caster: Small grains ensure smooth blending to give even textures in cake and other baked foods.

Icing: Milled sugar to give a fine powder. This provides texture icings and butter creams. It is useful for decorating the cakes.

Demerara: A brown colour sugar with larger grains providing crunch and flavour. It is ideal for

use in the biscuits and crumbles

Does eating Sugar harm teeth?

Yes, It can. Our mouth is full of bacteria that combines with small particles of food we ate and saliva to form a sticky film known as plaque. When we consume food and drink which contains high carbohydrates (sugary food and drink), the bacteria in plaque turn the carbohydrates in to energy they need, producing acid at the same time. If the plaque is allowed to build up, the acid can begin to break down the outer surface of our tooth and it can enter and damage the soft part of the tooth. If we do not regularly brush our teeth and clean it properly we are at a higher risk of tooth decay. Those who got young children, make sure encourage them to brush their teeth and may be once in a week parents can brush their teeth too.

Does Sugar cause diabetes?

Food is a big part of our daily living and it can affect both our health and happiness too. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. In Type 1 diabetes the insulin producing cell in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system. It's not related to the sugar we eat. How ever the researches shows eating too many calories including those from sugar can make people over weight and being overweight increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Because Type 2 diabetes is linked to high levels of sugar in the blood, people always assume eating too much sugar is the cause of diabetes. Other factors for Type 2 diabetes are genetics ( family history of diabetes) increasing age and ethnicity. We can see some of the over weight people they never develop diabetes, but healthy weight people does. Healthy balanced diet and regular physical activity can reduced the risk of gaining diabetes.

How much added sugar should I have?

1 gram sugar contains 4 calories. Women should consume no more than 100 calories from added sugar per day and men 150 calories per day. ( American heart foundation).

One can of soft drinks contains 5 to 7 spoon of sugar, a mango contains 3.2 spoons of sugar, tomatoes contains 0.7 grams of sugar per 100 grams. It s good to monitor our sugar intake. To bring down the daily added sugar make sure read the labels of food carefully and cook your own food.

Eating healthy is important to every one especially children. Encourage children to eat healthy and parents if you want to treat your children treat them with healthy fruits and snacks.

some proverbs with sugar

You can't expect both ends of a sugar cane to be as sweet 

Rebukes ought not to have a grain more of a salt than of sugar

Even sugar itself may spoil a good dish

Where there is sugar, there are bound to ants

Sugared words generally prove bitter

A mother in law made of sugar, still tastes bitter

If you can't give any sugar then speak sweetly

Dear friends, Thank you for reading. Please leave your valuable thoughts and opinions. Take care and eat healthy!