History of Sugar

500 years ago, sugar was a rare spice or medicine, imported to Europe from India.

Then it became an expensive commodity primarily produced in overseas tropical colonies.

It later grew into a less-costly commodity produced and traded among countries, and finally became a cheap everyday commodity, produced from both sugarcane and sugar beets.

By about 1970, approximately 9% of all available food calories in the world, were in the form of sucrose. No other food in world history has had a comparable performance.

Sugars

Glucose (Dextrose, Grape Sugar, or Corn Sugar). Somewhat less sweet than cane sugar and is soluble in hot or cold water. It is found in sweet fruits such as grapes, berries, and oranges and in some vegetables such as sweet corn and carrots. It is prepared commercially as corn syrup.

Grapes

Fructose (Fruit Sugar). Highly soluble. It is much sweeter than cane sugar and is found in honey, ripe fruits, and some vegetables.

Honey

Sucrose The table sugar with which we are familiar and is found in cane or beet sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and maple sugar. Many fruits and some vegetables contain small amounts of sucrose.



Lactose (Milk Sugar). Produced by mammals and is the only carbohydrate of animal origin of significance in the diet. It is about one sixth as sweet as sucrose and dissolves poorly in cold water. The concentration of lactose in milk varies from 2 to 8 per cent, depending upon the species of animal.


Maltose (Malt Sugar). Does not occur to any appreciable extent in foods. Maltose is produced in the malting and fermentation of grains and is present in beer and malted breakfast cereals, it is also used as a source of carbohydrates for some infant formulas.

Know your sugars

Sugars are one of the most misunderstood parts of our daily food supply.

Many people believe that eating sugars can lead to certain forms of sicknesses, however, research has failed to link sugars to the development or cause of any chronic disease. Even though cavities may be associated with eating sugar, cavities can also result from eating other carbohydrates including starches.

Sugars are common food ingredients that are found in many forms. Since sugars are carbohydrates, they are a contributor of calories for the body - an important energy source.

There are no nutritional differences among sugars. The body uses all types of sugars in the same way. During digestion, sugars are broken down and enter into the bloodstream. They travel through the blood stream to body cells, where they provide energy and help form proteins.

As carbohydrates, sugars are preferred as a fuel during high-intensity activity.

Sugar does not cause hyperactivity, nor does it negatively affect mental performance .

Further, no particular group of children reacts to sugars differently from the general population.
Actually, research suggests that sugars tend to calm both children and adults .

This could just go unnoticed due to other influences, such as a birthday party in which everyone is excited to begin with.