“IN 2015 AMERICAN FAMILIES SPENT MORE MONEY ON FOOD AND DRINK
OUTSIDE THEIR HOME THAN ON GROCERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY.”
AROUND THE CLOCK JUNK
significantly, but not as a result of
more calorific regular meals. Rather,
this is because of the increase in
people snacking on processed
convenience food that are laden with
manufactured fats and sugar.
Behavioural scientists have found
that people now make their food
choices based on how far away the
next meal is. We would now rather
snack on junk food after making an
impulsive, hunger-driven decision
than waiting for a well-planned meal
to be prepared, which is likely to be
more nutritious.
According to Professor Tim
Benton of the University of Leeds,
who specialises in food security and
sustainability, the global food system
Obesity rates have risen sharply
since the invention of the industrial
meal. Food has become processed
to save time and effort, and make
money for manufacturers.
Our diets have been outsourced
to factories, fast-food outlets and
restaurants. Our food is being
bagged, jarred, canned, doused
with sauces and manufactured with
preservatives, all so that we have
access to ready-to-cook or ready-
to-eat meals around the clock. To
this end, in 2015 American families
spent more money on food and drink
outside their home than on groceries
for the first time in history.
Over the last few decades
average calorie intakes have risen
is built on incredibly cheap calories,
which is the reason obesity levels have
more than doubled since the 1980s.
Benton slaps the hard facts on the
table by pointing out that although
the food trade in many cases helped
reduce famine around the world, it also
meant that “the poorest of poor have
access to cheap calories”.
His recent report on food
production also showed that over
50 percent of the world's population is
not of a healthy weight. "The poorest
anywhere still struggle to get sufficient
calories and are underweight, but in
our rich countries, poverty often does
not stop people being able to eat (and
drink) calories, but it does stop them
having a nutrient-rich diet.”
OBESITY ONLY TRANSITORY
Immobility as a result of social
globalisation is another contributing
factor for obesity spiralling out of
control. According to Dr. Joan Costa-
Font, how people work and live is more
responsible for alarming obesity levels
than the wider availability of cheaper
processed foods.
"Our food intake is driven towards
meeting the needs of a pre-global (socially
speaking) world, where people would have
to walk to places, and where there would
not be as many energy-saving activities
as today. Individuals would have closer
personal social contacts, and would cook
and spend more time on daily chores,” says
Costa-Font, who was involved in a study
which looked at the increase in globalisation
in 26 countries between 1989 and 2005.
The report says that the rise in obesity is
only transitory as more people learn how to
eat and adjust their lifestyle to a healthier
one. Costa-Font suggests that once people
make better food choices and adapt to a
lifestyle where they move more and eat
WHERE THE SUGAR RUSH COMES FROM
One 355ml can
has approximately
10 teaspoons of
sugar.
One 355ml juice
has just over
8 teaspoons of
sugar.
One 355ml sports
drink contains just
over 5 teaspoons
of sugar.
Mochas, flavoured
lattes and other
coffee drinks have at
least 5 teaspoons of
added sugar.
less, normal weight will again prevail.
Governments have also started putting
sin taxes, previously reserved for alcohol
and tobacco, on sugary drinks and foods
as they contribute to the occurrence
of obesity and type 2 diabetes, which
are both on the increase in developing
countries.
This is the major reason behind global
food manufacturers reducing the sugar
content in their products, which could
mark a turning point in the sugar industry
that has seen linear growth for over half
a century. Even global giants such as
Coca Cola and PepsiCo have vowed to
reformulate their products to include a
lower sugar content, while soda makers in
Asia have been using more high-fructose
corn syrup, which is significantly cheaper
than sugar.
SUGAR: HOW MUCH
IS ENOUGH?
Nutritionists recommend people
consume no more than 10 percent
of their total calories in the form of
added sugars. At 2,000 calories per
day that is 200 calories from added
sugar. There are 16 calories in one
teaspoon of sugar, which works out
to 12 teaspoons a day. The average
person has more than 73g of sugar per
day, which translates to about 18 to
20 teaspoons. The Heart Association's
recommendation is about 24g, or 6
teaspoons of sugar per day for women,
and 36g or 9 teaspoons for men.
Added sugars consist of anything
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