In industrial production, sugar is very often added to food. Sugar here stands as a synonym for all sweet-tasting saccharides (single and double sugars) and is also the trade name for the double sugar sucrose. Too much added sugar has a damaging effect on the body. The latter immediately absorbs the sugar into the bloodstream and causes the glucose level (blood sugar) to rise sharply. However, the “energy high” is short-lived, as it is replaced by a low shortly afterwards. The result is a renewed craving for sweet foods. This rapid rise and fall in glucose levels results in mood swings, drowsiness, headaches and, in some cases, even depression. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grain products, on the other hand, do not cause sudden blood sugar fluctuations because they are absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream. Sugar provides only energy and thus only “empty calories.” It does not contain vital substances, unlike complex carbohydrates such as whole grain products, rice, wheat, corn, potatoes and other starchy products, and thus does not meet our vital substance needs. Instead of natural and health-promoting foods, our society today prefers industrially produced and high-sugar foods because they are usually very flavorful as well as quick and easy to prepare for consumption. The majority of children in adolescence cover up to 20% of their daily energy intake with sugar, which means that a considerable 20% of energy is not provided by vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fiber. If, for example, too little of vitamin B1 is consumed, carbohydrates can no longer be optimally broken down, as this vitamin is needed for this purpose. Problems in the metabolism as well as digestive disorders due to the supply bottlenecks resulting from the vital substance deficiency are the consequences. Sugar not only endangers metabolic processes, but also damages the teeth. If foods contain more than 1% sugar, this promotes the development of caries.
