Sugar and Nutrition
Instructions
In Unit 5 we discuss digestion and metabolism which includes carbohydrate metabolism and more specifically glucose metabolism. Glucose is a type of simple sugar that our cells primarily use to make energy or ATP. In a lot of our food products that we consume there are naturally occurring sugars as well as added sugars. A large portion of the added sugars that we ingest come from the drinks we consume like soft drinks, energy drinks, and flavored waters as well as the processed foods like cookies, cakes, and candy. According to the Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020, added sugars should account for less than 10% of our daily total caloric intake and are currently averaging at 13%. The added sugar intake in our diets has been linked to some disease processes like obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Please complete the following steps for your discussion post and response.
Watch the video, Sugar: Hiding in Plain Sight – Robert Lustig (estimated time to complete 4:03 minutes).
After the video, complete the following:
Briefly explain the normal process of digestion of sugar in the body.
Reflect on and report on the last meal you consumed before watching this video.
Determine the approximate amount of sugar ingested with that one meal.
Research a disease process that is linked to increased sugar intake.
Explain the research findings.
