This week’s topic is:

If you could make one change in the world, what would it be?

I’d like to make many changes, but the Open Book topic only gives me the chance to make one.  Therefore this is the change I’d make if I could…

I’d ban sugar!

Sugar has been added stealthily to virtually everything we eat, and it’s also in many drinks too.  I’m reduced to eating lean meat, fish, vegetables and salads and drinking either water or green tea so as not to be another victim of sugar addiction.  I’m not talking about the natural sugars in fruit, but the unnatural ones…dextrose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, corn syrup and the like. The sugars that manufacturers like to add to their products to make them more appealing and therefore increase their profits.

There are nearly 60 different names for these unnatural sugars, and they’re in most of our foodstuffs, increasing the sugar receptors in our brains and making us crave more of the stuff, which could lead to obesity and heart and joint problems in those not able to control their weight.  Too much sugar in our diets can also cause the pancreas to become exhausted, leading to Type II diabetes and its legacy of poor circulation and foot/leg ulcers or amputation, and eyesight problems.  I see the damage sugar can cause every day at the hospital where I work.

I buy wholemeal bread, and surprise surprise, it’s in there as well as caramelised sugar.  I bought some frozen vegetable chips for my granddaughters who like them, and found they were coated with dextrose.  Arrgh!  The manufacturers get babies addicted as soon as possible, by putting sugar in tins of baby food.

People all over the world would be so much healthier without sugar.  The sugar producers and probably the breweries too would be up in arms of course, but we as a nation would eventually feel the benefit.  However, it will never happen.  The Government enjoy their tax revenue from sales of alcohol too much, and all the sugar addicts would be up in arms too complaining about the mother of all withdrawal headaches and infringes of their human rights.  I guess sugar is here to stay unfortunately…

Click on the blue button below to discover the changes other blog-hoppers would make.  You can also link your own blog to this topic.