The Sugar Wars - What's Too Sweet for Comfort?

by Pervaiz Shallwani, Posted May 13th 2009 @ 11:00AM

Ever sip a soda on a hot July day that seems the peak of deliciousness until someone points at it and says, "ugh, that's too sweet for me"?

Well, now science and Washington are joining the chorus: Harvard scholars are urging lawmakers to rethink how we sugarcoat our drinks and reeducate sugary soda sippers to dial back their sweet tooths, and in Washington, the anti-sugar police want to hold hearings about a federal 3-cent tax increase on drinks like sodas, energy drinks and sweetened teas in order to generate money for health care.

Of course health concerns (diabetes, obesity) are at stake, but there's also the little matter of taste. Since eaters fancy an incredible range of sweetness, we try to keep you covered with both sugary goods and their less tooth-bending counterparts. LeNell's head-turning rhubarb fizz is made with homemade soda, whereas arguably better-for-you agave sweetens this champagne-pear elixir. And for those of you wishing the sugar cops would just stay out of your business, well, at least they're not messing with your coffee.

How bad is your sweet tooth?
8-10 "Do I really have to share this cake?"	83 (26.8%)
6-8 "Uh, can't you get your own bag of Oreos?"	59 (19.0%)
4-6 "Just a small slice for me, please."	74 (23.9%)
2-4 "I'm not always a sweets person."	66 (21.3%)
0-2 "This is wasted on me."	28 (9.0%)

Chew on This

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed! - YumSugar

Make Your Own Pop Tarts - CHOW
Denny's Introduces a Maple Bacon Sundae - Eater
Whole Foods Opening Bars in Stores - USA Today
Rules Of Bar Etiquette -- For The Bartender - HuffPost Food

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-13-2009 @11:54AM Bernie B said... It only makes sense that when sin taxes taper off from alcohol and tobacco that the Government will want to find something new to tax. That being said, I would agree that we get far too much sugar/sweeteners daily and don't oppose the idea of a tax on sugars. However I would think the result is that these taxes would just be tacked onto existing prices and handed down to the consumer.
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

5-13-2009 @12:10PM christopher said... I stopped sweetening my coffee a few years ago, rarely drink non-alcoholic sodas, and can't stand sweet tea so I have a very low sugar threshold for beverages. Though I still like about a 50/50 mix of frosting to cake. For me sweetness is largely dependent on context. More importantly (to me) summer drinks are cold and refreshing and a sticky, sweet, hot mouth is not refreshing.
Reply