DIABETES ANYONE? –
May 12, 2025 – We owe our sweet tooths to the Arab world of the 7th and 8th centuries. It was in the newly founded Baghdad where people started our ongoing love of sweet treats, gorging themselves on sugar-based sherbets, honeyed porridge, fried syrupy pastries, and candies. The word itself — “sugar” — comes from the Arabic “Sukkar”, which Europeans imported westwards, along with a sugary appetite, following the Crusades of the 11th century. Back then sweets were infrequently enjoyed as treats: they were little pick-me-ups or remedies for a sleepy afternoon.
Now, sugar is everywhere — over 60% of food and drink products in US supermarkets contain added-sugar, even in supposedly healthy foods, such as salads, soups, and granola.
Reading food labels can set your teeth on edge. Coca-Cola in the US contains 10 grams of sugar.
