At Cacao Now, we believe that refined sugar is the culprit, or at least a chief agent, in a larger, more complex picture that colours most of our modern diseases.

It is our foundational commitment to provide people with healthy, vibrant snacks that are completely free of refined sugar in any form.

In place of refined sugar, we’ve enlisted our dear friends the date and the raisin to sweeten our treats. When you eat these, they are recognized by the body as a whole food, complete with all its components, fibres, vitamins and minerals.

Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruit, veggies, grains and dairy. In all forms, refined or natural, sugar is a simple carbohydrate which the body converts to glucose and utilizes for energy. When we consume sugars regularly, our overall health really depends on which type of sugar we’re eating.

Consuming natural sugar is vastly different from eating refined sugar. Natural sugars are part of whole foods that also contain beneficial minerals, vitamins, and fiber. Fiber slows down the metabolization process and prevents blood sugar levels from spiking, offering consumers a steady supply of cellular energy and contributing to prolonged energy.

Alternatively, refined sugar is broken down rapidly by the body, causing blood sugar and insulin levels to skyrocket. This rapid digestion never leaves us feeling full or nourished after eating, no matter how many calories we’ve consumed, as the calories in refined sugar are empty and void of nutrients. Refined sugar gives us rapid energy bursts that quickly fade, leaving us crashed — and soon enough, cravings for more refined sugar begin.

Found in much of the processed food humans eat regularly, refined sugar can be listed clearly on product packaging — or disguised under sneaky names, which can make it difficult to avoid, even for those seeking to eliminate it from their diet.

Refined sugar is linked to a long list of health problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, dementia, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.

The processing of refined sugar begins with sugar cane and sugar beets. Sugars are extracted, typically in the form of sucrose, which is a combination of fructose and glucose. The resulting refined sugars are commonly used to sweeten popular foods, and can also be used as preservatives. Refined and chemically-produced sugars like high-fructose corn syrup are added to all sorts of beverages and foods — not just soda pop or candy bars. All these sugars can be found in breads, crackers, cereal, nut milks, soups, salad dressings, yogurts, and many other products.

History

In its early days, the durable, labor-intensive sugar cane crop was hand cut and ground to release its juices, and was always locally consumed.

The earliest records of sugar cane cultivation are linked to the Pacific Island of New Guinea, nearly 10,000 years ago. Following, it spread to India around 350 BC. But even then, it remained simply an exotic spice or sweetener for elite palates only.

Sugar slavery in the New World changed everything. For four centuries after Christopher Columbus’ arrival in America — and throughout Central America, South America and the West Indies — indigenous lives were ravaged, and over 10 million Africans enslaved, all in the name of the sugar trade.

By the early 1700’s, one in every two ships in port were either heading to, or arriving from the Caribbean, to transport both sugar and enslaved people.

Fast forward, and the demand for sugar hasn’t slowed. In 2018, the global production of sugarcane was recorded to be nearly 2 billion tons, with Brazil producing most of the world’s total, followed by India, China, and Thailand, respectively.

In the United States, about nine million tons are produced each year, and Americans are feeling the effects of too much refined sugar in their diet. By 2004, 24.5 percent of Americans were diagnosed with obesity. By 2005, the average American was consuming 100 pounds of refined sugar a year. In 2008, obesity diagnoses were given to 35.5 percent of women and 32.2 percent of men, contributing to the fatalities of nearly 400,000 people each year.