What Do We Really Know About Candy?
Did you know that eating sugary foods kicks off a chemical reaction in your brain and makes you want to eat more? Sadly, this means that right now, people are eating 3 times the amount of sugar they should be eating per day, unfortunately, this is causing obesity. Obesity means the condition of being grossly fat or overweight. Also, obesity can cause you to live up to 10 years less. Although some would argue that not too many people are obese and also disagree that the candy is bad for you, but, after a lot of research, this expert would say that there are a lot of people gaining obesity just by eating Hershey and Mars candies. Actually, things need to be done about how much sugar is in their candy. Also, some children feel weird if they eat too much artificial coloring, which means made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, typically as a copy of something natural, which is bad for their health. The evidence and facts are laid out, from the high sugar content and how they make it, to all of the health issues, it's clear that Hershey and Mars need to change their candy.
One reason they should change their candys is because of their high sugar content. For example, 1 York peppermint pattie has 25 grams of sugar. In other words, Hershey and Mars candy have way too much sugar than they should. In addition, too much added sugar is bad for the heart. The important thing about this is that people might just be worried about eating too much candy and getting cavities when it can actually affect how long you live. Also, some chocolates contains 3 times as much sugar you should be eating per day. That's not good! Did you know, one serving of m&m’s is 30 grams of sugar? This proves that the amount of sugar in their candy/chocolate is just one of the things they should change. Some people disagree saying that kids need the energy. This expert challenges this claim because only part of that sugar is converted into energy, there is still a lot of leftover sugar.
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Another reason that the Hershey and Mars company’s should change their chocolate and candy is because of how they make their candies. For example, they use children on cocoa farms and child labor abuse hasn't stopped. The thought I have about this is that they shouldn't have children in the first place but to physically and mentally hurt them is just out of control. Also, children are separated from their families to work on their farms. In other words, they are being forced to separate from their own childhood home.In addition, children are forced to drop out of school to work on the cocoa farms. To add on, the people who are doing this to children need to change what they are doing. Did you know, some children are kidnapped to work on the farms? This shows just another problem that needs to be fixed/ changed. For example, have a law that to work on a cocoa farm, you have to be 18 or older and also make a law that makes it illegal for child labor abuse to happen. In the article, “Despite Efforts, Child Labor Abuse Hasn't Stopped on Cocoa Farms” it states, “...[Cocoa] farmers seek cheap child labor. Government and news reports have described kids forced to drop out of school. Some have even been abducted and made to work without pay.” This awful fact proves the horror that is the behind-the-scenes of the chocolate industry and provides a VERY important reason for both Hershey and Mars candy giants to change how they do business.
A last reason Hershey and Mars company's should change their chocolate and candy is because of the health problems. For example, if you eat too much of their candy, you can get cavities. My sister ate a lot of chocolate and candy for Halloween and when we went to the dentist, she found out she had a lot of cavities. Also, the food dyes that those companies use can cause children to be hyper, gain allergies, and cause aggressiveness. This is giving experts the idea that they are not paying attention to what food dye they use. In addition, food dyes that they are using on the candies right now can cause cancer. This makes experts think about finding another dye to use. Did you know that popular candy dies can cause ADHD(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)? That is one more thing that Hershey and Mars should change. Critics argue that their are still a lot of health benefits. While this might be true, there are still more health problems than benefits. All in all, because of all the problems, it outweighs the benefits. In the National Public Radio (NPR) Health segment titled “FDA Probes Link Between Food Dyes, Kids' Behavior”, it states, “Researchers have also associated food dyes with problems in children including allergies, hyperactivity, learning impairment and irritability and aggressiveness.”
Skeptics like the Harvard School of Public Health may argue that modest candy consumption can help with living longer. While this fact might be true, many eat too much candy and can get cancer, ADHD, and heart problems which can cause you to live a shorter life. This is caused by too much sugar and food dye. Why risk your life, or risk having other health problems, just because you ate too much candy. You´re just paying the price for someone else's mistakes. Personal insider experience supports this claim. This fifth grader says that everytime she eats too much of their candy her stomach hurts very badly. For this fifth grader, this does not happen when she eats too much of other brands of candy/chocolate. The evidence is very clear, Hershey and Mars need to change the food dyes they use and change the amount of sugar is in their products, how they make it, and because of the health problems. If nothing changes, what will happen to people's health?
