Since spring 1998, while quitting sugar on doctor’s orders, I’ve been astounded by a variety of shocking facts, which I call Sugar Shockers.
Here’s one surprising Sugar Shocker, which I discovered, thanks to author William Dufty, while writing my first book, Sugar Shock.
These days, sugar is cheap and easy to get. But back in the 16th and 17th centuries, the refined white powder was locked up!
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Just imagine: Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, sugar was so darn expensive — the equivalent of about $30 a pound or a year’s salary for the average working man! — that it was considered a delicacy reserved for the very wealthy! And the nobility didn’t want their servants to steal the exorbitantly expensive sweet substance!
[shareable cite=”Connie Bennett, Sugar Shock, taken from William Dufty’s Sugar Blues“] Now, sugar is very easy to get. But in 16th & 17th centuries, refined white sugar was locked up!’ [/shareable]
To this day, Unani healers or hakims in Afghanistan reportedly keep sugar under lock and key, believing it to be a narcotic.
And sugar does, in fact, have many drug-like properties, as researchers have recently discovered.
Excerpted and adapted from my book, Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life — And How You Can Get Back on Track (Berkley Books, December 2006.)
If you know of any amazing Sugar Shockers, please post it here so I can feature it more prominently on this Sugar Shock Blog.
Join the conversation. How shocked are you by this Sugar Shocker? Have you ever locked up sugar to keep it from yourself or your children?