9781422280515

Chapter 1

What Are Sugar and Sweeteners? W ords to U nderstand calories: units of energy. carbohydrates: chemical compounds that contain hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atoms. chlorophyll: the green pigment in plants that captures the energy from the sun required for photosynthesis. diabetes: a group of blood diseases that affects the way the body processes sugars. quantify: to numerically determine the extent of something. synthetic: human-made. M ore than 200 years ago in Philadelphia, the nation’s revolutionary founders signed the Declaration of Independence and forged a constitution that secured for all Americans the “Blessings of Liberty.” But Vicki Landers wasn’t having any of it during the summer of 2016. The city’s leaders wanted to tax her sugary soft drink. In her mind, and in the minds of others, the tax was akin to the British taxing tea, molasses, and other products during the run-up to the American Revolution (1775–1783). “It’s a horrible idea,” Landers railed to a newspaper reporter. “They’re taking away people’s rights to be able to have the things they want.”

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