Do you enjoy a sweet treat every now and then? I know I do! Many of us love having a cookie or a piece of candy as a special snack. And what’s a birthday without a cake? But even though these treats are delicious, we know they’re not the healthiest choice, right?
Luckily, there are plenty of healthier options when we crave something sweet. Foods like apples and bananas are not only tasty but also packed with nutrients that are good for our bodies. Plus, they’re naturally sweet!
Both desserts and fruits taste sweet because of sugar. But where does this sugar come from? Believe it or not, the story of sugar begins with the sun! Green plants capture sunlight and use it, along with air and water, to create a type of sugar called glucose. Plants use glucose for energy to help them grow.
When animals, including us, eat plants, our bodies use the glucose for energy to grow and play. Thanks, plants!
Glucose is just one type of sugar that comes from plants. The sugar you probably have in your kitchen is another type called sucrose. Plants move sucrose around in a liquid called sap. For example, we collect sap from maple trees. By cooking the sap for a long time, we remove most of the water, leaving behind the sweet maple syrup!
Most of the sucrose we eat comes from a plant called sugar cane, which grows in warm places. Its long, thick stems are full of sugar. When the cane is cut down, the stems are squeezed to extract the sap or “juice.”
We also get sucrose from sugar beets. Instead of the stem, we crush, cook, and squeeze the root of the sugar beet to get its sweet juice.
These plants store a lot of sucrose, which we use to make the sugar in our sugar bowls. The process involves taking the sap from sugar cane or juice from sugar beets and heating it until the water evaporates. As it dries, the sugar particles stick together, forming sweet crystals!
So, whether it’s maple syrup for your pancakes, sugar for your cookies, or a juicy strawberry, the sugar you eat comes from plants!
And you know what the sweetest part of many plants is? Fruit! Many plants store lots of sugar in their fruits. Unlike sticky desserts, fruits also provide other nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.
Thanks for joining us at SciShow Kids! Do you have a question about a food you like or anything else? Get some help from a grown-up and leave us a comment or send us an email at [email protected]! See you next time!
Sugar Detective: Go on a sugar hunt in your kitchen with a grown-up. Look at the labels of different foods and snacks. Can you find the word “sugar” or “sucrose”? Make a list of the foods that have sugar in them. Are there any surprises? Discuss with your grown-up why some foods have more sugar than others.
Sweet Science Experiment: Try making your own sugar crystals! Dissolve sugar in warm water until no more will dissolve. Pour the solution into a jar and hang a string or stick in the jar. Watch over the next few days as sugar crystals start to form on the string. Talk about how this is similar to how sugar is made from plants.
Fruit Taste Test: Gather a variety of fruits like apples, bananas, and strawberries. Taste each one and talk about which is the sweetest. Discuss why fruits are a healthy sweet choice compared to candy or cookies. Can you think of other fruits you want to try?
