Managing Sweetness

Managing Sweetness is an Oldways approach to helping consumers make wise choices about sweet-tasting foods and drinks. With obesity continuing to be a growing worldwide health concern, and with consumers continuing to largely ignore dietary advice and programs, we believe this approach can help individuals balance their calories, and enjoy healthy eating and drinking.

Why Sweetness?

Consuming sugars is of broad importance to a healthy diet. Anthropologists and nutrition scientists believe that the human preference for sweetness is innate, and a key factor in the evolution of our species. In excess, however, sugar can become a "villain." The solution is not to banish, but to balance the consumption, without compromising the pleasures of eating.

Managing is a basic principle of a successful life. A few examples of the things we try to manage wisely: anger, checkbooks, calories, marriage, driving speeds, relationships, sun exposure, homework, work assignments, and alcohol.

Background

We inaugurated the Managing Sweetness program at a scientific conference in Mexico City in 2004, during which the scientific experts drew up a Scientific Consensus Conference Statement. Two years later, scientists updated this Consensus Statement during a Conference held in Brussels in conjunction with the European Union's Platform for Diet, Physical Activity and Health. In the fall of 2007 we held four Managing Sweetness conferences in Latin America (Sao Paulo, Santiago, Buenos Aires and Mexico City), and in 2008, we organized three Sweetness Conferences, one entitled Understanding Sweetness at the National Press Club in Washington, DC; Managing Sweetness Conference in Beijing, China; and Understanding Sweetness in Istanbul, Turkey.

Sweetness Resources Available

1. MANAGING SWEETNESS CONSENSUS STATEMENT

Please click below to download the Managing Sweetness Consensus Statement from:

Brussels 2006

Beijing 2008

Istanbul 2008

2. MANAGING SWEETNESS PROGRAM SCHEDULES

Please click below to download the Sweetness Programs from:

Mexico City 2004

Brussels 2006

Latin America 2007: Brasil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile

Washington, DC 2008

Beijing 2008

Istanbul 2008

3. PPT PRESENTATIONS FROM THE WASHINGTON, DC SWEETNESS CONFERENCE

Please click here to go to the PPT presentations from the DC Conference

4. CONSUMER BROCHURE ON MANAGING SWEETNESS

Please click on the links below to download the brochure in:

English

Spanish

Portuguese

5. MANAGING SWEETNESS LATIN AMERICA WEBSITE

Please click here to go to the Latin America Site.