By Kim Brauning
Valentine''s Day is a holiday for lovers. It is also a holiday for candy lovers.
With a plethora of sweets available at the candy counter in the BYU Bookstore, students are taking advantage of this prime opportunity to load up on sugar.
'Holidays are the most busy, especially Valentine''s Day,' said Eliza Miller, 22, majoring in elementary education who is an employee at the candy counter.
'Everyone likes candy and they use holidays as an excuse to eat it,' she said.
Miller said holiday candy, especially chocolate, is the hottest seller right now.
As students purchase candy by the pound, some may have concerns about the health issues related to sugar.
Although sugar has been given a bad name in the diet world, it is not that bad, said Merrill Christensen, professor of Nutrition at BYU.
'There are no bad foods, there are only bad diets,' Christensen said.
In fact, Christensen dispelled many myths that are associated with sugar consumption. Conditions such as obesity, diabetes and acne are associated with sugar intake.
This is false, Christensen said.
'However, there are many medical conditions in which diet plays an important part in the treatment process,' Christensen said.
The belief that hyperactivity is directly related to sugar intake is also false, Christensen said.
In actuality, sugar makes a person feel tired, he said.
Sugar consumption increases the synthesis of seratonin in the brain. This actually creates a feeling of fullness, lethargy and drowsiness, Christensen said
In some people, higher stress levels are directly related to higher sugar consumption.
Some students crave foods high in sugar when they are experiencing high levels of stress, Christensen said.
However, more often than not, this craving is purely emotional and has no biological ties, Christensen said. Security foods make people feel better, he said.
Jessie Heal, 18, a freshman from Mesa, Arizona, said she craves anything high in sugar when she is under stress.
'When I''m under a lot of stress, sweets like chocolate and soda are comfort foods,' Heal said. 'It makes me feel better temporarily.'
Sugar is high in calories and offers no nutritional value, Christensen said. That is why moderation is important, he said.
'The latest guidelines suggest moderating sugar intake,' Christensen said.
'The body does not need sugar to maintain life, but at the same time you can''t completely eliminate it from your diet because some sugars occur naturally in fruits and vegetables,' he said.