Maybe this month has been all you needed to continue to be the
sugar-free you, you've always wanted to be. Maybe this month has made you
decide that practicing a little more moderation is something that you are
committing to because cleansing yourself from the effects of regular sugar consumption
has you feeling great, but you still
want to allow yourself that little indulgence from time to time. After all, we don’t like to feel like we are
missing out, right? However you decide
to move forward, here are some things that you should know.
Blood sugar spikes
don’t just affect your insulin.
Aside from the obvious problems that too much sugar in the
diet can lead to issues like insulin resistance and
diabetes, sugar can contribute to or worsen conditions like fatty
liver, high cholesterol , and
hypertension. Consuming sugar does lead to
blood sugar spikes , thus, your body is trying to compensate for it by sending
signals to eat more.
Sugar can cause brain
changes.
It also affects your mood, numerous studies have been done
that indicate that depression can be reduced dramatically once sugar is removed
from one’s diet and it can decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease
as well.
Sugar is inflammatory.
Sugar increases joint pain, arthritis and gout, to name a few. If you suffer from any type of inflammatory
issue, definitely control your intake.
Keep it real.
Most of us already know that artificial sweeteners are not
healthy, but did you know all the names that these sweeteners can go by besides
the brand name? If you see the
ingredients Acesulfame, Aspartame, Neotame and Sacharin then steer clear of the
product containing them.
High fructose corn syrup is not only bad for you because it
is not natural sugar. It is almost
always made with genetically modified corn which not only contributes to the
problems we've mentioned already but includes a whole other list of conditions
and symptoms. If you have to use
sweetener of any type, try using pure Stevia that is usually advertised as a dietary supplement, not the stevia products you find in the sugar aisle, Date sugar or Pure Cane Sugar if
you must have the real thing.
Read Labels.
This is so important if you want to keep the sneaky stuff
out. Things like sucrose, sucralose, dextrose,
mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol are all usually words for high fructose corn
syrup or some type of sugar or sugar alcohol.
Stay vigilant most of
the time.
Sugar of any sort should be the exception to the rule, not
the rule of thumb.
If you'd like more information, please feel free to click on the link below.
PubMed Database- For specific articles related to sugar use the following ID's
PMID: 20424937 The role of high -fructose corn syrup in metabolic syndrome and hypertension
PMID: 21800086 Metabolic and behavioral effects of sucrose and fructose/glucose drinks in the rat
PMID: 24327957 Diet-induced changes in the lean brain: Hypercaloric high-fat-high-sugar snacking decreases serotonin transporters in the human hypothalamic region
PMID: 19000381 Long-term consumption of sugar-rich diet decreases the effectiveness of somatodendritic seotonin-1A receptors
