When we hear the word sweets, it gives the imagination of thick aromatic chocolate, stretching caramel, and cream cakes to us. Many people believe that sweets are good for the brain and help a person cheer up. Enough arguments are supporting this notion. But do you know what giving up sugar can give you?
At the same time, the sweet is a rather controversial phenomenon: the amount of debate on the topic “to eat or not to eat?” does not decrease. It’s time to deal with this issue ourselves.
Table of Contents
Sugar Dose
According to the data provided by The American Heart Association (AHA), the optimal amount of sugar per day for women is 25 g (approximately six teaspoons), for men – 38 g (9 teaspoons). The amount of sugar for children should be limited to 3-6 tsp. (15-25 g).
When planning your meals, you should also take into account the information published by WHO. The amount of energy obtained from sugar consumption should not exceed 10% for an adult.
Sources of Sugar
- First, from fruits, vegetables, cereals, etc. Such sugar is the most useful and necessary for a normal life.
- Secondly, sugar can be found in most store products – sauces, canned food, instant food, etc. Favorite desserts also belong here. This type of sugar is harmful to your health, and you need to refuse to eat it.
Harms of Eating Sugar
1- Sugar Promotes Disease
Following health problems can occur from sugar in-take:
Metabolic Syndrome
Sugar abuse can lead to metabolic syndrome: hypertension, obesity, and heart diseases. The main cause of the syndrome is the body’s loss of insulin sensitivity resulting from an inappropriate diet. Of course, this syndrome is too serious a problem to result from a few extra spoons of sugar. For its development, a complex effect on the body is required.
In addition to an increased level of carbohydrates, there should be an excess level of fats. A slice or two of chocolate, a fruit plate, and a little sweet yogurt will, in the worst case, lead to excess calories and weight loss. However, it is worth replacing these sweet food items with something healthy.
Type 2 Diabetes
To understand the effect of sugar on the body, you can immediately pay attention to your feelings after a large portion of something sweet has been eaten. The most common signs include dizziness and weakness. A slight rise in glucose – like eating a banana or a handful of dried fruit can give you the strength to run a marathon.
But a couple of cream cakes will immediately take you to the final stage – heavy breathing. The more often you violate the amount of regular sugar intake, the higher the chance to weaken all your defense mechanisms. So much so that only one chocolate bar can lead to a deadly disease like diabetes.
2- Sugar Is Bad For Oral Health
Surely most of us in childhood had to reluctantly brush our teeth (or promise to do so) immediately after a portion of our dessert. Unfortunately, in adulthood, we couldn’t continue this habit. Sugar is indeed a breeding ground for bacteria in the mouth.
Moreover, caries are far from the worst thing. “Sweet” bacteria multiply throughout the body, thereby facilitating the appearance of all kinds of candidiasis, dysbiosis, etc. In no time, these harmful bacteria can cause tooth problems and even lead to tooth loss.
3- Sugar Lowers Immunity
Its speed and accuracy can be compared to vitamin C, but sugar has the exact opposite effect. This is due to the similar chemical structure of glucose (the simplest form of sugar) and vitamin C. In this regard, the cells responsible for maintaining immunity mistakenly attract sugar instead of the necessary vitamin.
Sugar slows down their work, which leads to a decrease in immunity. It is important to avoid alcohol, ice-creams, and smoothies. Not many people know that alcohol also contains sugar, so along with regular intake of other sugary items, the immunity of addicts reduces significantly.
Avoiding sugar and many sweets is the first step to strengthening the immune system, especially for addicts. After this, they can get support from rehab programs to get alcohol out of their system and improve their immune system.
4- Hinders The Absorption Of Nutrients
- It interferes with the absorption of many vitamins and minerals.
- Sugar requires a lot of calcium to metabolize, which leads to its leaching from the bones.
- Also, for its assimilation, vitamins of the B group are necessary, which the body extracts from the liver, skin, eyes, thereby creating a deficiency of vitamins of this group.
- Sugar interferes with the absorption of iron, which can lead to iron-deficiency anemia.
5- Sugar Creates A Feeling Of False Hunger
First, this is due to the spikes in glucose and insulin that affect our sense of fullness. Second, sugar interferes with the normal functioning of the brain cells responsible for hunger. All this contributes to overeating. And avoiding sugar helps restore brain and stomach function.
6- Sugar Negatively Affects Skin Condition
It manifests itself not only in rashes and acne; it also contributes to the premature formation of wrinkles. This feature is associated with collagen, a connective protein responsible for skin elasticity. Sugar builds up in collagen, which reduces elasticity.
7- Sugar Promotes Weight Gain
It accumulates in the body in the form of glycogen, a complex carbohydrate whose main function is to maintain energy. But in case of excess, it gets deposited in the form of fatty tissue. Besides, excess glycogen leads to liver dysfunction, blood clotting, and bowel disruption.
Conclusion
Remember that all of the above are the characteristics of refined white sugar. This is the sugar present in most of the items we purchase from the store. Fruits and other natural sources of sweetness can lead to serious problems with the body only in a long mono-diet case. In all other situations, they are the best alternatives to store-bought sweets. Avoiding sugar is a healthy change that your body will love.