Sugar is a delicious, universally loved ingredient found in foods. We usually equate sugar to good memories, rewarding ourselves with a treat, celebrating a birthday or holiday or just capping off a great dinner with an even better dessert. At the same time, everyone knows in the back of their heads that sugar is not good for you and should certainly be regulated. Just how bad is sugar however and how hard is it to avoid? Probably worse and harder than you think.
Sugar does something to our brains when we first get partake in anything with a lot of sugar, our brain gets dumped with dopamine. Yes, the first thing to happen when we have sugar is we get a pleasure chemical dump and that is why that first bite is just oh so good. Now if that were all that happened then sugar would be a wonderful thing! However the process is just starting, after that our cells suck up that sugar immediately as a source of energy and all of a sudden we have what is called a sugar rush! Yes another positive effect to a degree but this is where the positives end.
Our cells suck up that sugar so quickly that it looks for more and none can be found so we experience a crashing feeling. Such a rollercoaster of emotions just for eating ice cream! Not only do we crash but sugar contains a lot of calories with very nutritional value, meaning that our bodies don’t turn to the sugar to do much so those calories just get left behind and contribute to gaining weight big time. High sugar intake can also:
- Increase rise of heart disease
- Cause acne
- Increase risk of type 2 diabetes
- Cause depression
- Cause major cavities
So after reading about that simple process it makes you want to quit sugar forever possibly, right? If it were only that easy. Have you ever tried to cut back majorly on sugar? Our bodies tangibly cravesugar if we eat it consistently enough making it very hard to go through days without any. We don’t need to live life sugar free however the American Heart Association suggests 6 teaspoons for females and 9 teaspoons for males. This means reduction is the solution, not elimination.
The best habit to pick up to begin regulating your sugar intake if food label reading. Next time you go to the grocery store, read the nutritional labels of everything you would buy, I promise some of the sugar content in things you perceived as good for you will shock you. Some foods that surprisingly contain a lot of sugar include:
- Yogurt
- BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup
- Fruit Juices
- Gatorade/Powerade
- Protein Bars
- Smoothies
Fortunately most of these things how no to low sugar variants that you should keep an eye out for. Rome wasn’t built in a day, this article isn’t meant to scare you away from sugar forever. You should treat yourself sometimes and you should eat that cake on your birthday but work on reducing on your sugar intake in your daily life. Eliminating sugar can be a life changing experience and significantly improve your overall health. Why not give it a try?
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Author Bio: Daniel Wittler is a writer in recovery from South Florida. He is passionate about sharing his story to show that absolutely anyone can get sober provided they are ready to take the correct actions.