Sugar Sweet!!! But is sugar really sweet enough for the health?

Right from the minute we get up and get refreshed with our morning tea cup, consumption of sugar begins with a never ending usage throughout the day. Everything including the morning cereals, milk, beverages, meals, etc. everything contains sugar to some extent. According to a survey, an average person swallows an unbelievable 130 pounds annually, that is – 22 teaspoons a day. And this overloaded sugar consumption surely has started affecting our health in severe ways. Based on a study, sugar apart from imparting energy to the body has now started affecting our health in several hidden ways, causing certain side-effects. Here are weirdly 11 effects of sugar on our body that are must know for all health conscious people. Read them to decide whether sugar is really sweet enough for our health.

• High sugar consumption makes organs fat

Fructose content in the sugar triggers the liver to more efficiently store fat in all weird places. With time and high consumption of sugar, fat globules can start building around the liver leading it to the initial phase of a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which was a rare condition until the 1980s.

Tip: Avoid consuming drinks or food with high sugar content. Substitute them with fruits rich in fibers and enjoy homemade smoothies with less sugar content.

• Sugar triggers the body for diabetes

Consumption of extra 150 calories of sugar leads a person a 1:1 percent rise in diabetes patients across the globe.

Tip: Give up sugar sweetened beverages, beef jerky, bread, frozen dinners and also ketchup. These substitute to almost 1/3 of the total sugar consumption.

• Affects heart

Heart diseases and sugar intake are closely related to each other. Sugar has a high impact on diabetes which along with heart diseases is the world’s no 1 cause of death. More than 65% people die every year due to heart attacks, in combination with type 2 diabetes.

Tip: Limit daily sugar intake to only 5 tsp for women,

9 tsp for men,

3 tsp for children

A single slice of regular whole wheat bread contains 2 tsp sugar, while any beverage or a can of soda contains 12 gms sugar.

• Causes tensed blood vessels

Added sugar content leads to higher insulin content in the blood that further affects the arteries. Higher insulin level causes the smooth body muscle cells to grow faster causing tensed artery walls. This in turn automatically leads to high blood pressure and later a stroke attack.

Tip: Avoid processed whole grain products as the wheat kernels are pulverized first, which when eaten lead to glucose formation in the body, similar to regular table sugar.

• Enhances cholesterol issues

It is often unclear about the relation between sugar and cholesterol. But, based on research studies it has been proved that higher sugar consumption leads higher sugar spikes in the body, leading to more bad cholesterol, blood fats, harmful triglycerides and lowered amounts of good cholesterol. This leads the liver to make more bad cholesterol and preventing the body system to clear it from the body.

Tip: Consume a protein rich diet, particularly the breakfast. Avoiding a breakfast can increase your chance to become 4.5 times more obese. So, eat organic grains and eggs from pastured hens for best results.

• Basic cause of type 3 diabetes

Type 3 diabetes, a term coined by neuropathologist Suzanne de la Monte MD, after her team of researchers discovered the link between high fat diet, insulin resistance and Alzheimers, is one other effect of high sugar consumption. Her study proved that Alzheimers is basically a metabolic disease where the brain loses its ability to use the body glucose and produce energy. In simple terms, it is the diabetes of the brain.

Tip: Check labels and the type of sugar content in the products. Ingredients ending with –ose and sugar syrup, are all various forms of sugar. Avoid products with higher sugar content.

• Makes you a junk lover

Street food no matter how yummy they smell, are always rich in sugar content. They trigger the brain, making us crave more for those foods. The reaction is much like the consumption of drugs which once eaten, makes the body crave for more.

Tip: Follow a diet with less sugar content. Avoid consumption of food rich in sugar.

• Higher sugar, lower food intake

Too much sugar intake can be harmful for your health. Based on a research, it has been proved that eating too much amount of sugar (in all forms) can break your body’s ability to signal your brain that you have either had enough food, or are still hungry. This indirectly affects your body weight which further triggers issues related o the Type 2 Diabetes.

Tip: Opt for an organic chocolate bar with almost 70% cacao, rather than a regular chocolate. You may also walk for 15 mins, when you crave for sugar consumption. Above all, avoid eating chocolates and sitting idle. Make sure you burn the calories you just enjoyed.

• High sugar consumption makes you energy starved

Eating chocolates for energy is something almost all of us prefer during the tiring days. You get your energy back and soon drift away to work, without considering your lunch or dinner. According to a research, approx 30 mins is needed to go from a normal sugar rush to a sugar crash. Within this time you will crave for more sweets, a cycle vicious enough for your entire body system. Also, a hormone called serotonin is secreted that controls sleep which also affects your sleeping pattern.

Tip: Avoid consuming chocolates. Instead grab a piece or two of bread (whole grain wheat bread) OR Organic 7 grain pancakes Or Buttermilk with whole grain OR oats. These are healthier and easier ways of avoiding the sugar rush in your body.

• Affects health

We all love sugar, in all its forms. The thought of a sugar coated pancake or just a yummy chocolate can bring a smile on our faces. For some, chocolates and candies made out of sugar are their best mates, especially when combating depression and breakups. But in reality, these sugar based foods increase risk of depression and other fatal health conditions up to 40% more than other people.

Tip: Go on a smart sugar diet, which helps you to control your craving to eat sugary products. For instance, keep only small amounts of sweets in the house. Avoid ice creams in the refrigerators and choose to drive to the local ice-cream store to buy it. This will restrict you a little. Drink your favorite sugared drink and then slowly reduce the quantity with some ice water. Eat only little amount of dessert and then divert to the ones with more fruit content. This way, you will enjoy sweets, but in their natural form.

• Increases aging effects

IF you are beauty conscious, make sure you start avoiding the intake of sugar slowly. The sugar in the blood metabolically attaches to protein and forms new molecules called AGEs and advanced glycation end products which damage nearby proteins, particularly collagen and elastin. As a result, your skin starts showing wrinkles and gets saggy.

Tip: Avoid products with too much sugar content. Replace sugar with natural honey to enhance your skin’s glow and health.

With these secret effects of sugar revealed, it is up on you to decide whether you still want to consume your favorite sugar coated pastry stored in the refrigerator.