The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of ADDED sugar every day (source). If your smoothie does not taste so good, just add some sugar, right? Well, not if you are concerned about your long-term well-being.
One day a client was raving to me about a certain product’s taste. Curious, I looked up the product, and one serving contained 9 grams of sugar. As a matter of fact, sugar was the second ingredient in the list, meaning that there was quite a bit of it in the product.
Sugar is almost everywhere. You may say that you do not eat large amounts of chocolate or candy, but how many of these foods are in your diet? They all have added sugar. (source)
- Barbecue sauce
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Protein bars
- Breakfast cereal
- Fruit juice
- Spaghetti sauce
- Sports drinks
Really, the list is endless. While you need some sugar so that your blood sugar levels do not drop, you can get most of it naturally from food you eat. You do not need much added sugar.
Let’s take a look at a few consequences of eating sugar:
1. Diabetes
While you may not get diabetes overnight, there are too many children with diabetes. Children born in 2000 in the USA have a significant risk of developing diabetes sometime in their lives. (source)
Diabetes is becoming more common, even among young children because of how much processed food is in the average child’s diet. Furthermore, diabetes increases your risk of eye problems, infections in your body, and poor circulation.
Most people do not enjoy checking their blood sugar levels every day. Be proactive in your approach to diabetes by paying close attention to how much sugar you are really eating.
I personally know two men who have diabetes and have had parts of their legs amputated due to infection. Diabetes is no joke, my friends!
2. Inflammation
Inflammation is a symptom of many diseases, including allergies, asthma, migraines, cancer, arthritis, eczema, kidney failure and stroke (source). It is linked to your gut, and when your gut is not functioning properly, inflammation occurs. To get rid of inflammation, a cleanse is helpful, along with good bacteria (not from dairy products, though).
3. Depression
When you think of bacteria, you probably think that it is something bad. Your stomach has good and bad bacteria, and it needs to be in balance. Sugar kills the good bacteria, and your digestion suffers as a result. When your digestive system is not working properly, your mind will not either. Your gut is called your second brain; the connection between the two is very strong.
Here is a list of alternative the names for sugar (just to name a few):
- corn syrup
- high fructose corn syrup
- fructose
- lactose
- pancake syrup
It’s a way for manufacturers to “hide” sugar in your food.
In addition, be careful of aspartame, sweet and low, and other sugar substitutes. They are worse for you than sugar itself!
“What can I eat, then?” you may ask. The best way to get natural sugar is through fruit, honey, and maple syrup. Be sure to consume those in moderation as well.
If you cannot get rid of your sweet tooth, a cleanse may help you. Go here to read more.
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What sugar-filled food do you find it hardest to stay away from?
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