Is Sugar your Enemy?

By Pam Sahota Sunday, April 30, 2017 0 Blog, Body, Mind eat, eat well, fat, fat intake, health Permalink

Sugar – we hate it…we love it…it’s a tug a war relationship. Personally, I grew up with a sweet tooth where I always wanted a little dessert (ok maybe more than a little) after dinner. It was my reward…right? It was always hard for me to turn down ice cream or cake or cookies. I remember when I worked at a large agency once, there would always be some treats in the kitchen…my self restraint was not very good. But as time wore on, so did my pants size. Sugar was not my friend. It had become a frenemy.

According to the Health Site – “Now, here is the link: sugar, releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine in the brain, which increase the affinity towards it and other addictive substances which also act on the same lines of sugar i.e., release dopamine and help one enhance mood.” In addition “Sugar in various forms (glucose or fructose) doesn’t help to satiate your hunger. In fact, even high level of fructose in the blood can decrease the circulation of leptin and insulin while increasing the concentration of hunger hormone ghrelin. This could be a contributing factor for weight gain and obesity” And can you believe “More sugar in your diet will ruin the collagens in your skin and lead to wrinkles and spots that can rob your age and make you look elder than your age.”

…

So basically sugar is making you:

become addicted, and in turn eat more sugar
which is causing you to come fatter
and age more quickly

Things that make you go hmm.

But is all sugar bad?

According to healthy eating – “Simple” sugars gain quick access and cause a spike in blood sugar. All bad sugar is simple sugar, but not all simple sugar is bad. It depends on the source.

And according to the Huffington Post – “While many of my patients strive to avoid the “normal” sugary culprits (candy, cookies, cake, etc.), they often are duped when they discover some of their favorite foods also contain lots of sugar. Examples include tomato sauce, fat free dressing, tonic water, marinates, crackers and even bread.”

Just like gluten…sugar is hiding everywhere. You have to read those damn labels every time you go to make a purchase. And think to yourself. Is it worth it? Is that candy bar worth my butt getting bigger? Or should I grab something with a bit less sugar, that may curb my sweet tooth. Or in turn, have a smaller portion.

And now here’s the real kick in the pants…

According to Harvard – Added sugars make up at least 10% of the calories the average American eats in a day. But about one in 10 people get a whopping one-quarter or more of their calories from added sugar.

It’s time to re-evaluate what you’re eating and what may be causing you to gain more weight than you expected.

Keep a food journal for one week and see which ingredients (not just the food itself) you are consuming each day. You’ll notice a quick pattern, and be able to evaluate a course of action. Whether it’s a reduction of certain things, adding others, but most likely a mixture of both.

Damn you, sweet tooth…

#radiatedaily

Image source -pixabay

Additional sources

http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/harmful-effects-of-eating-excess-sugar-d1115/