Despite the well-known health risks of consuming too much sugar, many Americans continue to eat large amounts of sugary foods and drinks on a daily basis. Recent surveys have shown that around 20 percent of adults in the United States consume more than 700 calories worth of sugar each day. If you’re unfamiliar with the term “caloric sugar,” consider this: To consume 700 calories, all you need are a few soft drinks and one cake slice.
While this may not seem like a lot, it can quickly add up over time and lead to weight gain and other health problems. Consuming too much sugar can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. It can also cause tooth decay, energy crashes, and mood swings.
Refined sugar is all around us these days, from pasta sauces and granola bars to soda beverages, cakes, and sweets. With this in mind, it’s critical to decrease your consumption of refined sugar and focus on natural sugar.
Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of your sugar intake and try to limit your consumption to no more than 6-9 teaspoons per day. According to American Heart Association, women should consume no more than 100 calories (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) of added sugar per day, while men should not exceed 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) in their diet.
Ditching Refined Sugar Has Many Benefits To Our Bodies, here are 4 of them
Healthier heart
When you give up refined sugar, your body will thank you in a number of ways. Perhaps most importantly, your risk of developing heart disease will go down. Refined sugar is high in calories and can lead to weight gain, which puts extra strain on your heart. In addition, consuming too much sugar can cause spikes in your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.
Also, insulin levels begin to stabilize, which can help to regulate your appetite and minimize cravings. In addition, your energy levels may improve as your body becomes more efficient at using natural sources of energy such as fat. As a result, you may find yourself feeling more alert and energetic throughout the day.
Quitting sugar will help you to maintain a healthier weight and healthier blood pressure levels, giving your heart a break.
Clearer skin
You may have noticed that cutting out refined sugar has had some pretty positive effects on your skin. And it turns out there’s a scientific reason behind it.
When you consume sugary foods, the glucose in the sugar binds to the collagen in your skin, which leads to cross-linking of the collagen fibers. This process accelerates skin aging and can cause wrinkles, sagging skin, and an overall loss of elasticity. In contrast, when you ditch refined sugar, your skin can better regenerate and repair itself, leading to clearer, more youthful-looking skin.
Furthermore, research suggests that drinking soda drinks is linked with greater inflammation. This inflammation causes skin issues because the body perceives additional sugar as a toxin, which can lead to skin problems. Acne and other blemishes can develop if the liver is unable to process it correctly or you have not sweated it out.
Lower risk of diabetes
New research suggests that too much sugar can also lead to the buildup of fatty deposits around the liver, which can, in turn, lead to insulin resistance and an overworked pancreas.
In a new study, scientists fed mice a high-sugar diet for four weeks and found that the animals showed increased levels of fat around their livers. They also found that the mice became insulin resistant, meaning their bodies were less able to process sugar properly. The findings suggest that a high-sugar diet can overload the liver, leading to fatty deposits and eventually diabetes.
While more research is needed to confirm these findings in humans, they offer yet another reason to be cautious about added sugar. Consuming too much sugar can have serious consequences for your health, so it’s best to lower your intake as much as possible. Choose lower-sugar foods whenever possible and limit your intake of sugary drinks like soda and fruit juice. By doing so, you can lower your risk of developing diabetes and other serious health problems.
Weight loss
When it comes to weight loss, cutting out sugary snacks and drinks can make a big difference. That’s because these foods are high in calories but low in nutrients, so they cause you to feel hungry again soon after eating them. By contrast, foods that are higher in protein and fiber take longer to digest, so they help you feel full for longer and are less likely to lead to weight gain. So if you’re trying to slim down, cutting back on sugary treats is a good place to start.
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