We have heard all throughout our life that we should avoid sugar. While this is true, it’s easier said than done. It seems like every delicious food on earth has some kind of the sweet powder in it. As a person gets older, their ability to process it gets worse and worse which is why you see so many people start to suffer from the side effects of overeating it as they get older.
The problem with sugar consumption is that it may be too late to stop once a person reaches adulthood. Sugar is highly addictive. If a person eats a lot of it while they are growing up, there is a good chance they are going to have a hard time cutting it out of their diets as they get older. Some say that it is one of the most addictive drugs on the planet, in the same category as cocaine, caffeine, and opioids.
Some people only associate sugar with junk food like ice cream and desserts. While these foods are certainly loaded with it, there are plenty of other culprits loaded with the stuff that many people don’t consider. For instance, a person attempting to cut the substance completely out of their diet should avoid some of their favorite fruits like strawberries and citrus.
Sure, sugar has one huge benefit. It’s delicious. It seems that the more nutritionists learn about the stuff, the less appealing it becomes, especially for people who have a long history of health problems in their family.
The best time to start good eating habits is right now. The younger you are when you start eating healthy, the easier it is to create and maintain good habits. Not eating sugar will help you avoid some of the following nasty side effects associated with it.
1. Addictive
As Scientists study the effects of the substance on the human brain, they are realizing the drastic effect it has on its chemistry. For instance, there are many doctors that say it is as addictive as any street drug you can find. This, coupled with the fact that it is so easy to get, are two reasons why it is such a threat to individual health on a nationwide level.
On top of the physically addictive aspect of sugar, we have to look at the way it is administered. Often, sugar is given to children as some sort of a reward when they are growing up. They may get a candy treat for doing a chore or some ice cream as part of a celebration of a job well done. This builds sugar up as something to strive for and crave. Not only does it reward the taste buds in a person’s mouth, it stimulates the pleasure centers in their brain.
Another reason sugar is considered addictive is the physical reaction people have when they quit eating it. It is not uncommon to see someone have withdrawals when they quit Symptoms of these withdrawals include headaches, intense cravings, and nausea.
2. Empty Calories
Different kinds of sugars are referred to by dietitians and nutritionists as “empty calories”. While the substance adds to the daily number of calories a person consumes, it doesn’t really have any nutritional benefit besides a small burst of energy that comes with a crash later.
People attempting to lose weight should really look at the amount of the substance they are ingesting each day. The goal is to output more calories than you take in, so it is important to avoid food products that drive up that calorie total with no health benefits. If you quit eating it altogether, you are sure to see a change in the way you look.
3. Liver Overload
Over time, increased intake of sugar will cause fat to build up in the liver, causing the liver to become overloaded and blocked. The side effects of glycerine on the liver are actually similar quite to alcoholism, including cirrhosis, and even liver failure. When people stop eating sweets, they often see a huge difference in the way that their liver processes certain foods down the road. It should be noted that alcohol is loaded with the stuff, which is why it is extremely hard on the liver.
4. Tooth Decay
The negative side effects of eating the sweet stuff aren’t just internal. It is well-known that one of the major driving factors behind tooth decay is eating too many sugary foods. Sugars break down the outer layer of the enamel of the teeth, which leads to cavities and even broken teeth in more extreme situations. There is a reason that dentists everywhere extoll the virtues of a healthy diet to their patients while telling them to avoid sweets like candy and soda.
5. Insulin Resistance
It is no secret that a larger number of people are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as processed and sugary foods become more prevalent. This is because overeating sugar forces your body to become insulin-resistant, meaning it doesn’t process insulin property, preventing sugar from being used properly as an energy source for the cells in the body.
A bad diet is one of the leading causes of diabetes. Amazingly, people who completely alter their diet have managed to completely get rid of any trace of diabetes in their diet, allowing their body to return to processing insulin correctly.
6. Higher Growth of Cancer
There is also some data that suggest overeating sugar can cause cancer in some people. Sugar itself doesn’t cause cancer directly, but it does contribute to an unhealthy diet, which is driving force behind the disease. Overeating can lead to obesity in some people, which is one of the top driving forces behind cancer. The health benefits of cutting the substance out of your diet are far-reaching. While it may not cut out cancer completely, it will help prevent medical complications that could lead to it.
7. Fat Promotion
Many people don’t realize that fatty foods are less of a culprit when it comes to weight gain than sugar. When it is not burned off, it is stored in the body in fat cells because the body views it as an energy source, making it much harder to burn off down the road. Eventually, it turns in to fat cells stored on the body if it is not used. Many individuals fail in losing weight because they only cut fat from their diet and not the real substance driving their weight gain.
8. Obesity
Scientific studies have shown that sugary drinks are one of the leading causes of obesity. Think about it, liquid calories already have very few nutritional benefits before you add on the empty calories associated with sugar. If you are a person who drinks a soda or two every day, you might be blown away to see how much you trim down simply by cutting them out of your diet. If you don’t think the content in soda is that high, you probably want to avoid looking at the nutritional facts on the side of the can after you drink one.
9. Heart Disease
Heart disease isn’t commonly associated with the intake of sugary foods and drinks. Eating too much of the stuff causes the heart to speed up and slow down, forcing it to wear out over time. On top of that, variety of different diseases like diabetes and obesity that can lead to heart failure are driven by the intake of sugary foods. It is well known that that doing two things, having a good diet and quitting smoking, will have a great positive effect on your heart health. Enjoy sugary foods in moderation because of this.
10. Immune System
Vitamin C is the most important vitamin your body uses to empower its immune system and fight disease. It is used by your body’s white blood cells to fight diseases and infections. The problem with sugar is that it inhabits the same place in the cells as Vitamin C, meaning your body cannot effectively fight disease. You should especially avoid eating foods overloaded with the stuff when you are sick or feel like you are about to get sick.
