Why Is Eating Sugar Bad For Me
Sugar leads to increased inflammation in the body and the potential onset of serious diseases.
Dee Momi, nutritionist & founder of MINT Wellbeing , says this can manifest in all sorts of ways. “From the most obviously visible – weight gain , a higher risk of developing acne and fluctuating moods – to the more critical, including increasing your risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.”
It also has the potential to disrupt an area of the brain, nutrition researcher from Brain Freed Ltd , Dishalni Senthilkumaran, says. “Excess sugar can have an inflammatory effect on the brains memory centre and can be an increased risk factor in cognitive decline, whilst a 2017 study at UCL also sugar increases the likelihood of anxiety and depression.” It can also deplete essential nutrients in our body, including magnesium.
We know that sugar can cause a positive ‘rush’ over a short period of time. And while this is typically associated with hyperactivity in children, sugar actually triggers pleasure responses in adults too. “Sugar triggers your reward and pleasure chemical dopamine, which is released when you derive pleasure from great food, sex and a sense of accomplishment. Excess dopamine can reduce novelty and prompt impulsive behaviour.”
Coming down from a sugar rush as your blood sugar levels return to normal can leave you feeling fatigued, thirsty, with headaches and frequent need to urinate.
Why Would Quitting Sugar Lead To Weight Loss
Changing your sugar habits will have a direct effect to the food you start to ingest. You will have to teach your body to metabolise and function on different varieties of food sources and even drinks.
If you are consuming 3 sodas a day, by simply stopping this habit and reaching for water instead you will be making a difference to your body. This may not be a dramatic weight loss such as 3 pounds, but you will notice over time that you are slimmer and less bloated, and have you seen how much sugar is in a soda, it is a lot!
What Is Sugar And Why Do We Need It In Our Diets:
Sugar is a carbohydrate that provides energy for our bodies. It has always been an important part of the human diet, but today it is consumed in far larger quantities than ever before.
Some experts have suggested that these high consumption levels are at least partially to blame for skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes worldwide.
Not all sugars are equal, though. Lets take a look at the five major types to help you recognize them better.
Sugar can be found in what seems to be innocent places, including:
- Fruit juices and smoothies
- Sweetened yogurt and flavored dairy products
- Baked goods such as cakes and cookies
- Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, coffee drinks, and energy drinks
But is sugar that harmful?
We know that when eaten in excess it can wreak havoc on your waistline. But what about your health? The answer is yes.
Excess sugar consumption has been linked to numerous chronic conditions, including:
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Some scientists have gone as far as to call sugar a poison.
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If You Cut Sugar Out Of Your Diet What Happens
Its a big deal. Some people coast through cutting out sugar from their diet, but real sugar lovers can find it hard. My guy found it tough and because he exercises a lot it was difficult to find healthy high-energy snacks to satisfy the cravings.
You dont want to switch your high sugar treats for equally unhealthy high-fat snacks such as salty chips! He got by with whole wheat toast, bananas, and small handfuls of nuts.
Before he started quitting sugar, we cleared all sugary treats and foodstuffs with added sugar out of the pantry. This was the best tip for avoiding temptation.
I found I had to be really patient and supportive. Quitting sugar was my idea so I got all the flack on bad days especially over the first week!
But he stuck at it and by week two it was a lot easier. When he got to the end of the month he felt terrific. His energy levels were up and quitting sugar made a complete change to his body shape.
Hed lost over half a stone in a month and was so chuffed! He also looked leaner. My guys a climber and just losing half a stone made a huge difference to how hard he could climb.
This was just from cutting out obvious sources of sugar sugar in his tea and sugary treats.
Side Effects Of Cutting Out Sugar From Diet:
- You will probably feel tired in the first few days after quitting sugar
- Headaches and fatigue are also common side effects of giving up sugar at first
- Will lose weight in the beginning, but its important to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
This will prevent you from feeling light-headed or experiencing headaches
- You may find yourself feeling hungry at times, but this is normal and its because your body is recovering from years of sugar addiction. This will pass in a few weeks
- Bad breath can be an issue in the first couple of days after weaning yourself off sugar, but that should only last a short time
- Your body can go through a period of withdrawal this is where you experience flu-like symptoms including nausea, headaches, and cravings. This should last for no more than two weeks.
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Benefits Of Cutting Out Sugar
There are many benefits of cutting out sugar.
Here are a few:
1) Youll lose weight. Sugar is one of the most calorie-dense foods, and eliminating it will help you drop pounds.
2) Youll have more energy. Sugar can give you a quick burst of energy, but its followed by a crash that leaves you tired and sluggish. Cutting it out will provide you with more sustained energy throughout the day.
3) Youll be less likely to get sick. Sugar weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds and other infections.
4) Youll have better skin. Too much sugar can lead to breakouts and other skin problems. Eliminating it will help clear up your complexion and make you look younger.
5) Youll sleep better.
You Could Miss Out On Some Essential Nutrients
Before you swap out your 1% for almond milk, its important to remember that dairy products can be part of a healthy diet. After all, theres a reason why the USDA recommends adults have three cups of dairy per day milk, cheese, and yogurt are rich sources of vitamin D, protein, and calcium, a critical nutrient for bone health. Its important to know how to replace them , Sass says.
If youve decided to eliminate dairy, work with a nutritionist to create a diet plan that still includes plenty of these nutrients. Its not to say that someone who gives up dairy cant get enough vitamin D and calcium, but its not as easy, says Gans.
Dark leafy veggies like kale and collard greens, and fatty fish like sardines and canned salmon are good non-dairy calcium sources. Certain brands of plant-based milk and orange juice are also fortified with calcium and vitamin D, Sass notes, although theyre low in protein, so you may need to bump up your intake of foods like eggs, pulses, or salmon to maintain your total protein intake.
If youve eliminated dairy and are having trouble finding calcium and vitamin D alternatives that you enjoy, meet with a nutritionist to discuss whether or not you should start taking a supplement.
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Quitting Sugar Means More Natural Unprocessed Foods
What do you replace sugary foods with? Usually it’s more fruit, nuts, salads, water or you just eat more chicken, fish meat and vegetables at your meals.
Here are 9 simple swaps to limit your intake of sugar junk foods.
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You don’t have to quit sugar entirely to improve your health and your weight . Moderation, as always, is the key to eating healthily, sensibly and in a way that is easy to maintain. However, if you seriously want to lose weight, eating less sugary junk food is a good thing to do.
Tip: write out your day’s intake of food. Circle the sweet foods and drinks you like to consume regularly or in large amounts. The most likely culprits are soft drinks, juices, chocolate, muffins and candy. Or circle the sweet foods you reach for when you need a comfort fix. Cut these out of your diet today.
May Reduce Acne And Improve Skin Health
Another reason to reduce your sugar intake: It may improve your skin health. Too much sugar means your body releases more insulin and insulin-like hormones. These hormones can trigger skin-related changes: your body might produce more androgen hormones and more sebum both of which can lead to acne.14
Cutting back on added sugar might also help slow your skin from aging. When you reach early adulthood, the collagen and elastic proteins in your skin naturally age, leading to creases, sagging, and wrinkles. Sugar, along with grilled, fried, or roasted foods, might contain more substances that react with the collagen and elastic fibers in your skin. The more sugar you consume, the quicker your skin can become stiffer and lose elasticity.14
Although reducing added sugar cannot reverse wrinkles, it can slow the skin aging process. Eating certain herbs and spices, such as cloves, ginger, garlic, and oregano may help slow the appearance of wrinkles as well.14
Read Also: What Controls Sugar In The Body
How Much Sugar Per Day To Lose Weight
Simply following government guidelines to cut sugar to 30g a day, from the average UK adults 59g consumption, would save around 833 calories a week.
That would equate to around a quarter of a pound of weight loss in a week almost a stone in a year. Not bad when all you have to do is stay within healthy guidelines to do it.
Of course if you are already on a weight loss plan, the chances are youre consuming less than 2000 calories a day, so youd be cutting even more sugar if you stick to no more than 5% of calories from sugar as suggested.
- 5% calories from sugar on 2000 calories a day = 25g
- 5% calories from sugar on 1500 calories a day = 19g
- 5% calories from sugar on 1100 calories a day = 14g
You can find out how many calories, and therefore how much sugar, you should eat to lose weight at your chosen rate by taking a free trial of the wlr tools.
How Cutting Back On Added Sugar Helped Her Drop The Unwanted Weight
To lose weight, Fantocone decided to home in on a specific problem area of her diet: added sugar, an ingredient commonly found in American fare and one that features in the nearly 60 percent of calories that come from Americans ultra-processed food consumption, according to a study published in November 2015 in the journal BMJ Open.
Primarily for me, definitely is true that sugar is probably one of the most addictive things that you can possibly put into your body, Fantocone says. Even to this day, if I eat sugar consistently or a couple of times throughout a week, Ill notice that Ill want more again. I had to build that awareness in myself that was what was happening.
Fantocone started to read ingredient labels, pay attention to the amount of sugar in foods, and make smart substitutions, such as olive oil and fresh vegetables instead of packaged pasta sauce, which commonly contains added sugar.
For snacks, Fantocone ate berries or a handful of nuts and she made it a point to drink 100 ounces of water every day. She planted a vegetable garden in her backyard and cooked all of her meals ahead of time to make sure she always had healthy fare on hand. The pressure cooker is a lifesaver, she says.
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Why Is It So Difficult To Lose Belly Fat
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Lose Weight Fast By Cutting Out Sugar
If you want to lose weight and get healthy, cutting out sugar is a great way to start. Sugar is like junk food for your body. Its full of empty calories that will make you fat. Thats why its so important to cut it out of your diet. Youll be able to lose weight and feel better in the process.
Lose Weight Fast by Cutting Out Sugar
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What I Learned In The First Week Without Sugar
While cravings surprisingly werent much of a problem, the biggest thing I struggled with in the first few days of cutting out sugar was hunger. I felt hungry ALL THE TIME. It felt like no matter what I ate, I would get the hunger rumbles an hour later.
At first, I didnt understand why I was so hungry when I was basically eating my normal diet minus sugar. What I think was happening was that back when my normal routine was to finish most days with a dessert after dinner, I was unconsciously saving calories for dessert. Knowing I would be eating a couple hundred calories of dessert later, I made sure there was room, so that I would have enough appetite and hunger left by the time dessert came around.
Red flag! This is exactly the kind of insight that makes a No Sugar challenge so beneficial. I was basically cutting myself short of nutritional calories in order to make room for empty, sugar-based calories. I believed that I was eating a healthy diet because I minimized the sugar content of the food I ate throughout the day, even though I would more than max out my daily sugar quota on a larger dessert after dinner. Thats totally backwards. We should be eating our fill of nutritious food before we even start considering dessert, not working backwards from dessert as a given to make sure we save enough room for it. I was making dessert a priority, when it should be a special treat.
Read Also: What To Do To Get Your Sugar Level Down
Limit Items With High Sugar Content In The House
If you keep high sugar foods in the house, you may be more likely to eat them. It takes a lot of willpower to stop yourself if you only have to go as far as the pantry or fridge to get a sugar hit.
However, if you live with others it can be hard to keep certain foods out of the house so you may want to have a plan in place for when sugar cravings strike. Studies have shown that distractions, such as doing puzzles, can be very effective at reducing cravings .
If that doesnt work, then try to keep some healthy low sugar snacks in the house to munch on instead.
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Average Apple Nutrition Information
The sugar in the apple above is natural sugar, doesn’t count as ‘free’ sugar and is therefore not counted towards the recommended 30g a day limit. If, on the other hand, you drank pure apple juice – all the sugar would count as ‘free’ sugars.
See the list on sneaky sugars below for help identifying free and added sugars in food products.
How Much Weight Can I Lose If I Eliminate Sugar
Sugar is one of the worst foods for weight loss. For the calories it contributes to your diet, it offers no nutrients and it doesn’t help fill you up. It also wreaks havoc on your blood sugar, which can further hinder your efforts. Just by cutting out sugar, weight loss is significantly easier to achieve. How much weight you can lose depends on how much sugar you normally eat.
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If you eat a lot of sugar, you can lose a significant amount of weight by eliminating it from your diet.
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