Learn about what sugar is actually doing to your body.
It’s true that sugar brings us pleasure that keeps us wanting more and more. But like many love affairs, there are countless downsides to this guilty pleasure. Here are some good reasons to end your love affair with sugar once and for all.
Obesity – It’s difficult to know when to stop eating sugar. Put simply excess sugar is converted by the liver into FAT and returned to the bloodstream where it is stored in our bodies on areas like thighs, stomach, hips, etc.. The dreaded cellulite is another downside of sugar.
Premature Aging – Too much sugar causes our body cells to lose elasticity resulting in premature aging of our skin, most noticeably in the form of wrinkles, which shows up earlier than they might have otherwise, even without overexposure to the sun. This same concept holds true for our internal organs, they too wear out more quickly becoming more susceptible to disease and age related illnesses.
Weakened Immunity – Excess sugar raises the insulin level which inhibits the release of growth hormones, resulting in a weakened immune system. Heart disease, diabetes and cancer are just a few diseases that are indirectly, or some would argue directly, related to the over consumption of the sugar word. Sugar addicts often tend to be more susceptible to viruses, headaches and other unbalanced immune responses.
Stress – Sugar in excess causes the glucose levels in our blood to skyrocket, attributing to our bodies trying to compensate by releasing stress hormones called adrenaline. The result is stress, which we all know weakens the immune system. Refined sugar has absolutely no nutritional value and its chemical bonds are broken down due to the amount of processing. Whereas the natural sugar found in fruits still has its bonds intact. When eating a piece of fruit it releases a less amount of sugar overtime which gives us a boost of energy that last for hours. Fruit provides an abundance of nutritional value–which refined sugar cannot lay claim. The average American eats up to three pounds of refined sugar per week. It’s found in almost all of the processed foods we eat in one form or another. Like with any new love affair the true self typically isn’t revealed in the beginning–often hiding behind various identities.
