SIX WEEKS! For six weeks now, I have successfully eliminated sugar and soda from my diet and I feel great! Who would have thought "Miss Snickers a Day" could give up sugar? I didn't think I could...but anything is possible with determination.
A little sugar isn't too bad, but my problem was too much. It seems like once you start eating it, you just want more. So why is it so bad for you if you can't keep it in moderation?
Here's just a few reasons:
Unstable blood glucose. Eating too much sugar causes our blood sugars to go haywire. When the sugar levels in our blood fluctuate, they lead us to feeling fatigue and exhaustion. Headaches and mood swings are also apparent when the blood glucose is unstable. Moreover, the more sugar we take in, the more unbalanced our blood glucose becomes, and the more sugar our body craves in order to fix the imbalance it perceives.
Obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Sugar in the blood that is too much for the body to consume completely is stored as fat. Too much fat in the body can lead to obesity, and obesity is known to trigger diabetes and heart disease.
Malfunctioning immune system. The bacteria and yeast that are present in our blood stream feed on sugar and cause them to multiply. If there is an imbalance in the growth of these bacteria and yeast, our immune system may not be able to handle it. It could, therefore, weaken.
Chromium deficiency. Ironically, too much sugar in the body causes the body's ability to regulate sugar levels to go on strike. This is because most of the sugar we eat is already refined and lacks chromium, the chemical needed to help manage the levels of sugar in our blood.
Nutrients. Consuming sugar makes the hunger pangs go away. When we take in too much sugar, we do not feel the need to eat food that contains more of the important nutrients that our body needs, such as vitamins, iron, calcium and magnesium. There is a difference between feeling full after every meal and gaining the nutrition you need from every meal.
Stress. When we eat too much sugar, we go on a sugar high because of the energy boost we get from the sugar consumption.This is temporary; our energy level takes a plunge afterwards. When this happens, the body releases hormones to bring the sugar level in our blood back to optimum level, and these hormones include the stress hormones: adrenaline, cortisol and epinephrine. These hormones make us irritable and stressed out.
Aging. When we eat too much sugar, the process called glycation can occur. When this happens, some of the sugar we consume sticks to the proteins in our body, causing our body tissues to lose their elasticity. It is not just our skin that is affected, but also our internal organs. The faster that the body loses its elasticity, the faster aging occurs.
Cognition. Too much sugar in the body also affects our mind's ability to learn and recognize.
* Information from Beauty Den
I have a good friend who told me these things many times, especially when I was tired, kept injuring myself, would get sick and was just plain not taking care of myself. She was right! I am not saying I am never going to eat sugar. I will though, eat it in moderation and balance it with exercise and other healthy choices!
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