What happens when you stop eating sugar?

Sugar is a soluble carbohydrate found naturally in foods and drinks or on its own as processed. Sugar is used in cooking, baking and sweetening food and drinks. Sugar comes in various types, colours and forms. As much as almost everybody likes to consume sugar because of its sweet taste, it has some negative effects to the human body and human health. In fact sugar is one foodstuff everyone should eat very little or none of to live a healthy and long life.

There are ways to cut down on the consumption of sugar and minimising it in one’s diet. Cutting down on sugar has the opposite effect eating too much of it has and this can be very very beneficial to the body and to health. It is possible to sweeten our food without using sugar, this is the healthy option of eating.

Different types: sugar 

There are different types of sugar depending on the source of that sugar, the amount of processing it’s been through and if any additives have been added to it. We have refined or unrefined sugar, White or brown sugar and crystallised or liquid sugar.

Natural Sugar

Natural sugar is found in its natural state, it has nutrients in it and it lacks artificial chemicals. Some examples of natural sugar are:

• Sugar cane
• Carbohydrate sugar is the sugar found in starchy foods.
• Fruit
• molasses sugar

Processed Sugar

Processed sugar has definitely been through some processing. They may also have some sweeteners, or artificial chemicals added to them.

• 

  White Sugar

• Brown Sugar
• Dark brown Sugar
• Cube Sugar

 

 

 

 

How much Sugar is enough? 

A child should have 4 teaspoons of sugar a day. An active woman should take about 6 teaspoons of sugar in a day while an active man should take 9 teaspoons.  

What happens when you eat sugar 

When you eat sugar, the body releases insulin to absorb the excess sugar in the body and stabilise blood sugar.

What is the excess for sugar 

Anything more than 10 teaspoons of sugar a day is not good for the health. On the average an adult consumes 25 teaspoons a day and a teenager consumes 35 teaspoons of sugar in a day.

 

What happens when you eat too much sugar?                                                 The body and human brain reacts to sugar the exact same way it would react to cocaine. The more sugar you consume, the more you want more of it. Here are some devastating effects sugar has on the body: 

• May lead to Alzheimer’s disease – Excess intake of sugar causes some reactions in the brain that could trigger cognitive decline.
• Decaying of teeth – Sugar reacts with bacteria in the mouth to form acids that cause tooth decay
• Feeling tired and sluggish all the time – Sugar lowers a chemical in the brain called Orexin. This causes a feeling of tiredness.
• Obesity – Sugar contains glucose and fructose, too much glucose is toxic to the body and too much fructose creates fat in the body. Eating sugar makes one eat more, loose less than you eat and gain weight.
• Diabetes – Type 2 diabetes is caused by gaining too much weight. Eating too much Sugar will definitely cause weight gain. Yes, one is at risk of getting type 2 diabetes if they take in too much sugar.
• Cancer – If you are trying to reverse or prevent cancer stay away from sugar and foods with processed sugar, especially white sugar. Sugar is highly acidic, causes body fat, reduces body activity and immunity, all these are causes of cancer.
• Being addicted to Sugar – Sugar stimulates the brain the exact same way a hard drug would do. The more you eat sugar the more you crave for it and feel the rush from it.

 

How to stop eating sugar 

• Drink water instead of fizzy or sugary drinks
• Put fruit slices on your toast instead of jam or marmalade
• If your drink must be fizzy add sparking water to plain juice
• Use sugar substitutes instead of sugar
• Eat protein foods, they keep you full longer and reduce any cravings.

 

What happens when you stop eating sugar?                                      It takes about 2 months to break the sugar habit or any habit, 66 days precisely. There are some surprisingly good improvements that happen to your body once you stop eating sugar, some of them are:

• Your sugar addiction breaks
• You lose weight
• Your skin gets clear
• Your energy improves
• You will have less joint and muscle pain
• You will have a clearer mentality
• You will sleep better

 

Sugar content in common foods 

Lists Fruits low sugar 

• Apricot – 1 whole – 3g
• Coconut – 1 Cup – 5g
• Lime – 1 whole – 1g
• Lemon – 1 whole – 1g
• Raspberries – 1 cup – 5g

Fruits high sugar 

• Dates – 1 cup – 93g
• Raisins – 1 cup – 98g

 

What is the safest sugar substitute? 

• Honey
• Coconut Sugar
• Maple syrup
• Fruit Sugar (Fructose)
• Molasses

 

Sweet as sugar is and as much as we enjoy it in drinks and food, a great thing to do would be to minimise the intake of it or stop eating it. Working at minimising sugar in one’s diet is a great habit to take on. It will definitely add a couple of years to your life. To try some substitute for sugar click here.