The consequences of high sugar consumption, and its role in heart disease, have been overlooked for many years thanks, in large part, to the successful efforts of the sugar industry to blame fat heart attacks.
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But it is worth taking it seriously. The reduction in consumption will contribute, among other things, to the following:
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- Healthier skin
Numerous studies suggest that a high level of blood sugar produces a domino effect called glycation that damages collagen and elastin and makes it difficult to repair the skin and age it. On the other hand, eliminating sugar (and, ideally, other harmful products, such as fast food) will help improve acne.
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- Better cholesterol
The Sugar helps increase “bad” cholesterol levels (LDL) and lower the good (HDL), in addition to increasing triglyceride levels. Simplifying a lot, the main problem is not the cholesterol that is in the food, as the eggs. Most of the cholesterol that circulates in the body is manufactured by the body itself. So the most important thing is to eliminate foods that push the body to create cholesterol. Sugar is number one. Not only sweets, but other foods made with refined grains such as bread or white rice or pasta. Naturally occurring sugar, like that of whole fruits, has a very different effect.
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- Less mood swings The brain also likes sugar, which causes the activation of opioid receptors in the brain, and hence that feeling of hitch. The sugar activate the “reward system” of your brain, making you feel good … for a few moments. When you eliminate it from the diet you can feel irritable and in a bad mood until the body adjusts. Some people experience fatigue, headaches or even sadness, signs that the body is adjusting to low glucose levels. By the way to reduce sugar it will also save you visits to the dentist.
Bacteria that live in the mouth love sugar. We remind children, but many times we forget.
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- Improvements in sleep For the above reason, too much sugar during the day can alter your blood glucose levels and cause energy spikes (with its subsequent collapse). Sugar can also reduce deep sleep time, so you don’t get up rested.
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- Less chance of suffering from Alzheimer’s. Some research They seem to show that there is an increased risk of dementia when large amounts of refined carbohydrates are taken.
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- Weightloss. It is the excessive amount of sugar (read refined carbohydrates) that makes you fat, of course. To lose weight it is not enough to remove them; You also have to exercise and take care of food in general. But it is a good step in the right direction.
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- Improvements in blood pressure. Salt usually takes all the blame for hypertension, but many researchers they look the other way and believe that sugar could be more worrisome because it causes insulin levels to skyrocket. This can make the arteries less flexible.
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The hidden enemy
Do you think you don’t consume too much sugar? Check your diet: according to the World Health Organization (WHO) the consumption of sugar in the US is 126 grams daily, the tallest in the world. WHO recommends limit consumption of free sugars at 50 grams per day for a person of normal weight (free sugars include both those found in honey or juices and the addition to foods or drinks).
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Where does so much sugar hide? It is almost easier to ask the question in reverse: What foods do not contain sugar? To discover them it is essential be attentive to labeling and look for the thousand and one denominations behind which it hides: glucose, corn syrup, brown sugar, sucralose, cane juice, dextrose or maltose, among others.
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Here are some foods that hide much more sugar than we suspected:
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