Sugar and it's effects on our bodies
everygiftedsense
Posts: 24 Member
Sugar, sweet sugar—a delightful minute on the tongue in exchange for what feels like a lifetime on the hips. But weight gain isn’t the only consequence of eating too much sugar. Are you ready for the not-so-sweet truth?
First of all, why is sugar bad? Over-consumption of processed sugar can contribute to a number of conditions, including tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, hormonal imbalances, overgrowth of candida yeast, chronic fatigue, more severe PMS symptoms, anxiety—and yep, even wrinkles. On the other hand, if you start to cut sugar out of your diet, you can shed excess weight, increase your energy, improve your concentration, improve your moods, and possibly steer clear of diabetes
.Why we crave sugar.
Sweets trigger an increase in the hormone serotonin—a mood-elevating hormone. The body and brain get used to this higher level of serotonin and even depend on it for a sense of well-being. So when our serotonin level dips, (we dip) into the (sweets) to ‘correct’ the situation. Sweets also trigger the release of endorphins . . . the brain’s natural narcotics, helping you to relax when stressed. When you eat sugar, it stimulates the release of dopamine into the nucleus accumbens, which makes you feel pleasure. The brain recognizes and likes this feeling and begins to crave more. It may startle you to learn that heroine, morphine and sugar all stimulate the same receptors in your brain. The more you eat it the more you want it.
You’ve probably noticed that although sugar gives you an initial high (a rapid spike in your blood sugar), you crash several hours later, leaving you wanting more. It’s because sugar takes away more energy than it gives. Eventually, you find yourself exhausted, anxious, and moody.
Is the sweet taste worth the unpleasant effects? Think gaining weight is the only negative effect of consuming too much sugar? Sugar intake also can negatively affect your health:
Suppresses the immune system’s defenses against bacterial infections
Increases the risk of blood clots and strokes
Contributes to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating
Can lead to hypoglycemia, kidney damage, an elevation in harmful cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and tooth decay
Helps speed the aging process, including wrinkles and gray hair
The list goes on . . .
Make the decision to detox from sugar. The first step in breaking a sugar addiction is making the decision to stop eating it completely for at least a few days to start to get it out of your system. While it’s usually best to make dietary changes gradually, sugar has the unique ability to inspire cravings that are refueled every time you give in to them. The only way to break the cycle is to stop feeding the fire. Then your cravings should subside substantially. Continue to resist large amounts of sugar and actively avoid situations that cue you to eat sweets. And whether you’re at work, at home, or at a party, just because a cookie is sitting out on a table in plain sight, that doesn’t mean you have to eat it.
Ask yourself why you’re eating sugar before you put it in your mouth. Are you eating out of habit? Because of circumstance? For a special occasion? Because everyone else is? Watch yourself like a lab rat. Begin to face your truth. Write little notes or keep a journal about your sugar intake. You will find out what drives you to eat sugar, when you crave it, where you eat it, why you want it, and how you get it. For example, do you pop up out of your desk chair in search of cupcakes the second you hear people at the office singing “Happy Birthday”? Journaling can be helpful preparation for stomping out your sugar habit by making you aware of why you’re eating it.
First of all, why is sugar bad? Over-consumption of processed sugar can contribute to a number of conditions, including tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, hormonal imbalances, overgrowth of candida yeast, chronic fatigue, more severe PMS symptoms, anxiety—and yep, even wrinkles. On the other hand, if you start to cut sugar out of your diet, you can shed excess weight, increase your energy, improve your concentration, improve your moods, and possibly steer clear of diabetes
.Why we crave sugar.
Sweets trigger an increase in the hormone serotonin—a mood-elevating hormone. The body and brain get used to this higher level of serotonin and even depend on it for a sense of well-being. So when our serotonin level dips, (we dip) into the (sweets) to ‘correct’ the situation. Sweets also trigger the release of endorphins . . . the brain’s natural narcotics, helping you to relax when stressed. When you eat sugar, it stimulates the release of dopamine into the nucleus accumbens, which makes you feel pleasure. The brain recognizes and likes this feeling and begins to crave more. It may startle you to learn that heroine, morphine and sugar all stimulate the same receptors in your brain. The more you eat it the more you want it.
You’ve probably noticed that although sugar gives you an initial high (a rapid spike in your blood sugar), you crash several hours later, leaving you wanting more. It’s because sugar takes away more energy than it gives. Eventually, you find yourself exhausted, anxious, and moody.
Is the sweet taste worth the unpleasant effects? Think gaining weight is the only negative effect of consuming too much sugar? Sugar intake also can negatively affect your health:
Suppresses the immune system’s defenses against bacterial infections
Increases the risk of blood clots and strokes
Contributes to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating
Can lead to hypoglycemia, kidney damage, an elevation in harmful cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and tooth decay
Helps speed the aging process, including wrinkles and gray hair
The list goes on . . .
Make the decision to detox from sugar. The first step in breaking a sugar addiction is making the decision to stop eating it completely for at least a few days to start to get it out of your system. While it’s usually best to make dietary changes gradually, sugar has the unique ability to inspire cravings that are refueled every time you give in to them. The only way to break the cycle is to stop feeding the fire. Then your cravings should subside substantially. Continue to resist large amounts of sugar and actively avoid situations that cue you to eat sweets. And whether you’re at work, at home, or at a party, just because a cookie is sitting out on a table in plain sight, that doesn’t mean you have to eat it.
Ask yourself why you’re eating sugar before you put it in your mouth. Are you eating out of habit? Because of circumstance? For a special occasion? Because everyone else is? Watch yourself like a lab rat. Begin to face your truth. Write little notes or keep a journal about your sugar intake. You will find out what drives you to eat sugar, when you crave it, where you eat it, why you want it, and how you get it. For example, do you pop up out of your desk chair in search of cupcakes the second you hear people at the office singing “Happy Birthday”? Journaling can be helpful preparation for stomping out your sugar habit by making you aware of why you’re eating it.
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