Everyone needs a sugar fix every now and then. Right? But, is too much sugar bad for you?
Added sugar contains no essential nutrients and is bad for your teeth. (So remember to brush after your sugar intakes) Added sugars, like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup contain a whole bunch of calories with absolutely no essential nutrients.
When people eat up to 10-12% of calories as sugar or more, this can become a major problem and contribute to nutrient deficiencies. Sugar, again is harmful to your teeth because it provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in the mouth.
Do you ever get a “sugar high”? Sugar can cause massive dopamine release in the brain, because sugar is highly addictive. Just like drugs, sugar and junk foods can cause a release of dopamine in the reward center of the brain, more than we were ever exposed to from food in nature. For this reason people who have susceptibility to addiction can become strongly addicted to sugar and other junk foods.
Obesity at a young age? Yep. Sugar is the leading contributor to obesity in both children and adults. The way sugar affects hormones and the brain is a recipe for fat gain. This is especially strong in children, where each daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with 60% increased risk of obesity.
Obesity can cause the following:
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Depression
- Sleep Apnea
- Acid Reflex
- Dry Mouth
The effects of sugar on hormones and the brain – sugar dramatically increases the risk of becoming overweight. Large amounts of fructose can raise blood glucose and insulin levels and can increase abdominal obesity, in as little as ten weeks. According to the American Heart Association, the maximum of added sugars you should eat in a day are 7. MEN: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons) WOMEN: 100 calories per day (25 grams of 6 teaspoons)
Watch your sugar intake and begin label reading your foods and beverages.