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12 Oct 2016How sugar is affecting your health
By now most people are aware that processed sugar is unhealthy, and it is common sense to avoid anything in excess. Lifestyle diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes have long been linked to sugar intake, but the other negative health effects of sugar are unknown by many people.
Processed sugar can cause insulin resistance, where the insulin receptors on the cell become impaired and the liver has to produce more and more insulin in order for the cells to respond. Insulin resistance is usually accompanied by excess body fat and is strongly linked to inflammation as fat cells are known to release inflammatory cytokines. Insulin resistance is a pre cursor to type 2 diabetes and once it occurs it is important to manage the intake of sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods.
Eating refined sugar actually makes you more likely to crave more sugar and overeat. This is because it causes a sharp rise in blood sugar which signals the release of insulin and that leads to a drop in blood sugar. The body then craves more sugar to raise your blood sugar again so you reach for sugary or starchy foods. People with insulin resistance are also more likely to overeat because their brains do not receive the insulin signal that indicates satiety.
Our body contains trillions of gut bacteria which serve important roles in digestion, immunity, brain health and nutrient production. However, processed carbohydrates and sugar feed the bad gut bacteria and disturb the delicate balance between good and bad bacteria. This causes poor gut health which results in digestive disorders, inflammation, poor immunity, auto-immune disease, mood disorders and poor concentration.
While restricting our intake of processed sugar is important to regain and maintain good health, knowing exactly what foods contain sugar can be tricky. The trouble is that many people assume that only foods that taste sweet have sugar in them, but this is not true and processed sugar is hidden in many food items that we frequently consume. Foods that we eat every day like bread, ketchup, low-fat dairy products, pre-packaged noodles, crackers, pasta sauce and breakfast cereals all contain hidden sugar. It is therefore important to read food labels before buying or consuming processed and packaged foods and become aware of which foods in your kitchen contain hidden sugar.
If you want to reverse or avoid the negative health effects of processed sugar you must read food labels, limit your processed sugar intake, take a good quality probiotic supplement, and eat slow-releasing, complex carbohydrates along with healthy fats and protein.
Are you struggling to cut down or give up sugar? Learn how to easily reduce your sugar intake in the Body and Soul article here https://goo.gl/kca2gg
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