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My relationship with sugar has always been up and down. I really relied on sugar a lot when I wasn't feeling my best and sometimes for a reward. Honestly, I love a good Reese's cup and Twix candy bar any day of the week lol...
But over time realized that eating large amounts of sugar can cause major damage to your body. I started noticing that eating and drinking things that have too much sugar causes your skin and body to react a little weirdly. So, I decided to write this post to help others like myself that want to make a change to cut down on sugar and make healthier options. Honestly, I didn't like the way my body felt after eating sugar.
How does sugar impacts your emotions?
According to Scientific Research Article, they believe that sugar Intake of sweet food, beverages, and added sugars has been linked with depressive symptoms in several populations all over the world. Especially refined sugar, including white flour, causes a release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines. Also, I learned that people with diabetes tend to have mood swings based on their blood sugar levels. Having high amounts of sugar in your blood causes the person to appear to be very mean or out of sorts.
Need vs. Want for Sugary Foods comes from?
Lack of Sleep & Stress allows your body to crave sugar. The stress hormone cortisol was linked to the desire for sweet foods. The relationship between what you eat and how you sleep is complex. People who don’t get enough sleep tend to crave foods that are:
sweet
salty
starchy
This may be because they’d like to boost their energy levels. Some researchers think that when people get used to the hyper-sweetened taste of artificial sweeteners, their desire for sweeter foods could get stronger. (Healthline.com)
Statistics based on different age groups...
Studies have shown a strong correlation between high levels of cytokines and depression. Sugar causes anxiety and irritability. Teenagers and young adults consume more sugar drinks than other age groups. Approximately one-half of the U.S. population consumes sugar drinks on any given day. According to the CDC, there's prevalence of diagnosis of diabetes was highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives (14.7%), people of Hispanic origin (12.5%), and non-Hispanic blacks (11.7%), followed by non-Hispanic Asians (9.2%) and non-Hispanic whites (7.5%) (CDC.com)
What does sugar do to your body?
When you eat excess sugar, the extra insulin in your bloodstream can affect your arteries all over your body. It causes their walls to get inflamed, grow thicker than normal, and stiffer, this stresses your heart and damages it over time. This can lead to heart disease, like heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes.
Brooke Alpert, a co-author of The Sugar Detox: Lose Sugar. She has discovered in the last couple of years is that sugar is keeping us overweight. It’s also a leading cause of heart disease; it negatively affects the skin, and it leads to premature aging.”
Ways to detox from sugar?
In order to detox from sugar, it's recommended to start with 3day sugar detox, Brooke Alpert recommends no added sugars – but also no fruits, no starchy vegetables (such as corn, peas, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash), no dairy, no grains, and no alcohol. “You're basically eating protein, vegetables, and healthy fats.”
Healthier Sugarless Recipes
Overnight oats.
Avocado banana smoothie.
Peanut butter cup oatmeal.
Broccoli rabe egg toast.
Breakfast tortilla.
Ricotta and berries.
Healthy apple "pie." Bake an apple, cut in half, until soft.
Biscotti.
Greek yogurt berry brûlée.
Banana "ice cream" with cinnamon and walnuts.
Chocolate chia and almond bites.
Mini ice-cream sandwiches.
Dark chocolate-dipped fruit
How does sugar affect your skin? Eating too many foods with a high glycemic index can lead to inflammation in the body, which affects the skin. Excess sugar can aggravate skin conditions such as acne and eczema. (insider.com)
Lastly, The most important thing is to decrease your overall intake of added sugar. (Healthline.com).It’s important to note that occasionally enjoying a sugary treat will not derail your efforts or overall health. It’s your overall diet quality that matters most.
References:
Medical News Today: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317458#diabetes-and-mood-swings
CDC:
https:// www.the harmful affects of sugar
Insider:
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