In this day and age, sugar has a bad rep. Most people are aware that they should watch how much they eat, but not everyone is aware of the reasons. Most know it adds to their waistline little by little, year by year, but that's only one side effect. There are many more, lesser-known reasons we should seriously avoid sugar and make every effort to eliminate it completely from our diets.
SUGAR:
1) Damages your skin. It can harm the already existing collagen and elastin proteins that keep your skin supple and strong, producing wrinkles and sagging. As if that wasn't bad enough, sugar can alter the production of collagen and inhibit antioxidant enzymes. This, in turn, leaves your skin weak, wrinkly, and far more susceptible to sunburn.
2) Prevents Vitamin C Absorption. Similar in structure, glucose (sugar) and Vitamin C battle to get into white blood cells. If there is too much sugar in the bloodstream, Vitamin C cannot get in, and the immune system cannot perform its jobs. This leaves the immune system hindered and depressed.
3) Drains the body of nutrients. Since sugar itself has no nutrients, vitamins or minerals, to be metabolized by the body, the body has to use up its own stores, which in turn halts fatty acid and cholesterol absorption. High cholesterol levels, serious vitamin and mineral deficiencies, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes are a few things that can result over time if no dietary change is made.
4) Causes Osteoporosis. As with Vitamin C, Sugar inhibits calcium absorption. This leads to weaker, brittle bones more prone to breakage. After prolonged exposure, sugar can lead to low bone density, rotten teeth, and osteoporosis.
5) Increases your risk of autoimmune and degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. By inhibiting natural functions and processes, it allows all sorts of havoc to run rampant in the body.
6) Weakens the liver. Regular consumption of sugar leads to a build-up in the liver. This causes the liver to convert it into fat, which leads to clogging. This slows down and can completely stop liver function, causing Fatty Liver Disease and a number of other health issues, including the shutdown of your pancreas. An organ with over three-hundred functions, a stressed liver will cause no shortage of problems.
7) Raises triglyceride levels and bad cholesterol. The higher the sugar consumption, the higher the triglyceride, and bad cholesterol levels. In addition, good cholesterol levels drop drastically and the risk of heart disease rises.
8) Triggers the brain the same way morphine does. It meets all the criteria of a drug, and it's in nearly every processed, packaged, and fast food on the market. Sugar addictions are very real and very widespread. Once consumed, sugar sparks a desire for more, and the more eaten, the greater the craving. Bingeing is becoming more and more common, as is obesity.
Sugar withdrawal is also a serious issue. Symptoms include:
- muscle aches
- shaking
- anxiety/depression
- headaches
- exhaustion
- moodiness/irritability
- lightheaded-ness
- and other flu-like symptoms.
9) Accelerates aging. By damaging cells, sugar causes them - and you - to age faster, increasing the rate of cell death. Couple this with a fatty liver, and the risk of cancer and degenerative diseases skyrockets.
10) Feeds yeast, fungus, and bacteria. This one is pretty self-explanatory. With all the other side effects of sugar, this one shouldn't be surprising. Yeast, fungus, and bacteria slurp sugar up. They thrive off of it, and they'll live off anyone who eats it regularly. Eliminating sugar can drastically eliminate these infections.
11) Damages your heart. Not only does sugar raise your risk of heart disease as mentioned above, but recent studies have also found that sugar actually alters the heart's pumping mechanisms. It does so by altering proteins, the building blocks for your heart and your body.
12) Feeds Cancer. Cancer uses sugar as its prime energy and food source. Sugar consumption has been linked to breast, prostate, rectal, pancreatic, lung, gallbladder, and stomach cancers, and the list is growing.
Additional side effects include:
- hormonal imbalances (in both men and women)
- arthritis
- asthma
- multiple sclerosis
- increased serotonin levels
- decreased blood sugar levels and diabetes
- crushed immune function
- weight gain/obesity
- fatigue
- acidic body pH
Safe, natural substitutes for sugar include Stevia, honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. Rather than side effects, they each have their own health benefits and can be used in cooking, baking, frying, and more.
Why use something that will only poison your body when you can use something that will help it?
Sugar has no place in your pantry, much less your body. Think twice before you eat it, or better yet, don't eat it at all.
Contact us by phone at (423) 899-8422 or by email, naturesfinestnutrition@gmail.com. Or feel free to check us out on our website or our Facebook page. We hope to hear from you soon!
Please note:
We do not directly or indirectly give medical advice or prescribe through alternative treatment. We recommend that people contact their doctor if they need a medical diagnosis. We assume no responsibility if anyone decides to use this information, which is of historical value, for they are choosing to prescribe for themselves. Healing is sometimes a slow process, and we suggest that you do not stop taking any medications without the guidance of a doctor.
Sources:
Dan Hammer. "Sugar Side Effects Put a Wrinkle on More Than Your Skin!" No date.
"http://www.smoothie-handbook.com/sugar-side-effects.html" Accessed 21 January 2015.
Dr. Joseph Mercola. "Fructose: This Addictive Commonly-Used Food Feeds Cancer Cells, Triggers Weight Gain, and Promotes Premature Aging." Published 20 April, 2010.
"http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx" Accessed 21 January, 2015
Corrie Pikul. "The One "Crazy" Thing All Nutritionists Agree is a Good Idea." Published 16 January, 2013.
"http://www.oprah.com/health/Sugar-Health-Effects-Sugar-Dangers". Accessed 21 January, 2015.
Caryn Talty, M.D. Ed. M.A. "Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms and Duration: What You Can Expect". Published 17 October, 2012.
"http://healthy-family.org/sugar-withdrawal-symptoms/". Accessed 21 January, 2015.
Kristin Kirkpatrick M.D. R.D. L.D. "10 Things You Don't Know About Sugar (And What You Don't Know Could Hurt You)". Published 30 July, 2013.
"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld/dangers-of-sugar_b_3658061.html". Accessed 21 January, 2015.
Donna Gates. "The 25 Key Reasons You Want to Dramatically Reduce or Avoid Sugar in Your Diet". Published 12 April, 2007.
"http://bodyecology.com/articles/25_reasons_to_avoid_sugar.php#.VMAXU0fF_To". Accessed 21 January, 2015.