Sugar: How It Affects Your Body and What You Can Do About It
Sugar is a part of practically every food we eat. This is due to the fact that the majority of foods contain added sugar. This means that sugar is added artificially in addition to the food’s natural sugar content. In this article, we will take a look at its effect on your body. As you will see, eating an excessive amount of sugar can have serious consequences.
In addition to weight gain, there are many more negative effects that you can easily avoid by diminishing your sugar intake. While most products contain this substance, there are an increasing number of alternatives on the markets, such as, Stevia.
Consequences of sugar: weight gain
One of the most visible effects of sugar consumption is weight gain. Sugar is a carbohydrate, and as such it contains a high number of calories: four calories per gram. This is a considerable amount, and is something to take account of, especially if you want to lose weight.
Another reason this substance contributes to weight gain is that, most of the time, it is an ingredient in unhealthy products. These foods also contain high amounts of saturated fats and carbohydrates. This mix turns out to be a calorie bomb that can lead to rapid weight gain.
Feeling tired
You have surely noticed that eating sweets can make you feel more vital and have more energy. This effect is much more noticeable in children who eat too much candy. They become agitated and restless, and often get a stomachache after eating them. But that is another subject!
This energy sensation is short-lived, and precedes a much greater sense of fatigue. An excessive amount of sugar makes our stomachs slow down. This causes us to take longer to digest the other foods that we normally eat. This process makes us feel tired and low on energy. The sensation is even stronger after having experienced a high just a few minutes before.
Cavities
Sugar consumption can have a serious effect on your dental health. It accumulates between the teeth and damages them, producing cavities. If you do not treat these in time, the problem worsens, and can result in the tooth being removed. This is another reason to limit your sugar consumption throughout the day, consuming only those sugars that are naturally found in foods.
Do not forget to brush your teeth after every meal. After brushing, mouthwash helps to remove all the remaining food from your mouth, keeping it clean.
Weakened defences
If you feel tired and lack energy, it may be because you eat too much sugar. We have already looked at how an excess of sugar can produce fatigue. If your consumption continues unchecked, the result can be weakness at an immunological level.
This results in a greater chance of catching colds in the winter, or contracting illnesses. Before taking supplements to feel stronger, especially in winter, we recommend that you first curtail your sugar consumption. With this simple act, you can fortify your defences year round, and especially during the times when it is easier to become sick.
Water retention
This is one of the lesser-known effects of sugar consumption. Eating a large amount of this substance contributes to water retention, and as such, creates a sensation of inflammation and heavy legs. Those people who have a tendency to retain water should limit their sugar consumption, and also eat diuretic foods.
Efficient diuretics for cases like these include watermelon, apples, pineapples, asparagus, papaya, and red grapes. In addition to their diuretic properties, they are a healthy alternative to foods with added sugar.