I’ll make this short and “sweet”! No pun intended!
Sugar is dangerous. It’s not so much about what you sprinkle on your morning cereal. It’s about all the sugar hidden in 68% of our processed foods like fancy store-bought coffee, pasta sauces, bagels, desserts, low-fat yogurt, protein bars, sodas, and alcohol.
Our bodies crave it because of the dopamine “feel-good feeling” reward it triggers in our brain.
Sugar excess causes: weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, increased cancer risks, depression, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, & could lead to impaired memory. Sugar may accelerate the aging of our skin. Yikes!
Symptoms of sugar overload: headaches, irritability, difficulty concentrating, feeling jittery or anxious, feeling shaky, and always hungry.
Sugar disguises: corn syrup, sucrose, fructose, fruit juice, cane juice, dextrose, sorghum, maltose, glucose, beet sugar, etc.
So how much is okay? It should be less than 10% of our daily calories. On a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s only 200 calories or 12 teaspoons. Again, yikes!
Reducing our sugar intake: Swap out sodas & energy drinks for water or unsweetened seltzer. Drink coffee black or use Stevia for zero calories. Eat whole fruits instead of smoothies. Use olive oil & vinegar in place of sweet salad dressings. Choose marinades, ketchup, and marinara sauce with zero sugars. Bring on the water daily to flush out excess sugar. Talk to your doctor on your next visit
Information sourced from: WebMD