02 Jan Sugar is the Enemy
For the month of January, we’d like to talk about the negative effects of sugar on your health. Seeing as this is the month of trying to work towards better health and getting it under control, we thought we’d provide extra incentive in cutting back on the sweet treats.
Americans eat at least 22 teaspoons of sugar a day.[i] 22! That’s about half a cup of sugar. And the thing is, most people don’t know how they can be eating that much. But the infographic below can tell you where you’re getting a good portion of your sugar intake from.
Sourced from Mercola.com
All this sugar is leading to many serious health complications such as liver disease, periodontal disease, dental caries, Alzheimer’s/dementia, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and obesity. High blood sugar levels are also associated with aiding cancer cells to spread faster. [ii]Excessive sugar is just bad news all around.
Limiting your sugar intake has been shown to help decrease your risk for many of the above diseases. Now, we’re not saying you can never have it, but try eating only a few teaspoons instead of half a cup! Cutting out sodas, limiting alcohol, and getting rid of the baked goods are some of the easiest (unless you have a serious sweet tooth) things to eliminate. By drinking water instead of soda, you are properly hydrating your body without the added side effects of sugar and calcium-leaching phosphoric acid. Limiting the “white” food group – bread, pasta, starchy bake goods – has been correlated with better health, skin, and mental/emotional well-being.
Mostly, just learn to enjoy sugar in moderation. Apply the 80/20 rule – eat as healthy as possible 80 percent of the time so that on those 20 percent occasions, you have wiggle room to enjoy the tasty stuff.
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[i] http://articles.mercola.com/sugar-side-effects.aspx
[ii] http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/70/15/6368.abstract