You know that sugar is bad for your teeth and your waistline. But cutting back on sugar in your diet is surprisingly hard to do!
Sugar is everywhere – even in products labelled ‘healthy’ or ‘low fat’. Fat makes food taste good … so when a food manufacturer removes the fat, what do they replace it with? Sugar! It’s cheap, it bulks food out and makes the product taste irresistible. And don’t be fooled by ingredients such as fructose, corn syrup or even honey. They make food sound healthier, but they’re just another word for sugar.
Refined sugar is just empty calories – it supplies energy but nothing else. Unlike sugar obtained from fruit, vegetables and complex carbohydrates, it has no nutritional value whatsoever. And, worryingly, too much sugar has negative health effects far beyond needing to let out your belt a couple of notches.
In the short-term: sugar makes you fat.
In the medium term: it raises your cholesterol level and overloads your liver.
But it’s the long-term effects of sugar that are most terrifying: it has been proven to be a root cause of serious and irreversible metabolic dysfunction. Illnesses such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, liver failure, depression, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease have been linked to sugar consumption.
However, you mustn’t completely cut sugar out of your life since sugar is very important for your body in certain quantities. It is essential for your red blood cells as they have no mitochondria to metabolize fat, therefore, make sure you are still eating healthy sugars.
The simplest way to manage cutting back on sugar intake is to stop eating processed foods. Eat more fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains. Combine this with regular exercise, and you’ll be on the way to feeling fitter, having more energy and reducing your risk of long-term health problems.
For more information on how to improve your health by cutting back on sugar, contact Nutripanda on 0131 467 2024 or book your FREE Pre-Consultation NOW.