What’s wrong with sugar?
Too much sugar can cause a host of health problems, and the worrying thing is that it’s EVERYWHERE.
It's in your ready meals, your cereal, your bread.
How much do we need?
Preferably, none. But let's face it, sugar is in so many foods it’s very difficult to avoid it completely.
The World Health Organisation claim that the daily sugar allowance is 50g a day.
Unfortunately, the WHO reckon that we’re taking in DOUBLE that amount.
And for many of us it’s a lot more.
Obesity
Scientists believe that sugar is making us fat. Those on a high sugar diet are more likely to be overweight than those on a high fat but low sugar diet.
So if you want to lose weight? Don’t worry about the fat content in nuts, milk and butter. Get rid of sugary ‘diet’ products and drinks.
Diabetes
Diabetes is becoming a major health concern in the UK. The NHS spends £9 billion a year on type two diabetes, the condition mostly linked to unhealthy diets.
Type two diabetes - the condition linked to sugar- occurs when your body can’t produce enough insulin or if the insulin produced doesn’t work properly.
Though diabetes can be treated with healthy diet and medication, it can have a savage effect on the body if not controlled. Sufferers of diabetes have had to have limbs amputated and have been been left blind. Neglecting your insulin levels can also cause you to go into a diabetic coma, which can be potentially fatal.
Teeth
According to Jamie Oliver’s latest documentary, Jamie’s Sugar Rush, 26,000 primary school aged children are treated in hospital for rotting teeth each year.
You can be as vigilant as you can brushing your teeth morning and evening, but if you are eating foods with high sugar content throughout the day you WILL damage the enamel. This causes tooth decay meaning painful trips to the dentist.
Children in particular have very soft teeth which need taken care of. This means sugary drinks and sweets should be enjoyed on occasion as a treat and not on a regular basis.
Digestive system
Sugar feeds bacteria in your gut, potentially causing a massive disruption to how your intestines function.
If you find yourself getting gassy and bloated (glam, right?) then it could be down to too much of the sugary stuff.
If you suffer from irritable bowl syndrome (IBS), again, you can possibly alleviate your symptoms by simply cutting out (or cutting back on) sugar.
Sexual health
Too much sugar can actually affect the health of your downstairs.
A high sugar diet has been attributed as a cause of thrush and aggravated bacteria infections by disrupting the delicate balance in the vagina.
Good reason if anything to stay away from the Coca Cola, right?
Brain
According to scientific research at California State University, the brain ‘lights up’ in response to tasting sugar the same way an alcoholic’s brain lights up after a swig of vodka.
Sugar causes a spike in dopamine, which is the ‘happy’ hormone that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This in turn is what causes you to crave sugar ALL day after having a high sugar breakfast.
Pregnancy
It can be easy to eat lots of sugary foods during pregnancy when your energy levels are plummeting, but more than ever it’s SO important to eat right and not overdo it on the bad stuff.
Gestational diabetes can be a minefield when it comes to eating sugar, as your body reacts to sugar in a completely different way to how it would without the condition.
Going sugar free
Going ‘sugar free’ is difficult, but entirely possible.