Sugar is known my many names and it’s lurking in foods where you least expect it. You may already know that sugar doesn’t provide any nutritive value to your body, but did you know that it is causing harm and sabotaging the good things that you are doing to be healthy because it’s altering your body’s internal physiology?
What sugar does to your body
Because it affects the bio-chemical makeup of your body, sugar makes your body work harder to compensate for the imbalance. The effects can show up in different places and in different ways. Hyperactivity, ADD and ADHD, thyroid and adrenal gland malfunctions, yeast infections, high cholesterol, muscle pain, and depression are all things that can be tied to over consumption of sugar.
Sugar speeds up the aging process
In addition to impacting internal organs, sugar adheres to collagen in the skin making it more prone to wrinkles. The balance of minerals in the body, such as calcium, can be affected resulting in conditions like osteoporosis. Diabetes is epidemic in our country and it is almost assumed that as we age we are more likely to suffer from it. Processed sugar isn’t the only culprit when high blood sugar needs to be controlled. Many people react to natural sugars in fruit in a similar way.
Experiencing post-holiday illnesses?
Have you noticed how in the weeks after a sugary holiday, that your family experiences an uptick in colds and flu? The higher sugar concentration lowers the capabilities of your immune system to fight off illness. Certainly weight gain and obesity are tied to sugar consumption, but some people, no matter what their weight is, can find themselves craving sweet things to eat, which is another indication that sugar is negatively impacting health.
Where is the sugar?
The average American consumes 10 pounds of sugar a month. That’s right each month! You can visualize that amount by thinking about the size of a large bag of sugar that you can buy at the store. Now try to visualize the food that you are eating that contains the sugar. Sweets like cookies, desserts and candy are certainly loaded with sugar, and so are regular soft drinks and but read your food labels and you’ll find it in salad dressings and condiments, bread and crackers, picante and pasta sauce, granola and breakfast cereal, yogurt and protein bars, and more.
Read food labels to find sugar
Sugar comes from many different sources and has many names. Since over 70% of all packaged foods contain added sugar, it’s a good idea to start reading labels to reveal your true sugar intake. Some common names are sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), dextrose, maltose, cane juice and rice syrup. Other names are barley malt, carob syrup, coconut palm sugar, dextrin and panocha. Honey and fruit juice used as sweeteners can have the same effect on your body as processed sugars.
How to get off the sugar high
Everyone has their own unique body chemistry so it’s important to first find out exactly which sugars and other foods are compromising your health. Nutrition Response TestingTM is the first step in that process. Then a Designed Clinical Nutrition Plan will work to provide your body with what it needs to balance and support your body functions with complete nutrition. It isn’t easy to kick the sugar habit but once you start taking steps to wean yourself from that 10 pounds of sugar a month, you’ll discover that the change in your body chemistry will positively impact your longevity as well as your day to day lifestyle.