With Easter just around the corner, it is important to be aware of the damaging effects that sugar can have on our bodies. Of course, treat yourself to a little chocolate (#yolo for Easter), but make sure you exercise moderation throughout the remainder of the year.
Remember, all types of sugar are still sugar. Whether it is ‘natural’ sugar from maple syrup and fruit or high fructose corn syrup, it all has the same effect on our bodies. Our body registers any form of sugar as fructose, and the liver can only deal with 5-6 teaspoons of sugar a day before it is overloaded and turns the excess sugar into fatty body acids.
We all know that sugar is bad for us, but it’s crucial to understand the detrimental impact it can have on our health. These effects can include:
- 1) Sugar dulls our senses. Yep it’s that extreme. A recent study showed that the more sugar people ate, the less they were able to taste it1. Going sugar free for a person (about fourteen days) can help you to recalibrate your taste buds. You’ll also find that a few berries can curb your sweet tooth and you are no longer reaching for sugar at 3pm. Our hampers also provide the perfect food alternatives to help you remain satisfied throughout the detox.
- 2) It causes your body to age unnaturally fast. Fructose in particular is an extremely powerful pro-inflammatory compound that creates advanced glycation end products (AGE’s), which essentially speed up the ageing process. It promotes a dangerous growth of fat cells around your vital organs, hardening your cells and tissues so that they are brittle and stiff2. This is why a lot of products are now fructose-free, including many of the brands featured in Healthie Hampers.
- 3) It causes digestive issues. It seems that every second person, or maybe every person, has a digestive issue. Chronic inflammation (such as headaches, joint pain and autoimmune diseases) is triggered by sugar and can lead to particles transferring from the gut into the bloodstream. This then triggers inflammation throughout the whole body leading to obesity, metabolic diseases, joint pain, headaches, fatigue and more.
And that’s just three of the reasons! These days, sugar is found in just about every packaged item. The product doesn’t even need to be sweet. Even chips, crackers, roasted chicken, sushi and dips have sugar in them. Check your labels carefully as all of those hidden sugars add up. It’s also a good habit to monitor your fruit intake, as although fruit isn’t ‘bad’ for you, many people over consume fruit. You only need two small pieces of fruit a day, if you are not consuming any other sugars elsewhere.
Cutting back on your sugars will make a huge difference to your overall health and vitality. You will start to have less cravings, clearer skin and eyes, less joint pain, increased brain clarity, a better gut, more balanced hormones, improved sleep and many more benefits.
The Carousel would like to thank Monica Yates for her article.
Monica Yates is a Wellness and ICF certified Life Coach, as well as the co-founder of Healthie Hampers (www.healthiehampers.com.au), a hamper delivery service providing the gift of health. After struggling to find a healthy gift to send a loved one while they were in hospital, Monica and her mum Jacque noticed a gap in the market for gift options that could aid the body and contained
1 Taste preference for sweetness in urban and rural populations in Iraq, JamelHA, J Dent Res 75(11): 1879-1884, November 1996
2 Shanaham, Catherine. (2008).Deep Nutrition. Flatiron Books. NY
This story was originally published on The Carousel.
