10 Disturbing Facts About Sugar

4. The average can of softdrink has 10 teaspoons of sugar in it.

No one in their right mind would offer a child to sit down and eat 10 teaspooons of sugar for a snack, it really is no different offering a cold can of soft drink for refreshment purposes.  Eeek!

5. Consuming refined sugar can affect your Vitamin B levels.

The B vitamins, specifically thiacin, niacin and biotin convert sugars into energy for your body. With a raised sugar input those vitamins are busy at work with sugar and not the other foods that can benefit our health. Basically with their demanding disgestive requirements, sugars are hogging the workers, but not providing any benefits to our body as they are empty calories that don’t provide any nutritional benefit.

6. Low fat foods are not necessarily better for you.

Low fat foods will often use sugar to enhance the flavour of the product, even if the food isn’t considered to taste sweet. Pasta sauce, mayonaise, salad dressing, even bread rolls can all be hiding the fine details behind their ‘low fat’ or ‘fat free’ labels.

7. Sugar is a leading contributor to obesity in children and adults.

Due to the effect sugar has on the brain, people can get addicted and lose control over their consumption levels. As sugar causes a release of dopamine in the reward centre of the brain, people suseptible to addiction can become addicted to sugar and other junk foods. This can lead to decreased satiety and some may lose control over their consumption.

8. Sugar can lead to heart disease.

One of the leading drivers for heart disease may be the effect of fructose on the metabolism. Sugar can raise blood glucose, insulin levels and abdominal obesity which are all major factors for heart disease

9. Sugar is high in Fructose which can overload your liver.

Sugar, once in our digestive system is broken down into two simple sugars, glucose and fructose. While glucose is found in every living cell, and if we don’t get enough from our diet, our bodies will actually produc it.  Fructose, has no physiological benefit for our body.

Fructose can only be metabolised by our liver. Whilst small portions of fructose say from a piece of fruit will cause no problem, if there is a spike of fructose, it can overload the liver forcing it to turn the fructose into fat. Keep in mind though it is almost impossible to overdose on fructose by eating fruit.

10. Sugar withdrawals are a real thing

Sugar can give the consumer a temporary ‘high’ of energy and mood elevation. Sugar withdrawal can be a very real and painful process. Symptoms may include cravings for sugar laden foods, lack of energy, headaches and other flu like symptoms and can even present as depression.

So you see, although it’s lovely to have that cupcake, or ice cream now and then, the important word is moderation. A treat now and then should not translate to daily or many times a day treats.

Have you recently cut sugar from your diet?

What was your motivation for doing so?