Sweet treats or desserts have an unusual idea of attracting us with their extreme-colourful and charming decorations. The initial taste of these tasty treats gives us a brief glimpse of paradise. In fact, people on happy occasions celebrate with desserts. Is sugar really the generous reward our body deserves? Well, the response is certainly a NO!
Would you give your 9-year-old a bottle of alcohol after a cricket match? or a shot of vodka on his/her birthday? You won’t blink an eyelash if you joyfully give them chocolates or a bottle of energy drinks.
Let me tell you “Sugar” is the most addictive drug that is both legally available and socially acceptable. Why do I believe it is more lethal than alcohol or cigarettes? Because the molecular structures of alcohol and fructose (sugar) are almost identical. Both of these high-calorie beverages shock the liver.
They have a high hepatotoxic potential (dangerous to the liver). The liver reacts by rapidly accumulating visceral fat (fat around organs), developing insulin resistance, and slowing metabolism.
The harsh reality is that alcohol is tightly regulated, taxed, and restricted but every celebration welcomes the not-so-sweet sugar. We consume considerably more sugar than our ancestors did, especially in the past 50 years.
There is a risk of nutritional inadequacies if you consume a lot of sweets. According to research, those who consume the most sugar have the least consumption of crucial nutrients like vitamins, folate, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.
Even for those who do not have diabetes, increased sugar consumption is linked to bad results in cognitive functioning. Hyperglycaemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and increased cholesterol are considered to cause these consequences.
Let’s look into what are the harmful effects on our body of having too much sugar?
1.Heart disease
People who consume more than 17-20% of their daily calories from sugary foods have a 38% higher risk of dying from heart disease. It urges the liver to release more dangerous lipids into the bloodstream.
2. Skin
Refined sugar is the toxin that drives all inflammatory (skin) conditions. Chronic inflammation is one of the initial drivers behind many skin diseases and undesired skin conditions. Everything from acne to rosacea to skin cancer is provoked by chronic inflammation.
3. Sugar tricks our brain
Leptin is a substance that our body excretes, meaning our stomachs are full. This alerts the brain and we will soon stop consuming any more food. Similarly, when we are hungry, ghrelin is produced in the stomach and tells the brain when to eat. Both leptin and ghrelin form a regulatory feedback system that controls our cycles of starvation and phagocytosis. Sugar, a sneaky scammer, destroys us in the leptin and ghrelin cycle and leaves us unaffected by it.
How about eating a plate of pizza in the evening, and delicious waffles in the morning? Sneak between packets of cracker yogurt for that hungry pain? Since each of these is generously fried in added sugar, you may be putting yourself at a huge medical risk. Almost any packaged and processed food, whether it’s a cereal snack or your favourite canned juice, is a risk source of toxins.
Since manufacturers have enough cunning to disguise sugar under many fancy pseudonyms, there are about 60 different names in which sugar is mentioned in the ingredient list. The most frequently used nicknames are agave syrup, rice malt, blackstrap molasses, sugarcane crystals, corn syrup solids, malt syrup, oat syrup, sugarcane etc. Sugar’s hidden forms and names are sneaking around in all sorts of food available. But remember other names for sugar are catastrophic, too.
Here are some natural sweeteners to satisfy your sweet tooth that are often used by health-oriented people instead of sugar. These include coconut sugar, honey, jaggery, date palm, and more.
PS : It’s never too late or too early to work towards being the healthier you!