negative effects of sugar

This week I was asked to research the negative affects of sugar on the body.  Let me tell you...WOW.  What I found shocked and amazed me.  Sugar is a lot more harmful than I ever came close to realizing! It causes immediate AND long-term health problems, as well as many annoying symtoms! 

Health Problems Caused by Too Much Sugar:

•  Sudden sugar rushes cause dramatic increase and decrease of glucose levels.  This creates tiredness, mood swings, headaches, and the craving for even more sugar! It provides a temporary fix and before we realize it, we're hooked on that "sugar high."

•  Sugar causes rapid weight gain.  This  one is basically a given; You have probably heard that our body converts all foods to glucose once we eat it. Well, what you most likely don't know is that sugar also BLOCKS those good nutrients from reaching your body! Fruits, meats, vegetables, and most natural foods contain some sort of sugar.  They also contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes that help your body break down that sugar and use it to assist in digestion and absorption.  The problem is that the sugars we consume most of, refined, and all forms of processed sugar, contain NOTHING to help your body. It actually causes your immune system to weaken which increases your chances of getting sick! Scary, huh?

•  Sugar causes dental decay. Sugar makes your teeth weaker, yellow, and causes cavities. Drinking pop is especially bad for your teeth because not only does it harm them with sugar, but it also sucks the calcium right out with the caffeine! Experiment for yourself; put a tooth in a glass of coke or any other soft drink, and watch as the tooth yellows, weakens, and decays....YUCK.

• Sugar causes hyperactivity as well as weakens learning abilities in children.  If you are experiencing difficulties with hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and lack of concentration, your child may just have too much sugar in his/her diet. This article about the problems sugar causes in children gives great explanations for some common behavioral problems in children between the ages of 3 and 12.

•  Sugar largely increases your risk of getting type 2 Diabetes.  Studies clearly show that people who in-take mass amounts of sugar have increased their risk of getting diabetes more and more every day. 

So, as you can see, sugar has some pretty scary side-effects! It actually lowers your immune system and blocks the nutrients from being absorbed, making us more prone to sickness, and  creates all sorts of other issues.  Cutting soda and all forms of processed sugars completely out of our diets is the easiest, quickest fix.  I know after doing all this research for myself, I have decided to quit drinking pop myself!  It really doesn't taste all that good, and in my opinion is easily replaced with healthier options like fruit juices or tea. 

There are also some great sugar substitutes out there.  One of the newest on the market is called Stevia.  It is an all-natural sweetener from plant leaves, and has no bitter after-taste, like many sweeteners do. My mom loves to put it in her sweet tea but it can be used in basically anything you would use sugar.  Splenda is also a better option than all the aspartame- containing sweeteners out there, but is not all-natural and hasn't been thoroughly researched yet.  

 I found a shocking article stating the the normal yearly intake of sugar in the average person during the early 1900s. 5 lbs. of sugar was the norm.  I mean considering all the things that contain sugar, that's not too surprising, right? Oh boy....wait till you hear the normal in today's average american....dun dun dun...........
135 POUNDS OF SUGAR, PEOPLE!!!!  I found that to be so very shocking....that's more than my own body weight in just sugar!!  This is thought to be a main cause of cancer among various other critical health problems. Cancer and Diabetes were virtually unheard of back then...I find this all so very alarming!


 This is what your kids might start looking like if they  keep in-taking so much sugar:

Well you don't want that now, do you!? So, all that to say this: I strongly suggest you drastically cut sugar out of your diets in any way you can manage.  You will be saving yourself the risk of astronomical amounts of health problems later on in life, as well as improve your current lifestyle by making you happier, stronger, and more energized! :)