3 Surprising Ways Less Sugar Will Increase Your Health

You probably know that too much processed sugar is bad for your health. Your parents certainly warned you of getting sick or spoiling your meal if you ate too much candy and much advertising has been dedicated to educating on the dangers of processed sugar.

However, you may not connect sugar intake to many foods you are eating even though they could have just as much sugar or sugar conversion as a candy bar, soda or dessert. You may also not connect the many systemic functions processed sugar can compromise which, over time, could certainly catch up to you.

These 3 surprising ways less sugar will increase your health are simple adjustments you can make for some big results in a short amount of time.

Smile More

Big Food Corp has made it easy for you to ‘grab-n-go’ snacks at your convenience. Unfortunately, most of these easy eats are advertised in ways that make you think you might be choosing a healthy snack. In truth, the sugar content is usually astounding and, if the sugar is low, check the carbohydrates. High carbs are just as bad as high sugar. As pleasurable as it may seem when consuming, the side effects of sweetened processed food can leave you grumbling.

Researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London published a study in Scientific Reports which concluded,

“…our study provides evidence that sugar intake from sweet food/beverages increases the chance of incident mood disorders []…With a high prevalence of mood disorders, and sugar intake commonly two to three times the level recommended, our findings indicate that policies promoting the reduction of sugar intake could additionally support primary and secondary prevention of depression.”

Reducing your processed snacks and meals to more healthy choices such as raw fruit, nuts, lightly sautéed vegetables, brown rice, minimally dressed salads and plenty of clean water could improve your mood and overall performance. Eat healthier foods and maybe you’ll smile more.

Save Your Ticker

Heart disease is the top cause of death in America today. You may think that avoiding fatty foods and going to the gym will help, which it will, but reduce your sugar intake and you could benefit your heart even more.

Processed sugar has shown to negatively affect the heart in many different ways. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as published in JAMA Internal Medicine,

“Most US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. We observed a significant relationship between added sugar consumption and increased risk for CVD [cardiovascular disease ] mortality.”

Some of the many ways sugar may affect your heart include:

• Weight gain – This is probably not so surprising but, whether it is constant consumption of sweets or daily high carb intake, your waistline is going to expand. When this happens, your heart becomes strained to keep up with excess weight demands.
• Diabetes – Coronary disease is directly liked with diabetes. Diabetes is caused by a variety of factors including the overconsumption of a processed food diet, particularly high levels of sugar.

Avoid Liver Damage

New studies regarding the effects of processed sugar continuously emerge, even for the natural fruit sourced additive, fructose.

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) reported in SugarScience, that,

“There is growing scientific consensus that one of the most common types of sugar, fructose, can be toxic to the liver, just like alcohol,”

Manufacturers today extract fructose leaving behind all the stuff that is good for you like fiber and nutrients. Consuming something with high fructose corn syrup on an empty stomach is like a direct assault on your liver which cannot handle the enormous processing.

The UCSF report explains two dangers associated with fructose consumption,

“For a long time, doctors mainly worried about life-threatening liver disease in alcoholics. But since 1980, there has been growing concern about two new conditions linked to fructose consumption from added sugar, as well as to obesity and other unhealthy dietary additives, such as trans-fats:

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): This is characterized by excess fat build-up in the liver.
• Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): This is characterized by fatty liver, inflammation and “steatosis,” which is essentially scarring as the liver tries to heal its injuries. That scarring gradually cuts off vital blood flow to the liver.

About one-quarter of NASH patients will progress on to non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis, which requires a liver transplant or else it can lead to death.”

Readjust Your Taste Buds

Avoiding processed sugars may help your mood, your heart and your liver as well as many other systemic compromises. Stay away from obvious sugar culprits and try healthy plant-based choices for a while. Eventually, your taste buds will return and these sugary foods will be just that, too sugary.

The American Heart Association recommends steering clear of:

• Sugar-sweetened beverages like regular soft drinks,
• Sugars and candy
• Grain-based desserts such as cakes cookies, and pies,
• Fruit drinks (fruitades and fruit punch),
• Dairy desserts and milk products including ice cream, sweetened yogurt, and sweetened milk
• Other grain based foods such as cinnamon toast and honey-nut waffles

The initial pleasure isn’t worth the accumulated future discomfort. With many researched, peer reviewed studies, these 3 surprising ways less sugar will increase your health offer an opportunity to turn your life around, right now.