Sugar Dangers
Did you know that the average American consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar each week! This is not surprising considering that sugar and other forms of it including high fructose corn syrup are in so many of the foods we eat.
The next time you are at the grocery store read the labels of the foods you buy. You will be surprised at how many of them contain some form of sugar. Foods such as bread, cereals, ketchup, mayonnaise, peanut butter and spaghetti sauce all contain sugar.
The glycemic index is a measure of how a food affects your blood-glucose level. A food with a low glycemic index means that it has a slower absorption into your body which is healthier for us. A food that has a high glycemic index absorbs into your body and raises your blood sugar level very fast. This causes the pancreas to secrete insulin to drop blood sugar levels which causes a lot of stress on the body.
Insulin is your body’s way of keeping your blood sugar regulated. This sounds good but unfortunately there are bad side effects to raised insulin in the body. One is that higher insulin levels inhibits the release of growth hormones and lowers your immune system. Sugar has its hand in all kinds of aggravations and diseases including diabetes, heart disease, depression, nervous disorders, arthritis, cancer and many more.
Another side effect is that insulin production stimulates fat storage which is why we gain weight when we eat sugar. This is why so many of us are overweight. Sugar and other forms of sugar are found everywhere. Not only that, but other foods such as breads and pastas are treated like sugar in the body because of their high glycemic properties. So when you think eating that extra serving of pasta is not going to hurt because it is low in fat and calories think again. It is the biological effect that it has on your body that counts.
Here is the bottom line sugar = fat. I think this is part of the reason why people who eat low carb diets have success. They cut out a lot of sugar.
High sugar consumption will mess with your waitline and makes you unwell. Watch your intake and feel and look better!