Added sugar is singly handed the worst ingredient in today's modern diet. It can have harmful effects on your metabolism and contribute to abundance of diseases. Americans are eating about two to four times more than the daily recommend amount of sugar. "We need sugar. It's our body's preferred fuel." Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale University Prevention Research Center, stated. "We eat to much of it." But how much is OK?
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women get 24 grams of added sugar per day, which is less than one can of soda pop. To put that in perspective more, that is six teaspoons or 100 calories. The average american women eats about 18 teaspoons daily. Sugar is hidden in unlikely foods, from salad dressings to crackers. The most important is to read the labels. Some alias names consist of: evaporated cane juice, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice concentrate, agave nectar, fructose, dextrose, and syrup.
There are multiple types of sugars we eat. The most recognizable sugar is sucrose, or plain table sugar. Sugar comes from cane or sugar beets. When the sugar is processed, all of the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals are stripped away and it becomes 100% sucrose. On the other hand, simple sugars are monosaccharides, which are found in plants, fruits, and dairy products. With having no nutritional value, sugar has high glycemic index. It is the glycemic index in foods that cause your blood sugar to rise. The higher the glycemic index is, the higher your blood sugar will rise, ultimately causing multiple health problems.
AHA links added sugar to obesity, Type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Having too much sugar can cause fat build up in the liver as well. There is no need to avoid the naturally-occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables,and low- nonfat dairy though. Not all sugars are bad for you. As sweet as some natural sugars in fruits and vegetables taste, they contain relatively small amounts of sugar. These sugars have essential vitamins and minerals, along with water and fiber that slow the release of sugars into the bloodstream and prevents insulin spikes.
In the Netherlands and England, researches evaluated facial photos of 602 volunteers. After taking into factor their actual age, smoking, weight, body mass index, sun damage, and insulin function, people with the highest blood sugar levels appeared older than those with the lowest levels. Studies have also shown that the higher the blood sugar levels can destroy the skin's collagen and elastin.
When it comes to sugar it is important to know what you are putting into your body. The key to sugar is moderation. With the health effects of eating to much sugar and it's aging effects, we all need to really look at how much sugar we are really eating and drinking. Sugar can cause a great deal of harm to our bodies and you can prevent it with just cutting back from the unnecessary sugars you consume on a daily bases. If I didn't get your attention with all the health affects, I at least hope I've gotten your attention about the aging effects. Let's be honest, no one wants to age faster than we need to especially with the cause being sugar.
