Contents
1. What is sugar?
Sugar is inherently an easily digestible carbohydrate product that is also a source of fast energy. It brings more problems than good, but it can be difficult for many to give up.
As you know, sugar is covertly used in food as enhancers of the taste of various dishes.
2. Harm of excessive sugar consumption.
The harm of sugar today is obvious and proven by numerous studies of scientists.
The greatest harm of sugar to the body is, of course, the diseases that it provokes. Diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease …
Therefore, it is by no means recommended to exceed the daily intake of sugar.
American biologists have compared an excessive addiction to sweets with alcoholism, since both of these addictions entail a number of chronic diseases.
However, you should not completely eliminate sugar from the diet – it nourishes the brain and is necessary for the body to fully function. What kind of sugar will be discussed – I will tell you further.
3. The rate of sugar consumption per day for a person.
It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question – what is the safe rate of sugar consumption per day for a person. It depends on a huge number of factors: age, weight, gender, existing diseases and much more.
According to research by the American Heart Association, the daily maximum intake for a healthy and active person is 9 teaspoons of sugar for men and 6 teaspoons for women. These numbers include added sugars and other sweeteners that either end up in your foods on your initiative (for example, when you add sugar to tea or coffee) or are added there by the manufacturer.
For people who are overweight and diabetic, the consumption of foods with added sugar and any sweeteners should be banned or kept to a minimum. This group of people can get their sugar rate from healthy foods containing natural sugars, for example, from fruits and vegetables. But this does not mean that their use is possible in unlimited quantities.
However, a healthy person should also eat more whole foods, preferring them over added sugar or industrially processed foods.
On average, the average person eats about 17 tablespoons of sugar a day. And not directly, but through purchased sauces, sugary carbonated drinks, sausages, instant soups, yoghurts and other products. This amount of sugar a day is fraught with many health problems.
In Europe, sugar consumption by adults varies from country to country. And it accounts for, for example, 7-8% of the total calorie intake in Hungary and Norway, up to 16-17% in Spain and the UK. Among children, consumption is higher – 12% in Denmark, Slovenia, Sweden and almost 25% in Portugal.
Of course, urban dwellers eat more sugar than rural dwellers. According to the latest recommendations from the World Health Organization, you should reduce your intake of “free sugar” (or added sugar) to less than 10% of your daily energy intake. Reducing to less than 5% per day (which equals approximately 25 grams or 6 teaspoons) will improve your health.
The greatest harm is posed by sugary drinks, since they carry sugar through the body faster.
4. How to cut back on sugar intake. What to replace.
But what if you are unable to limit your sugar intake to the daily recommended amount? Ask yourself a question: are you really ready to voluntarily surrender to “sugar slavery”, and, risking your own health, give preference to momentary pleasure? If not, I suggest you pull yourself together and start changing your attitude towards what you eat right now.
- To reduce your sugar intake, try the 10-day detox diet. During these days, you have to give up all foods containing sugar, and at the same time dairy products and gluten. This will help you cleanse your body and get rid of addiction.
- Your sugar intake is more likely to come to an acceptable denominator if you sleep enough. Research shows that not getting enough sleep for just two hours triggers cravings for fast carbohydrates. Sleeping enough will make sugar cravings much easier to overcome. When we don’t get enough sleep, we try to make up for the lack of energy and automatically reach for food. As a result, we overeat and gain weight, which does not benefit anyone.
- Undoubtedly, our life today is oversaturated with stress. This is fraught with the fact that the level of cortisol in our body rises, causing poorly controlled bouts of hunger. Fortunately, there is a solution, and it is quite simple. Scientists advise practicing the deep breathing technique. Spend just a few minutes breathing deeply, and a special nerve – the “vagus” nerve – will change the course of metabolic processes. Instead of the formation of fatty deposits on the belly, it will begin to burn them, and this is exactly what you need.
Sugar, the benefits and harms of which should be fully understood by a modern person, should not become a drug. Everything is good in moderation, and the use of such a not entirely safe product is even more so.
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Watch a video on how much sugar you can consume per day: https: //www.youtube.com/watch? v = F-qWz1TZdIc