Everyone knows that sugar damages teeth and contributes to obesity. However, sugar can contribute to many other diseases. How can it negatively affect us and how to deal with it?
What’s wrong with sugar?
- Children who consume sugar are more likely to develop eczema of unknown origin and develop allergies.
- Consuming sugar is addictive and may increase the risk of alcoholism.
- Significantly affects the acidification of the body.
- It has an irritating effect on the gastric mucosa, contributing to the overproduction of gastric acid and, as a result, to ulcers.
- Consuming sugar causes hyperactivity of the body, problems with concentration, irritability, low mood and drowsiness.
- It destroys tooth enamel, contributing to the rapid development of tooth decay.
- Sugar can cause a constant feeling of fatigue and contribute to the development of diseases in later life, such as osteoporosis, increased bad cholesterol, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, frequent infections of the body.
- It causes destruction of the intestinal mucosa, disturbing the balance of the bacterial flora – as a result, the overall immunity of the body decreases.
- It favors the aging process – it is responsible for the growth of free radicals, destroys the production of collagen.
- It has a weakening effect – 1 teaspoon of sugar blocks the immune system for over an hour.
- It favors eye diseases: myopia, cataracts.
- It increases the risk of many cancers: breast, ovarian, prostate, gastrointestinal, liver, lung and other organs.
What instead of sugar?
- honey – it has more calories than sugar, but it is better absorbed by the body and does not disturb the mineral balance in the body like white sugar.
- maple juice – rich in minerals and B vitamins, niacin, biotin and folic acid. It is less caloric than honey and white sugar. It is an ideal addition to desserts: ice cream, pancakes, cakes, desserts, breakfast cereals, but also salads and sauces
- stevia – it is 150-300 times sweeter than sugar and contains virtually no calories. It is important to consume only green or brown stevia leaf extracts or powders. Clear extracts and white powders, which are highly processed and devoid of valuable nutrients, should be avoided
- dried fruits – they are naturally sweet and contain many valuable ingredients for the body. It is worth adding dates, apricots, plums, raisins, figs, apple rings to baking instead of sugar.
How to wean yourself from sugar?It is not worth giving up sugar right away, because then we will immediately be discouraged by the taste. It is best to gradually reduce the amount of sugar, for example in tea. In addition, if we feel like something sweet, it is worth reaching for legumes and vegetables – the longer we chew them, the sweeter they will be. In addition, all desserts can be sweetened with fruit, fruit juices, rice syrup. For dessert – instead of a bar, let’s reach for sweet vegetables – beets, carrots and pumpkins.