Consuming too much sugar could be destroying your health. It can increase your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and various cancers. Many of us don’t realize just how much sugar we’re putting into our bodies – ideally men should be consuming no more than 9 teaspoons of sugar, while women should be consuming no more than 6 teaspoons. The fact that sugar is in so many foods that we eat makes it hard to judge how much we’re consuming. Below are just a few signs that you may be consuming too much sugar.
Tooth decay
A lot of bad habits can destroy our teeth from smoking to simply not brushing them, however the biggest offender is consuming too much sugar. Sugar causes bacteria to thrive in the mouth, resulting in rotten teeth. Once serious decay has set in, there’s not much you can do to save your teeth. Fortunately, there are now cosmetic procedures that can rebuild your teeth (these are worth looking into – you’re certain to experience dentistry like never before!). Of course, once you’ve repaired your teeth, it’s important to not let your remaining teeth fall victim to decay too – cut down on soft drinks and sugary snacks, and you’ll prevent further decay.
Weight gain
When you eat too much sugar, the body often doesn’t know how to process this excess sugar and so turns it into fat. As a result, eating looks of sugary snacks or drinking lots of sugary drinks could cause you to gain weight. Excessive weight gain could lead to all kinds of other health problems – while you may be able to get rid of this weight through exercise or surgery, cutting sugar out of your diet could be essential for ensuring that you don’t pile the weight back on.
Fatigue
While sugar helps our bodies to produce energy, these energy spikes are often followed by a comedown. If you’re constantly binging on sugary foods and drinks, you could begin to suffer from these sugar comedowns frequently, leaving you constantly exhausted. This could affect everything from work productivity to your motivation to exercise. To battle the fatigue, start cutting down on sugar.
Spots and acne
If you’re getting a lot of spots or acne, consuming too much sugar could be to blame. Sugar causes spikes in insulin levels – insulin in turns helps to trigger inflammation, which includes inflammation of the skin. By cutting back on sugar, you could find that your acnes and spots are reduced. Other factors like stress and not washing your face regularly enough will also contribute to spots.
Constant cravings
Much like a drug, sugar is addictive. However, sugar cravings can become more intense with time if you’re constantly consuming large amounts of sugar. This is the result of insulin resistance, which can eventually develop into diabetes type 2. It’s important to lower your sugar intake before it gets to this point – diabetes can result in all kinds of health complications that can negatively affect your quality of life. Of course, fighting the cravings isn’t easy. Drinking lots of water, reducing stress and eating more protein can sometimes combat sugar cravings without having to turn to sugar itself.
