QUIT SUGAR CHALLENGE: Health Demerits of Sugar - My Progress Report

INTRODUCTION

It is common knowledge that sugar poses threats against human body, but how much of those threats do people know and has this knowledge been able to make them stop its consumption. The body understands how important a sweet taste is to our diet. Ayurveda, a system of natural medicine which originated in India explains that there are six tastes - salty, bitter, sour, pungent, astringent and sweet.

Ayurvedic medicine says that taste is a way to higher consciousness AND that a balance of these six tastes is the way to prime your body and mind for digestion.

It is however not only ancient medicine that tells how important a sweet taste is - we get great satisfaction from sweet taste.

Like the Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine also acknowledges that a balanced diet consists of 5 tastes: spicy, sour, bitter, sweet, and salty

There remains a challenge of how we balance our desire for sweets and sweeten foods and drinks in a healthy way. Most people have seen granulated sugar all their lives but unaware of its dangers.

This post highlights 5 reasons why you should cut down your sugar consumption and my progress in the #QuitSugarChallenge organized by @guyfawkes4-20.

Understanding Sugar

Sugar (or sucrose) is a carbohydrate, made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. it is made up of two simpler sugars, fructose and glucose. Sucrose can be naturally found in plants, for example, in fruits, or artificially in granulated sugar.

There is a difference between naturally occurring sucrose in plants and the sucrose found in granulated sugar in that granulated sugar goes through a refining process, making them of no nutritional, addictive and rob the body of energy and health.

Health Demerits of Sugar

• Sugar can lead to osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is an health condition characterized by a decrease in bone density, thereby decreasing its strength and resulting in fragile bones, prone to fracture. The bone becomes weak and brittle to the extent that a bend over or excessive coughing can cause a fracture. Sugar directly attacks cartilage formation by causing a Maillard reaction, which takes place when simple sugars (glucose and fructose) combine with proteins, aided by the body temperature.
  

  

• Sugar Contributes to obesity: Excessive intake of unhealthy food and sugars or sweetened soft drink has been discovered to affect weight gain, as it is responsible for a major and unnecessary source of calories with little or no nutritional value. Fructose is suspected by some to be responsible for the increase in obesity in western countries. The biological basis for this theory is founded on how our body metabolizes fructose and glucose differently.
  

  

• It Can cause arthritis: Scientists have found that excessive consumption of soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup is strongly linked to arthritis in adults aged 20 to 30 in the United States. A spike in blood sugar stimulates the body to produce pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines, which can worsen RA symptoms if the inflammation affects the joints and quickens the aging process. For anyone suffering from an arthritic condition, decreasing sugar from the diet could be a great way of managing the pain. It’s another valid reason to dump the sweet stuff.
  

  

• It can cause or contribute to gallstones: The biggest cause of gallstones symptoms has always been taken to be fat, but you may be surprised to learn that there is actually a bigger threat – SUGAR. Research indicates that eating too little fat and too many carbohydrates in the form of grains, sugars and starches actually leads to gallbladder ailments. Many people know that there is a link between fat intake and gallbladder disease, but many do not realize that there also is a significant link with high sugar intake as well.
  

  

• Sugar can contribute to eczema: Sugar tends to have a negative interaction with the skin because it causes high amounts of inflammation in the body. When sugar is consumed, it is converted in the body to glucose. Absorption of this glucose raises the insulin level of the blood. This results into glycation, the production of enzymes that break down elastin and collagen, which can eventually result into sagging skin, wrinkles, and current eczema wounds may not improve or may take too long to heal.
  

  

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So you insist on getting that sweet taste?

Fruits contain sugars as well, but this is offset by their nutritional value. Fruits are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. They are also a good source of fiber. Fiber is another important dietary factor when it comes to avoiding gallbladder symptoms and maintaining digestive health in general.

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I joined the #quitsugarchallenge by @guyfawkes4-20 on Tuesday 30th January. I must confess that it has not been easy staying away from my favourite cola drink, which I consume around 60cl almost everyday. I often take it with sausage/pie, or once in a while, with cake, when a colleague marks a birthday or any other celebration. These past ten days, I have always substituted my thirst for sweet drinks with chilled water because more than the sweetness of the drink, I miss the effect of the Carbon (IV) Oxide in my throat. I have however been on top of the issue till now and I hope I am able to sustain it for at least a month.

Though I have stopped taking all drinks that have sugar as part their constituents, I still take snacks like pie with very low sugar. This is extremely challenging to drop as I do not have too many options to choose from, especially for lunch. This challenge has made me to go into research myself of the harms that sugar or its excessive intake causes to the body and I was able to gather the text above. This should serve as a reminder for all of us that we should put under subjection, our thirst for sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Next time, I will discuss healthy alternatives for sugar. Hope to see you around by then. Meanwhile, do something about your addiction to sugar or any other addiction for that matter.

Thanks to @guyfawkes4-20 for this challenge. You can join the #sugarchallenge by following THIS POST.

References: [Ref 1] [Ref 2] [Ref 3]
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