With Halloween right around the corner and more holidays following quickly behind, it's important to discuss the horrible truth about sugar. Whether you have a natural born sweet tooth or just the occasional candy craving, sugar is at the center of it all and has been proven to be more addictive than we like to give it credit for.
Just looking at this photo makes me want to go rummage through the fridge and see what delicious sweets I can find. It doesn't help that my younger sister made a batch of two dozen chocolate chip cookies from scratch yesterday and they're all waiting to be eaten. To make matters worse, Halloween is notorious for it's numerous candy-filled festivities and all the store shelves are stacked high with big bags of mixed candy treats.
Sugar is the devil to all your fitness and wellness goals. Now that doesn't mean you can't have a dessert or sugary snack every once in a while, you just need to learn your body's limits. It hides in all your favorite foods and then slowly adds to your waistline over time, inhibiting your human performance goals.
4 Reasons to Ditch Sugar:
Can Cause Weight Gain - Sugar is converted into glucose which is used by the body for energy. When there is excess glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, but when we ingest more than our body can store, that glycogen is converted to fat and deposited into our body's surrounding tissues.
Can Cause Mood Swings - Refined sugars found in sweets and candy have been linked to depression or emotional lows.
Can Decrease Energy Levels - Sugar is known for the energy spikes/highs that follow consuming large amounts of candy or other sweets. The issue is that the spike is temporary and is typically followed by an energy crash that usually lasts much longer than the spike.
Can Increase the Aging Process - If you consume a diet made up of carbohydrates and sugary foods, your body will have an increased amount of AGEs or advanced glycation end products in the blood stream. These compounds are harmful to the body and high levels of them will put you at risk for numerous diseases and speed up the aging process.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE
Natural sugars found in fruits are the sugars your body is prepared to store, but the refined sugars found in desserts can lead to harmful consequences when consumes on a regular or occasionally in excess. There are many healthy alternatives then can help curb your sugary cravings. Don't let all the desserts and candy this holiday season kill all the progress you've made so far this year.