Processed Sugars Have A Bitter
Baked goods, fizzy bottles of soda, and even the so-called “healthy” packaged snacks at your desk are likely jam-packed with grams on grams of added sugars. That initial first bite or sip tastes satisfying enough, sure, but can you honestly say you feel particularly vibrant or energized when that slice of cake or carbonated syrup is sitting in your stomach?
Grace Derocha, a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and certified health coach at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan told INSIDER there are more than 50 names and varieties of processed sugars in food products, and even though they might taste good, they certainly aren’t doing any good for you.
“The high glycemic index can spike blood sugars in the body fast and drop them quickly as well,” leading to a kind of roller coaster effect on blood sugars, Derocha explained. “As blood sugar levels rise, you’ll experience a quick increase in energy. Sadly, because those levels become regulated quickly, an energy or “sugar” crash is not far behind the spike, especially when dealing with added sugars.”
What’s more, the body uses enzymes in its small intestine to break down sugar into glucose. Typically this isn’t a problem as glucose from carbohydrates are stored as an energy source your body can dip into when necessary, but Derocha pointed out that any excess glucose will be converted to fat, which can lead to weight gain and obesity if you aren’t minding your portions.
Lesson #: Moderation Is Better Than Elimination
All wine has sugar. This fact was researched in-depth on day seven of my sugar-free diet when I was having a rough day and desperately wanted to go home to a glass of red. I did learn that while hard alcohols gin, vodka, whiskey, and rum dont have added sugar, mixers are loaded with the sweet stuff. I always thought gin and tonics were a healthy option, but it turns out, 12 ounces of tonic water could have 32 grams of sugar-more than the daily recommended amount for adults. I did drink during the challenge, but opted for liquor on the rocks or mixed with club soda . Ill admit, gin and club soda isnt as good as a gin and tonic, so Im making the switch back. The occasional glass of wine, cupcake, or piece of chocolate is worth the added sugar to me. However, Ill keep my consumption to a minimum and just savor it that much more now.
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Dangers Of Drinking Too Much Soda
If you drink the occasional coke, thats probably not a sign of concern. But if youre drinking particularly more than one can daily, you might want to see what happens and how it affects your health.
Most of the sugar used in making these beverages is high-fructose corn syrup. This substance is cheap, but it is harmful to your overall health your body may develop an increased resistance to insulin when consumed in excess quantities.
Here are some after-effects from drinking excessive amounts of soft drinks.
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Things That Happen When You Stop Eating Sugar
The sugar statistics in the U.S. are pretty dreary. They say the typical American eats 6 cups of sugar every week. Thats 152 pounds of sugar in a year! Why are we eating so much sugar? First of all, its everywhere. As the most popular food additive in processed foods, sugar is hard to avoid. Secondly, its highly addictive. Most of us are addicted to sugar, whether we realize it or not. To stop eating sugar is a difficult task, but it can be done, and the rewards are many! Lets take a look at 12 things that happen when you stop eating sugar.
Appetite And Hunger Will Decrease
Leptin is a key hormone that regulates appetite. It tells the brain when to eat, when to stop eating and when to speed up or slow down metabolism. But when obesity and insulin resistance are present, research suggests the body produces less leptin and doesn’t use it as effectively. Improving glucose management slowly restores leptin activity in the body, and cutting out added sugars is a key component for making this happen.
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Cut Back On Sugary Drinks
Most added sugars in the American diet come from sugary drinks sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas, and others .
Additionally, drinks that many people perceive as healthy, such as smoothies and fruit juices, can still contain astounding amounts of added sugar.
For example, 1 cup of cranberry juice cocktail contains more than 7 teaspoons of sugar .
Additionally, your body doesnt recognize calories from drinks in the same way as those from food. Calories from drinks are absorbed quickly, resulting in a rapid increase in your blood sugar level.
Drinks also dont make you feel as full as solid food, so people who consume lots of calories from drinks dont eat less to compensate (
Should I Stop Eating Sugar To Lose Fat & Drop Weight
Sugar is Poison. Sugar is going to kill you. Sugar makes you fat.
Do these lines sound familiar? From books to TV shows to the Internet, we have heard it all. It seems that extreme messages such as these are what catches peoples attention. Perhaps its the wow-factor, or maybe its the simple idea that cutting out one thing from your diet will help you lose weight.
To be honest, though, cutting out an entire of group of foods is not that simple. And whether you are trying to lose weight or not, its usually not the best idea for your body and mind. There are frankly several more pieces to this nutrition puzzle.
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How Cutting Down On Sugar Will Help You Lose Weight
Every nutritionist, medical expert and dentist will tell you that sugar is bad for you, so why is it so hard to quit it?
The fact of the matter is sugar is EVERYWHERE! Even pre-packaged foods and juices are loaded with added sugar.
In fact, excess sugar may cause you to pack on weight because its high in calories and very low in other nutrients.
Here are some tips on how to cut back on sugar in order to lose weight as part of a healthy eating plan on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
How To Lose Belly Fat By Walking And Cutting Sugar
Extra belly fat can be difficult to lose. However, walking and cutting sugar from your diet will help you lose belly fat. Since you cannot choose where you wish to lose extra fat, you may lose weight all over before you start to lose it around your stomach. However, by sticking to the walking program and cutting sugar from your diet, you can lose belly fat.
1
Warm up by walking or jogging for 10 minutes before each walking workout.
2
Walk at a rapid pace every other day for one hour — for example on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Alternate walking at a quick pace for two minutes and then a moderate pace for two minutes until you can walk at a rapid pace for one hour.
3
Find a hill or set your treadmill incline to 5 percent. Walk the hill or the incline for two minutes. Walk on a flat surface for two minutes. Alternate walking hills and a flat surface for 45 minutes every other day such as Tuesdays and Thursdays.
4
Walk 15 minutes during your lunch break. By taking advantage of any extra time that you have to walk, you will increase the calories that you burn each day. In 15 minutes of walking at a pace of 4mph, a 155-pound person will burn 83.5 calories, while a 185-pound person will burn 100 calories.
5
Choose one day during the weekend to walk with dumbbells. As you walk with the dumbbells, perform walking lunges and squats.
6
Eliminate sugary beverages such as soft drinks and fruit drinks. Drink water or water with lemon.
7
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Sugar Cravings Will Decrease
Frequent intake of sugary foods and beverages fuels more cravings. This is because sugar triggers the release of dopamine, which stimulates the brain’s reward center, similar to how addictive drugs impact the brain. Because of this, it’s not unusual to experience mild withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, anxiety and greater-than-normal sugar cravings for a few days when you cut sugar out. Ride this out for a few days though, and cravings for sugary, high-carb foods will begin to decrease significantly. To minimize side effects, consider cutting added sugar intake back gradually rather than going cold turkey.
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Always Be Aware Of Portions
However, it is important to remember that serving sizes are still important when it comes to foods with naturally occurring sugars, especially when trying to achieve a healthy weight or fat loss. To meet nutrient needs, men should aim for about 2 cups of fruit per day, while women should shoot for 1.5 to 2 cups per day.* When eating whole fruits, one cup includes a large banana, one medium grapefruit, or one small apple.3
For other foods with naturally-occurring sugars like milk and yogurt, it is recommended that both men and women consume about 3 cups per day to receive adequate calcium, vitamin D and potassium. For cheese, one serving of hard cheeses is 1.5 ounces, and a serving of cottage cheese and ricotta cheese is 2 cups and ½ cup, respectively. Dairy is also a source of protein, which helps keep you feeling fuller longer, and can aid in weight loss efforts.
But, be mindful of any added sugars lurking in your morning yogurt. Instead of buying fruit-flavored yogurts, opt for plain and add berries or sliced banana on top.4
*Its important to note that these recommendations are for individuals who get less than 30 minutes of exercise per day, and those who are more physically active may be able to consume more and stay within calorie limits.
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Ways Sugar And Addictive Drugs Are Similar
While there are numerous wayssugary foods and addictive drugs are similar, these are some of the most common ones:
Anyone that has ever been addicted to drugs or alcohol can attest that they experienced more than few of the items on this list. The same can be said about people who struggle with eating too much sugar. This is because both impact the brains reward system.
The only difference is, except for alcohol, most addictive drugs are either illegal or require a prescription. Sugar is legal, and sugary sweets can be purchased almost anywhere.
Sugars Starches And Your Weight
Low-carb diets, which limit sugar and starches, are proven to work. A research paper published in the journal âNutrientsâ in April 2019 states that carbohydrate restriction not only facilitates weight loss but also improves glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes.
An October 2015 study featured in the âAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutritionâ compared the effects of low- and high-carbohydrate diets on patients with diabetes. Both groups experienced a major reduction in body weight, blood pressure, bad cholesterol and fasting glucose levels. However, the low-carb group had greater improvements in blood lipids and glycemic control.
How much weight you can lose by limiting sugars and starches depends on several factors, including your metabolic rate, overall diet and activity level. If your daily meals are high in carbs, cutting out starches and added sugars will significantly reduce your calorie intake.
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Let’s say that you consume around 200 grams of carbs daily. That’s 800 calories per day from carbs alone. Each pound of fat is roughly 3,500 calories. If you cut 800 calories per day by eliminating sugar and starch from your diet, you’ll lose about one pound of fat in four days and 3.2 pounds within two weeks.
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What Can You Eat
Since there are several forms and types of sugar, it helps to know what youre looking for. If you see any of these on an ingredients list, the food has added sugars:
Artificial sweeteners can offer an alternative to sugar since they contain little to no calories, but theres a lot of controversy surrounding sugar substitutes. Many health and nutrition experts have raised questions about whether artificial sweeteners are healthy and safe, and whether they are effective for weight loss. Some have also argued that sugar substitutes are so sweet they actually ramp up your tastebuds for sweet foods and drinks. On the other hand, some proponents claim that artificial sweeteners can help people transition away from added sugars and cut them out for good.
While there is no one official no sugar diet, nutrition experts generally agree that the healthiest version of the eating plan cuts out added sugars by focusing on whole foods rather than simply replacing sugar with no-calorie sweeteners.
Look at the Nutrition Facts Label to determine how much added sugar is in each serving. It may be just a small amount, or it might be a lot.
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Sugar Doesnt Have Any Nutritional Value
Not only is sugar low in fibre, which isnt great for your digestion or gut, but it also has a high GI . Foods that are broken down quickly by your body and cause a rapid increase in blood glucose have a high GI rating.
However, low GI foods, which cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fall slowly, will help you feel fuller for longer. This will help control appetite, helping you to lose weight.
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Get Used To Reading Grocery Labels
Even if the ingredient list on your favorite food items doesnt specifically list sugar as an ingredient, theres still a chance that it could have a high sugar content under the veil of a different name. There are at least 60 other names for sugar out there, with the most common being high fructose corn syrup.
Why Cut Out Sugar
Reducing sugar intake may improve a persons health.
Many adults eat much more sugar than the authorities recommend. The National Institutes of Health , for example, estimate that adults in the United States get around 15% of their calories from added sugars alone. This sugar intake does not even include natural sugars, such as those in products such as fruit and milk.
Excessive sugar consumption has links to several harmful health conditions, including:
- nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- dental plaque and cavities
Reducing the amount of sugar in the diet can help a person reduce their risk of these health conditions.
Replacing high sugar foods with healthful options can help a person get all of their essential vitamins and minerals without the added calories. It may also help them lose weight, if necessary.
Here are eight simple tips a person can use to help cut sugar from their diet:
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Say Goodbye To Processed Foods
Lets face it. Many of the sugary sweet treats you love are highly processed, yet offer minimal nutritional value. When you eliminate sugar, you will have to incorporate more natural, unprocessed foods into your diet. Not only are these foods much healthier, but they tend to have considerably less calories and fill you up faster. Thanks to your decreased caloric consumption and less snacking due to being full, you can expect to lose even more weight.
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Will Cutting Out Sugar Really Help You Lose Weight
Yes, we realize it’s Girl Scout Cookie season.
Like popping a zit or cracking your knuckles, downing a Dr. Pepper is on the list of things you wish you didn’t enjoybut definitely do. But will a few bottles of soda here and a handful of cookies there really keep you from your weight loss goals?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. The sweet stuff is a major source of empty calories in the American dieton average, 270 of them dailyand also causes wild hunger-inducing swings in blood sugar levels.
See some of the craziest things people have done to lose weight.
What’s more, when you overindulge, your pancreas pumps out extra amounts of insulin, a hormone that pulls glucose into fat cells, causing weight gain, says Robert Lustig, M.D., author of
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What You Need To Know
Following a no sugar diet does not mean you have to adhere to a formal eating plan, so there’s no advice on meal or snack timing or even the makeup for your meals. You may find, however, that if you are just starting to cut out added sugar, it’s best to do it gradually. If you’re still facing sugar cravings, drink water and eat food regularly, so you don’t add extreme hunger to your sugar craving. Healthy fats are especially helpful for fighting sugar cravings.
To begin, try to limit your added sugar intake to 100 to 200 calories per day . The 2020-2025 USDA Dietary Guidelines suggest that everyone should limit added sugar intake to 10% of daily calories or less .
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Sweetened beverages
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Sugar products including honey and molasses
Be sure to read labels carefully and choose products that have the least or no added sugar. You don’t have to give up sweet foods altogether, rather, you’ll make healthier choices.
Foods With Natural Sugars
Whole foods that naturally contain sugar aren’t off-limits on a balanced no sugar diet. For example, while whole fruits like oranges and pineapple and 100% fruit juices are naturally sweet, they don’t have added sugar.
The exceptionsand likely part of the reason behind the confusionare products like fruit drinks that do contain added sugar. For example, most cranberry juice beverages are a combination of fruit juices , additional added sugar, and water.
Unsweetened Beverages
Foods With Added Sugar