Almost everyone knows that a diet high in sugar is bad for your health, yet many people still consume it. It is hard to avoid because it is in almost anything you eat or drink that you buy processed in a grocery store.
McDonald’s even uses dextrose, a natural form of sugar, on their French fries to make them look tastier. However, if you’re serious about your health, you will experience many benefits by reducing or eliminating refined sugar from your diet.
Lowers Blood Pressure
When you reduce the intake of sugar in your diet, one of the immediate health benefits is reducing your blood pressure. Having high blood pressure increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, strokes, and kidney failure.
Reduces Belly Fat
Do you need to lose a few pounds around the middle? Giving up sugar can help you lose belly fat, which is often the most difficult place to lose fat. Diets high in carbohydrates, which includes sugar, have been linked to visceral fat, otherwise known as belly fat.
By reducing simple carbs, you can reduce this dangerous form of fat. Visceral fat has links to many serious medical conditions like asthma, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. So, if you want to know how to get rid of visceral fat, one way is to reduce your sugar intake.
Increases Alertness
Cutting out sugar during the day can make you more alert at work or school. After consuming sugar, your blood sugar spikes, seemingly giving you more energy. However, shortly after the spike, you’ll experience a sugar crash.
The crash can make you feel sleepy and sluggish like you need to take a nap. Fortunately, as you eliminate sugar from your diet, especially your daytime routines, you will feel more alert and be able to sleep better at night.
Reduces Risk of Dementia
High sugar consumption has been linked to dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease. Sugar impedes the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a chemical that aids the brain in developing new memories and remembering the past.
People who are diabetics or pre-diabetics may have low levels of this chemical, which makes them more susceptible to developing dementia as they get older. However, reducing your sugar intake reduces your risk and helps to clear brain fog as well.
Maintain Your Skin
Dumping sugar can help your skin maintain its youthful appearance. Too much sugar in your diet has an adverse effect on the collagen in your body. Collagen is a protein that is the foundation for skin and other bodily tissues.
Sugar consumption can also damage elastin, which helps your skin bounce back into shape. So, if you don’t want to develop wrinkles or saggy skin, then reduce your consumption of sugar, so you won’t start looking older before your time.
Consuming sugar has links to many other serious conditions like COPD, high cholesterol, depression, and a slew of other health issues. Read the labels on the food you buy to check for added sugars like fructose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, and dextrose.
While eating less sugar will be a challenge, you can quickly adjust to it and start feeling better almost immediately.
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