Refined Sugar has become a buzz word within the health industry. So what actually is refined sugar. Refined Sugar is essentially sugar that has been processed to a level where it is depleted of its naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. The results leave a pure, refined carbohydrate which equates to nothing but easy calories with no nutritional value. As well as harmful effects on the metabolism it can also contribute to all sorts of diseases!
Sugar can be disguised as the following:
* High-fructose corn syrup
* Honey
* Invert sugar
* Lactose
* Maltose
* Malt syrup
* Molasses
* Raw sugar
* Sucrose
* Syrup
* Agave nectar
* Brown sugar
* Cane crystals
* Cane sugar
* Corn sweetener
* Corn syrup
* Crystalline fructose
* Dextrose
* Fructose
* Fruit juice concentrates
* Glucose
Because nutritional labels are required by law to list their most prominent ingredients first. By putting two or three different types of sugar in the food (and calling them each a different name), they can spread out the sugar across three ingredients and have it show up much further down the list!
Hence, READ THE LABELS OF FOODS THAT YOU CONSUME!
Excess amounts of refined sugar may affect your body in the following ways:
Liver
The effects of eating too much sugar can be likened to the effects of alcohol on your body. Excessive amounts can overload the limited space in your liver therefore causing it to expand and have to work harder! When your liver reaches it full capacity the sugar is converted into fatty acids and deposited on your thighs, stomach and butt!
Weight Gain
Yes this is the obvious effect but there is more to it! Fructose which the main sugar found in high fructose corn syrup aka HFCS (which is the primary sweetener in pretty much all fast food) tricks your metabolism by turning off your body's appetite-control system. It fails to stimulate insulin, which in turn fails to suppress "the hunger hormone," which then fails to stimulate leptin or "the satiety hormone." This causes you to eat more sugar and develop insulin resistance.
Addictive
Sugar fuels every cell in the brain and as your brain sees sugar as a reward this will make you keep wanting more of it. Therefore, if you eat a lot of sugar often you are reinforcing the reward hence making it tougher to break the habit. Yes, eating refined sugar will give you the fastest serotonin boost, this is very short-lived as you will be crashing after an hour or so!
Next question you are probably thinking is Fruit has sugar! So is fruit bad for you? Yes fruit does contain sugar but whole fresh fruit also is packed with fiber and many other nutrients, vitamins and minerals which help slow down the release of sugar into your system which does not cause damage to your liver. Our bodies are designed to metabolize the amount of fructose derived from whole natural foods such as fruit, not HFCS that is essentially made in a lab. Fruits such as Kiwifruits, blueberries, raspberries, grapefruits & pears are good options to stick with!
The majority of the health issues that I have mentioned can occur over time and come about as a result of excessive sugar consumption. The occasional treat is ok! Food is fuel, so it is important that we are aware of what we are putting in our bodies and the effects it can have.
My Spring into Summer 7 Day Meal Plan will help eliminate refined sugar from your diet and will kick start you into finding your bikini body!