Change can be hard, familiar routines, patterns and behaviours are what makes us who we are, but sometimes we choose small things that aren’t good for us a little more often than we realise, and it’s not until something happens to make us look at our current reality that we realise just how often we’ve let it slide! I found some info online to help us realise when we are consuming too much sugar and the warning signs are things I hear people say ALL the time! Here they are in case they are of interest to anyone else!
1. You feel sluggish all the time. Because your pancreas releases insulin to stabilise your blood sugar, you end up feeling sluggish. Also if you’re choosing sugary foods over foods containing protein and fibre, you aren’t getting energy sustaining foods into your body to fuel you.
2. You constantly crave sugary things. The more you have the more you crave it and breaking that addictive cycle is hard! We’re all human!
3. Your skin is always breaking out. If you are using skincare to fix a breakout problem that doesn’t seem to be getting my better, it might not do any harm to review your sugar intake. Collagen and elastin are proteins in the skin that you need to help keep your ‘bounce and flex’ in a smooth and taught appearance. The process of glycation means that sugar attaches to proteins in the body, including collagen and elastin making it harder for them to repair themselves, so you experience more wrinkles and other signs of ageing.
4. You feel moody all the time and can’t be bothered with the things you used to love. Too much sugar can increase inflammation throughout your body including your gut. Some research studies have shown that gut inflammation contributes to mood disorders, including anxiety and depression.5. You’ve been putting on some weight – I did a post about the compound effect, click here to read it. Eating one choc bar at 500 calories each day equals you gaining weight at one lb per week!
So what actually happens to your body when you eat sugar?
Eating sugar releases those feel-good chemicals dopamine and serotonin. After the initial high, your body craves more, like a drug.
Your body releases insulin whose job it is to absorb the excess glucose in the blood and stabilise sugar levels. Your blood sugar then drops again and all you want to do is lie on the sofa. (sugar high, then the low).
An easy challenge for today that might help you turn things around could be to swap something sugary you might normally eat for a healthier choice that is still tasty!
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