Your body uses sugar as its primary energy source. Cells turn sugar directly into the chemical energy they need to live. In large quantities, however, sugar can be very harmful to your body. Switching to a non-sugar diet will help spare you from the effects of several potentially devastating health problems.
Dental Health
Sugars have long been associated with the deterioration of dental health. A 2004 review of the scientific literature surrounding sugar and tooth decay by Indiana University's Oral Health Research Institute found much evidence to support that idea. Sugar by-products that do not dissolve in water result in a greater accumulation of Streptococcus bacteria in the mouth, and these bacteria contribute to the process of tooth decay. Sugars also result in the production of acids on the surfaces of teeth--another factor that promotes tooth decay. The study mentions that the relationship between sugar and tooth decay is not as clear-cut as it used to be. Fluoride treatment, in particular, has lead to better protection of teeth from the harmful effects of sugar. Still, eating a non-sugar diet will reduce your dentition's exposure to harmful bacteria and acid, thus further reducing the risk of decay.
Blood Sugar Balance
Eating refined sugar, or foods sweetened with it, tends to result in rapid spikes in the sugar concentration of your blood. These spikes force your body to release insulin to move sugar from your blood into your cells. According to the Mayo Clinic, repeatedly forcing your body to do this reduces its ability to respond to blood sugar spikes and properly maintain its blood sugar balance. This can lead to Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Cutting refined sugar out of your diet will help ensure that your blood sugar levels stay balanced at all times. This reduces the need for your body to release large quantities of insulin and thus avoids the adverse health effects that result.
Reduced Caloric Intake
High-sugar diets contribute to obesity. As the body's primary energy source, sugar is rich in calories. Sweet foods taste good because your body wants you to consume the energy they contain. In modern Western society, however, food is so abundant that we do not need to supplement our meals with this refined source of energy. Consider that a gram of sugar contains approximately 4 calories. If you eat a bowl of breakfast cereal that contains 30 g of sugar per serving--and your bowl may contain 2 to 3 servings--your breakfast may contain as many as 270 calories from sugar alone. If you consume that many extra calories from sugar three meals a day, you would end up eating 810 extra calories per day and 5,670 extra per week. 5,670 calories translates into a little over a pound and half of body weight. Thus, cutting sugar out of your diet can vastly decrease your caloric intake and, in turn, your weight.
Member Comments