It seems like sugar is in everything. A personal trainer I met said his clients often ask him why sugar is so bad and how they can keep from consuming it. Here’s his take on a substance is as addictive as other white powders out there – yes, it’s that serious!
Sugar is sweet and releases a massive amount of dopamine in the reward center of the brain. The more you consume, the more your body wants of it. Junk food, sodas, even many energy drinks have a lot of sugar- much more than any foods found in nature. Because of this dopamine release people who have a susceptibility to addiction can become strongly addicted to it.
What can sugar do to your body? For one, it can cause insulin resistance which causes obesity, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. Second, it can cause you to get cancer- many scientists that people who consume a lot of sugar are more at risk for cancer because of their consistently higher than normal insulin levels.
Insulin is a key hormone in stopping uncontrolled growth and multiplication of cells- when your levels are high your body can’t control these growths as well. Lastly, it can mess up your metabolism causing weight gain which leads to a whole slew of other problems. There are several other things that sugar does to your body, but these alone should make you want to quash your sugar addiction.
Okay, so you know its bad- but how can you stop consuming so much of it? The first thing you need to do is make the decision to stop the consumption. Just like addicts can’t quit drinking, smoking and gambling unless they decide to get help, you must be the one to make the decision to cut back and then stick to the decision.
Consider alternative sweeteners like stevia or honey. Avoid processed foods and beverages made with fructose, aspartame, sucralose and other sugar aliases. Once you find the culprits with the most sugar in your diet it will be easier to cut back.
