3 Reasons to Give Up Extra Sugar
By Genevieve Cunningham
Sugar. Most people have such a love-hate relationship with this sweet white substance. It tastes so good, but it's so bad for our overall health. Sometimes it feels almost impossible to avoid sugar altogether, and so we lose our motivation. When we find how hard it is to give up, we think it’s pointless and reach for the Snickers. But it might be beneficial to lower your sugar intake, even if you can’t completely avoid it. Take a look at these great reasons to give up the extra sugar in your life without eliminating every grain.
We Already Get Plenty
The truth is that we get plenty of sugar in our daily lives. Besides fresh foods, sugar is added to almost everything already. Breads, packaged goods, juice … all of these likely have added sugar. When we add sugar on top of this, we’re getting far more than what we need in order to function. If you can cut out the extra, you’re still only cutting out about half of what you consume in a typical day.
Sugar is Linked to Weight Gain
Eating an excessive amount of sugar has been linked to weight gain, especially around the middle. Carrying around a spare tire around your midsection isn't always linked to sugar, but it may very well contribute to the problem. If you would not like to gain weight, or in fact would like to lose, cutting out extra sugar is a no-brainer that should be incorporated immediately. Skip the dessert and the sugar in your coffee, and you’ll be cutting out potential weight gain as well.
It’s Actually Quite Addictive
It’s not hard drugs or even caffeine, but sugar really is addicting. The more you eat, the more you want to eat. This gets many people in an unhealthy cycle of too many sweets and sodas. To help break or prevent the addiction, cut out anything extra and stick to what you’re already getting in your normal diet.
Sugar is not necessarily the enemy, but it probably shouldn’t be your best friend, either. If you’d like to cut back, just start with the extra added sugar. Before you know it, you’ll develop new tastebuds with less of an addiction to sugar, and you’ll be able to transform your diet into something healthier slowly over time.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Nashua, N.H.