Tips to Help Eliminate Sugar From Your Diet
Infants, children and adults alike have evolved to desire the taste of sugar. Natural sugar from fruits provides a healthy source of calories which was an advantage during our evolution, and fruit is packed with antioxidants that help fight disease and cellular damage. There’s even some evidence that sugar can be addictive, as it stimulates dopamine receptors in the brain.
Excess Sugar Converts to Stored Body Fat
The results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association show that people who eat the most sugar, regardless of the source, have the highest blood triglycerides combined with the lowest protective HDL cholesterol levels.
This is bad news because triglycerides (a dangerous form of fat in the blood) can significantly increase the risk of heart disease. Further, excess triglycerides cause metabolic imbalance, leading to diabetes and triggering the dangerous conversion of sugar to body fat.
People trying to lose weight and improve their health need to make a concentrated effort to drastically limit sugar in their diet. While this may seem a daunting task, there are useful tips you can follow to purge sugar consumption, while improving blood lipids and the release of fat from storage in the body.
Sugar Busting Tip 1: Dump Sweetened Beverages
Sugar from sweetened drinks and fruit juices accounts for nearly half the sugar consumed each day for many people. Of primary concern is the fact that much of this sugar is from high fructose corn syrup, a super-charged synthetic form of sugar linked to increased risk of diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Opt instead for water or tea, and sweeten with stevia which is a natural sugar alternative.
Sugar Busting Tip 2: Drop Refined Carbs
Sugar comes in many forms, including the obvious – candy, baked goods, ice cream and cakes, to the hidden sugars tucked away in breads, pastas, potatoes and most grains. All have the same blood sugar disturbing effect on your metabolism, pushing your body toward fat storage, weight gain and disease.
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