Sugar and consumption!

Mithai, pancakes, gulab jamum, ras malai, sugar-coated meals and dessert are often tough to resist. They are tempting and yummy, but are they any good?

As it is said, excess of anything is bad. Consuming sugar in excess can be harmful as well. Excessive sugar intake can cause health problems like obesity, blood pressure, cardiovascular conditions, dental problems and diabetes.

According to W.H.O., there is no issue in consuming a moderate amount of sugar. Here ‘moderate’ means consuming sweet on Sunday lunch will not hurt, but if you consume sweet daily in your lunch, it may cause a problem.

Adding sugar to certain food items enhances the taste of food. Moreover, it is way difficult for people with a sweet tooth to avoid indulging in sweet delights. But, as said above, excess sugar can be dangerous. Sugar can be a part of our healthy life given it is taken in moderate quantity. Most people think avoiding sugar completely from their diet is the best way of living a healthy lifestyle, but in reality, doing so can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as headaches. Let us look at how our body responds when we take too much or too little sugar.

Too much sugar intake : Too much sugar is not good for your health. Sugar contains carbohydrates and one gram of carbohydrates gives us 19 K.J. of energy. Consuming too much food with added sugar and without any kind of workout or exercise is harmful. We must consume natural and less added sugar food and spend half an hour of the day on exercise and workout for a healthy lifestyle. Not doing so, can put you at risk of obesity and diabetes.

Too little sugar intake : If you have been neglecting sugar completely, you need to rework what you eat. We need sugar to energies the body. Our brain needs about 130 grams of sugar per day to keep functioning. So, if you think completely avoiding desserts could be of any help, you need to think again.

Here are a few tips that can help ensure you take sugar at moderate levels:

• Avoid drinks with added sugar
  Beverages contain a high level of sugar. 100 grams of cola can contain 9 grams of sugar, which means 330 ml can contain around 35 grams of sugar. Substituting a fizzy drink and flavored milk with coconut water and natural juice can help ensure help prevent a high intake of sugar. If your breakfast menu includes fruit juice, substituting it with real fruits can help keep a check on sugar intake. Besides, drink as much water as you can.
• Avoid junk food
  Avoid biscuits, snacks, brownies and cake from your diet, and choose a healthy snack with less added sugar. Junk foods are high in calories and low in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Such highly processed foods break down quickly in the body and can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
• Eat green vegetables
  Green and fresh vegetables are rich in protein and vitamins. Vegetables such as spinach and kale are rich in Vitamin A, Calcium and Potassium. Green veggies have high antioxidant content and starch-digesting enzymes, which make them ideal for people with diabetes.
• Consume whole food
  Start consuming food items that are not processed, such as fruits, nuts, seeds, eggs and meat. Eating whole food can help reduce weight and improve overall health. They also help improve blood sugar levels.
• Check the percent of sugar
  Whenever you are eating package products before intake, you must check the sugar level present in the food. You can check with a dietician to learn as to how much quantity of sugar you should take.

We can’t avoid sugar completely, therefore, we should not cut sugar completely from our diet. Taking too much sugar is harmful but consuming a moderate amount of sugar is advised.

Sources: MedicalNewsToday