Sugar: friend or foe?

Added and refined sugar is everywhere in our diets today, so it’s important we have an understanding of the part Sugar plays in our health! First it’s important to understand what sugar actually its. Basically, when sugar is broken down it’s a simple carbohydrate. So that means the following foods are recognised as a sugar hit by your body;

• Processed white and raw/brown sugar
• White bread
• White rice
• White pasta & potatoes
• Sugary lollies & candy, chocolates, ice-cream, frozen yoghurts and snacks (such as crisps)
• Processed bakery goods
• Soft drinks & cordials
• Processed honey
• Agave & Corn syrup
• Xylitol
• Any foods with lots of added sugar, more than 10gm per 100gm.

Our bodies are not equipped to deal with mountains of sugar, which we feed them on a daily basis when we consume refined, processed and packaged convenience foods.

Added Sugar also compromises how effectively and efficiently our body works in the following ways:

1. Lowers our energy levels
2. Causes unresponsive hormones that regulate hunger and blood sugar
3. Compromises our immune system
4. Reduces fertility
5. Cancer cells thrive on sugar
6. It depletes the body of valuable nutrients and vitamins during digestion
7. It can cause nervous system depletion, which can lead to anxiety and irritability
8. It is highly addictive!

This list is just the beginning of the ways in which excessive sugar affects our bodies.

Stay tuned for the next blog post on reducing your sugar intake and cravings!