Sugar is that magic ingredient which gives our energy levels an instant boost which is then quickly followed up by a sudden crash. Either way, it’s extremely delicious.
Baked goods, cookies, brownies, coffee creamer, ice cream, candy, cakes, pastries, pies, donuts, all of them are too tasty and irresistible. Sugar can make almost anything taste good.
However, as mountains of evidence from studies done in the past few decades have piled up, we have learned that it can also be very detrimental to our health. It has become a real problem for many people who don’t understand how to follow a low-sugar diet.
Sugar can be found in many of the foods and drinks we regularly eat and drink. Precisely for this reason, it is important to understand your personal nutritional needs and eat nutritious whole foods and drink natural drinks that aren’t processed in any way.
Once you understand that proper nutrition is of crucial importance to leading a healthy life, it will be easier for you to take the decision to fully follow a low-sugar diet, that will definitely produce incredible changes in your health and body.
The kind of changes that will dramatically improve your appearance and overall health as well as add years to your life. So, what happens to your body when you start following a low-sugar diet? Here are some of the greatest benefits:
5 benefits of a low sugar diet
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Weight loss
When you’re on a low-sugar diet, you have the ability to control your weight much easier than when you eat copious amounts of sugar throughout the whole day.
When you consume sugar, it signals your brain to think that you’re hungry instead of satiated. Think about the last time you ate a donut, you quickly wanted to eat another one, right?
Sugar is the number one enemy in regards to weight and once you learn how to remove it from your diet, you’ll notice that the number on the scale is slowly going down, even if you’re not working out.
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Lower blood pressure
In general, people who consume a lot of sugar tend to have a higher percentage of extra body fat. This body fat can increase the blood pressure because the heart is forced to work harder in order to pump blood everywhere throughout the body.
When you carry extra weight to the point of obesity, the buildup of plaque in the arteries can cause blockages which can be extremely dangerous even fatal.
Even if your body fat level is within a normal range, sugar alone has been found to increase blood pressure, regardless of your actual weight.
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Improved cholesterol levels
It has been found that people who consume sugar on a regular basis tend to have lower levels of HDL, also known as the “good cholesterol” and higher levels of LDL, the “bad cholesterol”. The levels of triglycerides are also generally higher in people who consume sugar.
When you’re on a low-sugar diet, you can switch these numbers and drastically improve your blood profile and overall health. When your LDL levels are increased, the likelihood of clogging the arteries increase sharply as well as the risk of developing heart disease.
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Energy levels are more stable
As it was already mentioned at the beginning of this article, sugar consumption can cause a spike in your energy levels, only for them to drop immediately afterward causing your energy levels to go on a roller coaster ride.
When you’re on a low-sugar diet, you can control your energy levels a lot better by eating whole foods, filled with quality protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
A steady and controlled stream of energy throughout the day by consuming healthy macro-nutrients will make you a lot more productive as well as keep your mind more focused and alert.
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Cleaner and smoother skin
Now, this is something that most of us have seen and noticed since we were children. When you consume sugar, you’re at a greater risk of acne breakouts.
This is because of the hormonal fluctuations caused by the increasing sugar consumption. Once you switch to a low-sugar diet, after a while you will notice that your skin starts to clear up and attain a healthier appearance. A clear mind and a clear skin is never a bad thing.
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It helps prevent cancer
Some types of cancer have been found to be caused by excessive sugar consumption, such as pancreatic cancer. What’s more, cancer cells use sugar as “food”.
People who have cancer and eat foods that have a higher sugar content can cause the growth speed of cancer to increase. It is for exactly this reason that when someone is diagnosed with cancer, doctors tell them to limit their sugar consumption, and if possible avoid it altogether.
That’s why we need to be proactive and start following a low-sugar so that we minimize the possibility of cancer ever forming in the first place.
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Reduce the risk of diabetes
If you consume high quantities of sugar, you may become insulin resistant. This issue is one of the most talked about in regards to excessive sugar consumption and the accompanying health risks.
This occurs when excessive sugar can’t be eliminated from the bloodstream and gets transported to the cells. In the long term, this can increase the likelihood of you becoming diabetic if your body’s natural insulin production can’t control the sugar levels in your bloodstream.
Diabetes can cause you to become dependent on insulin for which you will need shots of insulin or medication for the rest of your life depending on how severe the condition is.
When you follow a low-sugar diet, you’ll have the ability to significantly decrease the risk of ever developing this life-threatening disease.
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You will feel fuller, longer periods of time
Sugar consumption triggers the release of the hunger hormone, ghrelin. When ghrelin is released you will start feeling hungry.
This is closely related to weight loss, because of the fact that if you can remain feeling satiated, you can control the food intake throughout the day as well as any sudden cravings that might come along.
When you are on a low-sugar diet you are better able to manage the release of ghrelin into your system and not feel like you’re starving all day long and start overeating which will eventually lead to weight gain.
