What Happens When You Stop Eating Sugar

Modern day diet habits bring tons of unnecessary sugars to our table. According to a recent study at the University of North Carolina, the average person stuffs their body with about 300-500 calories from added sugar day after day.

Moreover, about 20% of the American population consume over 700 sugar calories daily. To put this in perspective, imagine eating a cup of sugar.

Not a pretty sight, right? Even when you are not eating food which is obviously high in sugars, you introduce them to your body from other foods.

“Not only are we getting sugar from obvious places like cakes, candy, and soda, but it’s also coming from healthier-sounding packed products like salad dressing, pasta sauce, and yogurt,” says Elyse Powell, one of the coauthors of this study.

In this context, “added sugar” covers the processed sweeteners added to cookies, not the natural sugars present in fruit, vegetables and milk.

The study goes on to conclude that most people should cat down their sugar intake. According to the American Heart Association women should not consume more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar daily. That amounts to approximately 25 grams, or 100 calories from added sugar.

What happens when you stop eating sugar

Cutting back the sugar will result in changes in your body, which largely depends on how much sugar you used to consume before the cutback. People with high consumption can experience withdrawal symptoms, which include anxiety, restlessness, and depression.

Yet, if you have been an average sugar consumer, you can expect that one to several of these things can happen before completely kicking out your sugar habit.

1. Your Heart Work Will Improve

According to a research from James J. Di Nicolantonio, a cardiovascular research scientist at St. Luke’s Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City, by cutting back on added sugar you cut down risk of heart diseases by three times. According to Di Nicolantonio “added sugar chronically raises insulin levels, which activates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing blood pressure and heart rate”.

As a result “within a few weeks” time, you might expect to see a 10% decrease in LDL cholesterol and a 20 to 30% decrease in triglycerides.” He also adds that your BP will improve.

2. You’ll Reduce the Acne

Acne production can be triggered by systematic inflammation. Added sugar is highly inflammatory. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, consuming one 12-ounce can of soda daily for the period of three weeks can increase the inflammation levels in people who hadn’t consumed soda by 87%. Reducing the artificially sweetened foods will greatly eliminate skin problems.

3. You Avoid Diabetes

Extensive added sugar intake leads to increased build-up of fats around your liver. The layered at increases the insulin resistance and hinders the pancreatic functions, which are responsible for stalling the insulin production, says Robert Lustig, MD, author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.

Studying the consumption on sugar in 175 nation, Lustig established that just 150 calories of added sugar in our diet increases the chances of type 2 diabetes development by 11 times compared to consuming 150 calories from fat or protein.

4. Your Mood Will Improve

People who cut back on sugar can experience mood swings. This is only normal, because sugar used to give them comfort and provided them with energy. However, once you’re out of the sugar bush, your general mood is bound to improve.

According to a Columbia University study women who consume high quantities of added sugar have increased chances to experience anxiety, irritability, and mood swings.

5. You’ll Improve your Sleeping Hours

When you deplete the energy provided by the added sugar you can feel sluggish and need a nap. Added sugar also triggers the cortisol production, which has adverse effect on our sleeping pattern. By giving up the added sugar you’ll improve you energy levels during the day, and allow you to sleep better at night.

6. Improved Memory

Sugar makes your brain sluggish. According to an animal study at UCLA consuming high quantities of sugar inhibits your memory and learning abilities.

Even more, prolonged consumption of added sugar can damage the communication between brain cells beyond repair. So, if you really want a sharp mind, don’t go for a quick sugar fix. Avoiding it will make you better.

7. Lose Weight

Cutting back on sugar doesn’t necessarily mean eating less food as you may choose to replace you sugar bars with a serving of almonds.

Even so, you’ll greatly reduce the number of consumed calories. Check this out: Cutting out 200 calories from added sugar can help you lose 10 pounds in just 6 months. How’s that for a result.

You might be interested:

10 Foods That Help Regulate Blood Sugar And Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
8 Warning Signs You Are Eating Too Much Sugar


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3 Comments

  1. Sam Troutte
  2. Gabriel
    • F&P Admin

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