Almost everyone loves the sweet taste of sugar. However, life is unfair, so sugar, especially in higher amounts, is very bad for our overall health. Once you read the ways sugar can affect your health, you probably won’t look at it in the same way, although the taste will remain delicious.
We present you 7 signs that will help you realize you are consuming too much sugar, and that it’s time you reduce the intake of sweets.
1. Lack of energy & Feeling Tired
One of the most obvious signs that you are consuming too much sugar is being constantly tired or fatigued.
High-sugar foods boost your energy, but only temporarily. Afterwards you experience a daunting crash. If you feel tired throughout the day, check on your dietary habits and see if you are consuming too much sugar.
2. Cravings for Sugar/Carb
Do you often find yourself craving for something sweet? If the answer is positive, you have probably become a sugar addict. Since sugar is very addictive, its intake can create a chain reaction of sugar cravings. If you think about sweets with every move you make, you likely have a deep sugar addiction.
3. Frequent Colds and Flu
Another sign that your intake of sugar has crossed the limit is falling ill more than you used to. If you consume too much sugar for a longer period, it can weaken your immune system and its ability to fight off flu viruses, colds, and even chronic diseases. You will significantly reduce the risk of all this if you cut off foods with added sugars.
4. Foggy Brain, especially after a Meal
A common symptom of low blood sugar is brain fog. Instead of gradually increasing your blood sugar levels, consuming a lot of sugar rapidly increases and then drops the blood sugar. As Alpert explains, improper control of blood sugar increases the chances of cognitive problems and impairment.
5. Not the Same Sweet Taste as Before
According to Alpert, consuming too much sugar will bombard your taste buds, increasing their tolerance to sugar. Therefore, you need more and more sugar in order to satisfy your cravings for something sweet. Although it’s hard to restore the normal level of sugar tolerance, if you reduce the intake of sugar and endure the suffering at the beginning, you can reduce your tolerance level and be satisfied with minimal sugar. Over time, you might even start feeling certain things are too sweet for you, and thus be content with a moderate amount of sugar.
6. Problems with Your Skin and Feet (Dark Circles under Your Eyes)
Consumed sugar has an inflammatory effect on our body, so it can as well cause inflammatory skin issues. Sugar might be the cause of your rosacea, acne, eczema, or even excessive dryness and oiliness. A lot of people have reported to have greatly improved their skin problems by reducing their sugar intake.
A podiatrist in New York City, Dr. Sherri Greene, explains that sugar can as well have inflammatory effect on our feet that might result in plantar fasciitis. This is one of the main causes of feeling pain in the thick band of tissue on your soles, or heels. High sugar intake can be the reason for adrenaline fatigue, and one of its signs is the appearance of dark circles under the eyes.
7. Weight Gain
Sugar has no fiber and protein, so it doesn’t fill us up. In other words high amount of sugar means high amount of calories. Sugar also stimulates the release of insulin whose function is to carry the sugar to our organs in order to be used for energy. When we consume a lot of sugar, we tell our body to produce more insulin. So, over a certain period, this can result in insulin resistance.
If you develop insulin resistance, your body won’t be able to react properly to normal amounts of insulin, thus not being able to use sugar in the proper way. Since insulin resistance is associated with obesity, you can easily add some extra pounds. But the worst part is that you can develop diabetes as in such condition your pancreas works on overdrive.