What Happens When You Consume Too Much Sugar?

After arriving home from work, you immediately open your pantry. Because you ate an early lunch, you’re famished. Without considering the consequences to your diet, you reach for your favorite brand of chocolate chip cookies. If you can relate to this scenario, you’re not alone. Many people eat sugary treats on a daily basis. Sadly, consuming too much sugar may negatively affect your waistline, and your health.

Do You Consume 20 Teaspoons of Added Sugar Daily?

According to the American Heart Organization, the average American consumes a whopping 20 teaspoons of added sugar each day. Unfortunately, the average woman shouldn’t consume more than six teaspoons of added sugar every day while the average man shouldn’t eat more than nine teaspoons of additional sugar daily.

Eating too much sugar may contribute to the development of serious, medical issues such as:

• Tooth decay
• High triglycerides
• Low HDL cholesterol
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Cancer
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Obesity

Sadly, many people can’t seem to fight the daily struggle to avoid their favorite, sweet treats. The reason likely stems from the effects consuming sugar has on your brain. The hormone ghrelin causes you to experience feelings of hunger. Eating sweets doesn’t seem to decrease this hormone like consuming nutritional, fiber filled foods does. Also, when you consume sugary foods, a significant amount of dopamine is released in your brain. Because dopamine boosts your mood, you can easily become addicted to sugary foods.

While kicking the sugar habit might be challenging, you can do it. Whenever you crave something sweet, opt for foods containing natural sugar such as:

• Strawberries
• Cranberries
• Blueberries
• Bananas
• Sweet potatoes

In addition to satisfying your sweet tooth with nutritional foods, don’t prohibit yourself from ever indulging in your favorite desserts or beverages again. If you pledge to never eat another bowl of ice cream, you might find yourself one night with your head buried in a gallon of rocky road. Instead of permanently giving up your beloved treats, promise to eat them in moderation. For example, instead of eating a sugar filled dessert nightly, you might decide to consume only one each week. If you need help decreasing your sugar intake, consider scheduling an appointment with a consultant at a Metabolic Research Center near you.