3 Benefits of Cutting Down Your Sugar Intake

By
Rebecca P
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Sweet foods are addictive, you crave them at the end of a meal or when you’re bored. Whist these sweet foods are so tasty, they also contain sugar which is not good for you or your body. Too much sugar not only influences weight gain, but it can also affect your body in many different ways.

Mood

To focus throughout the day your brain requires energy in the form of glucose from carbohydrates. But when you eat sugary carbs these will make your blood sugar levels rise and then crash which in turn leads to tiredness and a bad mood. So it’s important to eat more complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread, brown rice, and quinoa. They release energy slowly keeping your blood sugar level steady.

Fitness

Everything you consume has an effect on your body when you workout and a diet which is high in sugar can have a huge effect on your fitness levels. As important as eating carbs are to give you energy during the workout they have to be the right carbs. Eating whole grains before your workout help you work out for longer, get stronger and recovering faster.

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If I had a dollar for every time I watched someone visibly crumble because the scale stayed the same, or went up, I would be sitting on the beach in the Turks right now. It’s time to start thinking about your health as more than just a number on a scale. While I think it’s relevant to know what you weigh, it’s just a number. A number that doesn’t differentiate between muscle mass, water weight, your cycle, bowel movements, and what you’ve physically put in your body recently. When you’re on a weight loss journey or really just want to shed 5 lb, I challenge you to think of the root reason behind your goals OUTSIDE of just your weight. Is it really the satisfaction of seeing the number on the scale go down? Or is it because you feel uncomfortable in your clothes (or lack thereof)? Or you got a scary lab result? You want to feel more confident in your body? You have been feeling down, and just want to do something to improve your mood/sleep/self esteem? Celebrate those wins and build yourself UP instead of obsessing over the scale. Examples of BIG Victories include – your clothes fitting better! – improved mood and self esteem – higher quality sleep – feeling stronger and more physically capable – crushing fitness goals – generally feeling BETTER, fewer aches and pains – improved labs – confidence – more energy And ALL of these can be accomplished through diet, exercise, and rest. They may be less measurable than a number on a scale, but focused more internally on how you feel. Whats a non scale victory you’ve experienced recently?

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Your Skin

Foods which are high in sugar are digested quickly and can cause high insulin levels and can aggravate acne. The way to combat this is to stay away from the sugar and consume more whole grains with B vitamins that will be good for your skin.