I think it’s safe to say that humans are born with an innate desire for sweet foods. It’s been found that babies are born with “a sweet taste” and the intensity of this sweet taste grows throughout childhood and into adulthood.  Early exposure to intense sweeteners may create the desire for sweets that many of us are familiar with. This is easy to believe when we consider the amount of sugar we consume.
 
The substantial increase in sugar consumption over the past 100 hundred years correlates closely to the rise in the rates of obesity. The sugar consumed in the US and worldwide includes fructose, glucose, sucrose, and the highly criticized High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Because of changes in food technology over the past 30 years, HFCS has replaced sucrose in many foods. This replacement interestingly, has paralleled the increase in obesity in the US.
 
So how is sugar sabotaging your weight and hormones? The main component of sugar, fructose, has been connected to obesity because of its ability to induce lipogenesis (the formation of fat). Fructose has also been found to provoke visceral fat (the fat that develops around the center of the body) and decrease insulin sensitivity (the ability of our bodies to use insulin to decrease blood sugar).  In addition, fructose has the ability to alter satiety (our ability to feel full) which in turn increases food intake. Leptin (the hormone that tells us we’re full) and insulin secretion are not stimulated when fructose is ingested, therefore no satiety response is initiated and we continue to eat. Our metabolic rate ( the rate at which we burn calories) is also affected by the ingestion of fructose. Weight gain and visceral fat accumulation can in turn result in increased food intake and lowered metabolism. Fructose (including HFCS) metabolism has also been linked to fatty liver disease, high triglycerides, and insulin resistance. Scary right?
 
Need another reason to remove sugar from your diet? Read on to learn how sugar is also sabotaging your skin.

When you eat foods that contain refined sugar or foods with a higher glycemic index (a ranking of how carbohydrates in food affect our blood sugar) your body breaks them down into glucose which increases insulin levels.  Simple carbohydrates such as soda, sweets, or foods with refined sugar cause your insulin (which helps to regulate blood sugar) levels to spike.  This spike causes inflammation throughout the body.  When inflammation occurs, enzymes are produced that break down collagen (the protein that gives your skin its structure and suppleness) and elastin (an elastic protein in your skin that helps it return to normal when poked or pinched). This results in sagging skin and wrinkles. Once refined sugar is digested, it permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin through a process called glycation.  Glycation increases the effects of aging but can also exacerbate skin concerns like acne and rosacea.
 
I don’t know about you, but I would do anything to slow down the aging process.  However, in saying that I realize it can be extremely hard to kick the sugar habit.  BUT….you will be amazed how much better you feel when you do. Promise!!!

Need support? 

I would love to work with you https://balancehealthandnutrition.com/work-with-julie/ to create a plan that removes sugar from your diet and is customized to meet your needs.  Now through the end of February 14 I am offering 15% off of all my programs.  Head to my website to sign up for your free 30-minute consultation today. https://www.balancehealthandnutrition.com. I hope to see you soon!!