15 Reasons to Avoid Sugar

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting our sugar intake to 6 teaspoons per day. For children that recommended limit is 3-5 teaspoons per day.

But in the United States, the average person consumes 32 teaspoons of sugar per day!

Most people are aware that too much sugar can make us fat and increase our risk for developing diabetes. But scientists are now discovering just how harmful sugar can be.

Here are 15 reasons to avoid sugar:

1. Sugar can raise your cholesterol.
2. It can damage your heart muscle.
3. Eating too much sugar makes you fat, especially in the trunk area.
4. It has been linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
5. It can make you stupid! A recent study found that eating too much sugar was linked to deficiencies in memory and overall brain health.
6. Sugar has the same effect on your liver as drinking alcohol, even if you are thin.
7. It is linked to cancer production and may effect cancer survival.
8. It suppresses your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds, flu, and other infections.
9. Sugar is very addictive! It stimulates your brain in the same way as illegal drugs.
10. It provides empty calories with no nutritional value, so you will still be hungry after eating that big donut.
11. Sugar feeds Candida growth (a yeast) in the body.
12. It can accelerate aging.
13. It contributes to wrinkled skin and eczema.
14. Sugar rots your teeth.
15. Sugar steals your energy.

A typical lunch I’ve seen children bring to my daughter’s school might contain:

A TOTAL OF 17 TEASPOONS OF SUGAR!

And remember, children should be having no more than 3-4 TEASPOONS of sugar per day!

Great Ways to Kick Your Sugar Habit

• Drink water or tea instead of soda and juice.
• Don’t eat processed foods. They are usually packed with hidden sugar. Try fruits or nuts as a healthy and easy snack.
• Fill up with healthy fats instead of sugar, they will keep you feeling full and satisfied for much longer.
• Use natural sweeteners in your cooking and baking: honey, dates, bananas, and maple syrup.
• Stevia is a safe and sweet herb derived from the leaf of the South American stevia plant. It can be used in coffee, tea, smoothies, or baked goods.
• DON’T use artificial sweeteners! They are highly toxic and have a long list of side effects. Examples include:
  • aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal)
  • sucralose (Splenda)
  • D-Tagatose (Sugaree).