Oh! How sweet it is, 43 cocaine-addicted laboratory rats were given the choice of cocaine or sugar water over 15 days: 93 percent, or 40 out of 43, chose sugar. I admit that it is hard to believe that those innocent creatures on my cereal box are really my drug dealer, but the first step to overcoming a problem is admitting that you have one.
The average person in America consumes more than 100 pounds of sugar in a year.
While some would like to include it as a food group, the truth is it contains no nutrients, no proteins, no healthy fats, and no enzymes. If sugar has no inherent benefit to the body than let us look at the disadvantages of sugar.
1. Skin care: Studies have shown that foods that are high on the glycemic index like refined carbohydrates and sugar, contribute to acne.
2. Diabetes: Excess sugar use is directly related to an increasing prevalence of diabetes.
3. Teeth: Sugar destroys the healthy bacteria in the mouth, leading to tooth decay.
4. Hungry: Sugary foods are filled with empty calories, so you never really get full, this opens you up to overeating.
5. Waistline: Sugar and its overuse are directly related to belly fat. Which ushers in a host of other ailments, such as heart disease, arthritis, and digestive disorders.
6. Cancer: Sugar causes a spike in insulin, which is a factor in cell growth and multiplication. This can aid in the proliferation of cancer cells.
On brain scan, sugar lights up the same places of the brain as cocaine and heroin, even causing the some of the same withdrawal patterns. This leads us back to our innocent lab creatures. Are you addicted to sugar? There is only one way to find out. Why not see who really rules your body, you or sugar, try replacing that sweet thing with a healthy food choice, Yes, I once was guilty of being a sugar lover, and no it will not be easy, but the benefits and improvements to your health may make you wish you had come to a conclusion sooner.
