A recent article has argued that whilst large quantities of fat are bad for us, sugar is the real problem. This is because it is both addictive and very easily obtainable. In fact, almost everywhere that we look, it is there. There was a time for example when cereals were largely made from wheat or some other grain. These days it is almost impossible to buy cereals that don’t have chocolate, honey or some other sugary ingredient in them.
Despite having antioxidant properties, chocolate is a source of high sugar. Cutting out most (if not all) sugar from your diet will help reduce the amount of sugar your body has to process.
Of course, kids love sugar and lets be honest, it tastes nice, but this is a big part of the problem as it is this that makes it addictive, and once we are addicted, we need sweet things to keep up our moods. Sugar has become an ‘essential’ in our diet when in fact it is anything but.
The obesity epidemic should prove that. Giving up sugar though may not be easy and our mind and our body are likely to tell us that we need our sugar fix. Little by little though, we should cut down on our sugar intake. This doesn’t have to be done all at once, although some people do find this an easier approach.
Read labels. Despite appearing healthy, there are many drinks that still have a high content of sugar, rivaling that of soda drinks such as Coke and Pepsi.
Perhaps the best way to reduce our intake is firstly to cut out the obvious things like the chocolate bars and other sweets. After this, we really do have to change our tastes. Cutting sugar out of tea and coffee, for example, will make a dramatic difference to the taste of the beverage and one which at first you might not like. After a while though, as our sugar addiction reduces , we are likely to find the new taste more refreshing and when someone gives us a tea with sugar in it by accident, you are likely to be repulsed by the taste and wonder who you ever used to drink it.
Obesity is a good reason to reduce your sugar intake. Notice the sugary soft drink in the middle of these two.
Putting pressure on manufacturers too is a good idea. These companies are not stupid and know that sugar addiction will sell more products; that said though, they really don’t like bad publicity and may be encouraged to, at the very least, reduce the amount of sugar in their products. Alternatives Whilst there are substitutes for sugar, most people find it easier to simply re-adjust their taste buds. Once this has happened, there is no reason not to treat yourself from time to time, just don’t let it become a habit again.
The Problem with Sugar
But why cut sugar out at all if you enjoy it? Well, the rise in obesity is a pretty good place to start and this in turn may well lead to diabetes. If those are not good enough reasons, then perhaps spotty skin and rotting teeth will help.
Whatever way that you look at it, the reality is that apart from the taste, there is little to be said that is good about sugar.
