Sugar and its effect on our health continues to dominate health news worldwide. Baked goods, candy, cereal, juice drinks, coffee drinks and soft drinks are a few of the products containing sugar that Americans eat every day. Too much sugar in anyone’s diet correlates with health issues.
Why is sugar so bad for us? When we consume carbohydrates our blood sugar increases, triggering our pancreas to secrete more insulin to “unlock” our cells to use the sugar as energy. In general the more simple the carbohydrate (sugary) the higher glycemic effect on our blood sugar, the more complex the carbohydrate (more fiber and nutrients) the slower the effect so our body can react in a more measured insulin secretion.
The more sugar in our daily diet, the more insulin secretion needs to occur. This constant insulin cycle can end up creating conditions like metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance, even diabetes. Sugar affects our immune system by decreasing its ability to act and react and recent research even suggests that the constant process of sugar and insulin can lead to cancers, brain damage (like dementia and Alzheimer’s) and heart problems. The foods that tend to be the highest in sugar usually have little or no nutritional value, so we have not only the effect of sugar on our body, but also no nutrients to nourish our body.
Have a sweet treat once in a while, but remember, sweets are just that, “treats” not staples of our diet. As we approach Halloween, try to focus on non-candy treats, or having your child “buy” books or toys from you with the candy they receive in their Trick or Treat bag. Then whatever candy remains for them to eat, keep it under parental control, limiting its consumption.
