Sugar (Sucrose) A natural  carbohydrate  found in fruits and vegetables

Sugar has always been perceived as a culprit when it comes to our unhealthy eating habits and it is commonly acknowledged that it is to be avoided.  We have also heard that sugar acts like poison and that excess sugar leads to reduction in insulin sensitivity and eventually diabetes.  But sugar is another form of high glycemic index -GI food and high GI foods are required as much as low GI foods which is contrary to what most people preach

Sugar (sucrose) is a natural carbohydrate, found in fruits and vegetables. All green plants manufacture sugar through photosynthesis,the process by which plants generate energy and food reserves from sunlight

Eating too much sugar also creates blood sugar imbalances in the body. When blood sugar drops too low  the fuel supply to the body is impaired,with adverse effects on physical energy, mental function and emotional stability. Symptoms of low blood sugar( hypoglycemia ) can range anywhere from headaches, irritability and shaking when hungry to explosive anger, panic attacks, or crying easily for no apparent reason.

Not only can sugar affect the quality of your day but it can also make you sick. Many researches and studies  have shown that sugar is very effective in weakening the immune system and is a source of fuel for feeding  cancer and tumors.In an attempt to avoid the problems associated with sugar, many people have been convinced that artificial sweeteners are a better alternative. The word artificial should give you a clue that they are not Artificial sweeteners are associated with cancer, weight gain, increased cravings for sweets,impaired coordination, decreased mental function, diabetes, MS, Parkinson’s, seizures and migraine headaches.

Refined sugar and insulin sensitivity

Most of us spend out days sitting in a chair or couch living sedentary lifestyle.  At this time you blood sugar levels are optimum as you are hardly using any carbs for energy.  So you don’t need fast acting carbs or high GI carbs.  But as most of us keep on gorging on high GI junk food,the body has no option but to store the extra carbs as fats

As we stuff our bodies with refined sugar,insulin sensitivity of the body decreases which leads to pre-diabetes and obesity.  And this is not all of the trouble,because insulin is the vehicle the body uses to deliver sugar to its cells but since insulin has lost its sensitivity,the sugar despite being present in the blood is not transferred to the cells.  The cells are now starving which gives an indication of hunger to the brain leading to an increase in cravings to satisfy the false hunger

Why you should avoid refined sugar

• It can damage the heart.  The consumption of excess sugar can adversely affect the pumping mechanism of the heart and increase the risk of heart failure
• Studies heave shown that too much fructose consumption leads to leptin resistance.  Leptin is the hormone present in the body that tells you when you have had enough to eat.  When you have had enough to eat.  When leptin doesn’t work,a person will not get a signal from the body that it has enough food to function
• Addiction to sugar is genetic.  When genetic changes occur in the hormone ghrelin the hormone that tells the brain that you are hungry a person consumes more sugar