The dangers of sugar

There are many different types of sugars out there and eating too much sugar messes with your blood sugar balance.  Here are the dangers of sugar and the different types of sugar to watch out for.

Different types of sugar

There are so many different kinds of sugars we have to watch out for.  Even if you cook at home but use store bought ingredients in your cooking, you need to watch for hidden sugars.  For example, I made homemade sloppy joes the other day.  My recipe uses ketchup and while I use an organic ketchup, it has loads of sugar in it.  An alternative is to make your own ketchup so you can control the amount of sugar but that’s not always an option for most people.

Examples of sugar

Here are some examples of sugar to watch for.  Make sure you read the labels carefully because of the dangers of sugar.

• Brown sugar syrup
• Demerara sugar
• Liquid sugar
• Liquid cane sugar
• Natural sugar(s)
• Brown sugar simple syrup
• Golden caster sugar
• Monk fruit syrup
• Unrefined sugar
• Cane juice
• Packed brown sugar
• Palm jaggery
• Glucose fructose
• High fructose corn syrup
• Honey
• Maple syrup

The actual dangers of sugar

Consuming too much sugar means that your liver and pancreas will need to work harder.   The pancreas secretes insulin (which is what helps to balance your blood sugar).  If you feel tired all the time, this could be why – your blood sugar may be low.

This hormone moves the sugars from your blood to your cells so you have the strength to do your everyday things.  If there is too much glucose, the extra is sent to the liver to be used at another time.  But, if you eat too much sugar, the liver is overloaded and all of it is transformed to triglycerides, which are fatty acids.  This is why we get fat – these go straight to your fat tissue!  (This is also why a liver detox can be helpful.)  And, if you don’t think you have to worry about insulin levels because you’re not diabetic, think again!  These are the dangers of sugar.

Feel better with balance

When we have balanced blood sugar, we feel better.  Not only do your moods improve, but you have more energy and there are no drops in energy – we actually maintain energy levels.  If you’ve ever had spikes in your blood sugar and then major dips, you know this doesn’t feel good.  These dips may take a long time to recover from, causing a really bad day.  Plus, balanced blood sugar helps you with falling and staying asleep.