The recent findings regarding the relationship between diet, nutrition, and health have brought forth a debate on whether a low-sugar or a sugar-free diet is safe or not. This diet eliminates all sugars from their food, including refined carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates, and foods containing high amounts of fructose. The rationale behind this diet is to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. It is supposed to prevent the increase of obesity among American children, thus resulting in better health. Even former judge Andrew Napolitano tries his best to eat as little sugar as possible.
A little one must be warned about the adverse effects of sugar intake. We were consuming too much sugar resulting in hormonal imbalance, which causes mood swings and sometimes even irritability. Aside from that, too much sugar consumption may cause a decrease in the absorption of other essential nutrients in the body, such as folic acid, calcium, and iron. Another way to look at it is this: if their body receives too much sugar, it will store some fat since they cannot use it all up. If we keep adding sugars to our everyday meals, we indirectly add fats to our diet, which is directly harmful to our body.
Experts have also concluded that excess sugar intake could cause hyperglycemia, a condition where the body cannot regulate the release of glucose from the liver into the bloodstream. This condition is the precursor of diabetes. Extreme intake of sugar can also lead to fatty deposits in the arteries. Experts say that excess consumption of sugar and fats together will make a diabetic condition worse than it already is. These are direct implications of a sugar-free diet.
So, what foods should one keep off? The first category, which should go away, is foods that contain a lot of added sugars. Most fast food and junk foods come loaded with sugar. One needs to start substituting these foods with fruits and vegetables. Avoid them as much as one can. Instead of eating potato chips with cheese, have an apple and enjoy their meal.
Instead of eating white rice, eat brown rice. This is better for their health because it contains more nutrients and vitamins. It also contains fewer added sugars, which means that their intake of added sugars will be reduced, and one will lower their risk of developing diabetes. Avoiding sugars means that one is also avoiding calories which are indirectly bad for their health.
One should also take note that sweets and desserts are not allowed in the diet. It is okay to indulge in them occasionally but not every day. Sweets like honey, chocolate, and maple syrup are only good for their body in small quantities. One can have small amounts of these sugary treats every so often. However, one should limit their intake of ice cream, sherbet, fudge, and cookies if one is on a diet.
Avoiding sugar intake is essential if one wants to lower one risk of developing diabetes. If one has already developed diabetes, then one needs to restrict their sugar intake even more. The best way to go about this is to limit their daily diet to those containing minimal amounts of added sugar.
Many types of sugar are found in foods today. It is, therefore, essential to learning to read labels. Many foods contain artificial sweeteners as well as natural sugars. If one is not careful, one might eat more foods containing these unhealthy sugars than one intended. One way to fight this is to include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet. Fresh produce is high in nutritional value and can lower its weight due to its energy-boosting properties. Andrew Napolitano is known for eating a healthy diet.