Is Sugar The Enemy? Why You Need To Reduce Your Intake

Cheree Sheldon, Nutritionist for the Sugar Detox 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge provides information on whether sugar really is an enemy and why we should reduce our added sugar intake:
Should we be waging a war with sugar?
Do we need to be ruthless and remove every skerrick of sugar in our lives, or can we have some sweetness in life without the health ramifications that come along with excess?
It is not “sugar” consumption that is the issue, it is the excess consumption of sugar that is a huge problem in our society.
We definitely need to take a good hard look at the foods we consume and realise exactly how much sugar we are having on a daily basis.

Sugar consumption is linked to disorders such as ADHD, acne, obesity, gallstones, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, PMS, dental cavities and depression.
Excessive sugar consumption can increase blood sugars, and as a result hypoglycemia can occur. Symptoms will appear 3-4 hours after eating and may include one or many of the following: anxiety, irritability, headaches, confusion, aggressive behaviour, sweating, confusion and even convulsions.
Sugar can alter the way a cell in the body responds normally to other cells; they can change the structure of proteins, and can disguise cancer cells from our immune system.
Metabolic syndrome (also known as Syndrome X), results from having a set of risk factors that include glucose or insulin imbalances, and is a serious risk for cardiovascular issues.
Many of these disorders are termed “lifestyle” diseases, as it is our lifestyle choices that lead us to developing them. It is ultimately our choice to eat foods that will eventually make us sick, or to select foods that make us feel vital.
Our sugar intake is one of those decisions. Sticking to the World Health Organisation’s recommendation means limiting our intake of added sugars to 6 teaspoons per day.
If we consume a lot of processed foods, then our sugar intake will tip over the recommendation easily. However, if we choose a diet based on real foods, and foods that we prepare ourselves, then we can limit our intake.
By making a lot of our own foods, we can also choose which sweetener we want to consume. It is so easy to tweak recipes to make them have less sugar, so it is possible to have a healthy sweet treat!
Cheree Sheldon, Nutritionist