After your recent health check-up, specific health parameters may be concerning you, and you’re unsure whether sugar is the root cause or any other food item. Moreover, you want to learn about the impact sugar has on our health and its alternatives. If so, you’re at the right place.
Sugar, especially sugary drinks, can affect your health significantly by increasing your blood sugar level and blood pressure. Hence, doctors advise alternatives to these products, such as sugar-free drinks.
So, in this post, you will learn how sugar can affect your health and some alternatives to sugar you can add to your diet.
Sugar and Its Impact on Health
When listing the foods that affect your health the most, food items with high sugar content top the list. As such, sugar has many calories and can be tremendously unhealthy if consumed in large amounts. Meanwhile, research has indicated that individuals who have received 17-21% of their calories from added sugar have had 38% higher chances of dying from cardiovascular diseases.
Thus, sugar has several health risks if consumed beyond the moderate amount. And, below are some of the impacts sugar has on your health:
Bodyweight and obesity
The chances of getting obese increase with the increase in the amount of sugar you consume. Meanwhile, worldwide, the rates of obesity have increased and the main food item to be blamed is sweetened beverages.
Sugary drinks do not curb your hunger. Instead, they induce it as consuming fructose increases hunger. Therefore, you crave more unhealthy food and get trapped in the loop.
Diabetes
The cases of diabetes have increased significantly over the past 30 years. And several factors have contributed to this surge, but sugar is significantly linked to this increase. This is because large amounts of sugar consumption drive resistance to insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. And this resistance increases and causes diabetes.
Heart Diseases
A high sugar diet leads to an increase in the risk of heart diseases. Meanwhile, you may wonder how sugar affects the heart.
A high sugar diet can cause inflammation, high triglyceride, and a surge in blood sugar and blood pressure levels. And this increases the chances of heart disease.
Alternatives You Can Choose to Become Sugar-Free
Now that you’re aware of the health risks of sugar consumption, it is time to make a healthy choice. And if you’ve already thought of going sugar-free, it’s a significant step forward towards your health. If not, it’s never too late! And, the following is the list of the alternatives to sugar:
1. Sugar-Free Beverages
As you may know, sugary beverages have the highest risks associated with health. Hence, the first step to eliminating sugar from your diet is to switch to sugar-free drinks.
2. Applesauce and Fruit Purees
Instead of adding sugar to your muffins or pancakes, you can add applesauce or other fruit purees. Moreover, fruit purees have nutrients and lesser carbs.
3. Maple Syrup
The thick sugary liquid, maple, has abundant nutrients such as calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and manganese. As such, Maple Syrup is one of the best alternatives to sugar.
Adopting a sugar-free diet is one of the best choices you can make for your health. Moreover, sugar consumption has serious ailment risks. But the good news is, alternatives to sugar such as sugar-free beverages, maple syrup, and applesauce purees are readily available in the market.
