It is the season for holiday parties, and that usually means a lot of food and sweets. In fact, sugary foods are everywhere during the winter holidays and there is a lot of temptation to imbibe. Before you leave your healthy eating habits behind, pause for a moment and consider these reasons to avoid the extra sugar.
Prevent Weight Gain
Sugar gives a rush of energy to the body, and this makes it seem relatively harmless. However, unless you are running a marathon, your body won’t convert all of those sugar calories into energy. Instead, the sugar will be transformed and stored as fat. In addition, most of it will be stored as the most dangerous kind of fat, otherwise known as abdominal fat. The health risks associated with this include increased risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Sugar can be Addictive
There is a lot of evidence that sugar is addictive for many people. If you succumb to sugar binges during the holidays, you might find it difficult to reduce or quit sugar in the months following. Resist consuming extra sugar this holiday season and you can start your year on top of the healthy eating game.
Keep Your Teeth Healthy
Sugary foods are bad for your teeth. The reason is that the bacteria in your mouth love sugar and form acid after consuming it. This acid leads to tooth decay unless it is quickly brushed away. Few people take a break during holiday parties to go brush their teeth. Therefore, the acid has plenty of to do damage before they get home. Resist those pies, cookies, cakes and sodas and you will have stronger, healthier teeth. If you feel any tooth pain after eating sugary foods, it’s important to visit a Salt Lake City dentist. Taking care of cavities early is important to oral health.
Sugar Causes Fatigue
It might seem counterintuitive that sugar both gives you a burst of energy and causes fatigue, but this can happen. When you consume sugar, a lot goes on in the body, including neurologically. Sugar inhibits brain chemicals that promote wakeful alertness and so we get sleepy soon after the initial, short-lived energy burst. Chronic sugar consumption will make you chronically tired. Many people reach for a cup of coffee and a sugary snack when this happens, which compounds the problem. Another reason consuming excess sugar makes you tired is due to insulin. When you eat sugar, the body releases insulin to deal with the onslaught. After an initial spike in blood sugar, many experience a resulting drop in blood sugar due to this release of insulin. This drop leaves you feeling tired.
Stay More Alert
Sugar consumption increases brain fog, which is the diminished ability to process information. The same processes that result in fatigue from sugar consumption cause this. Your body was not made to handle large amounts of refined sugars and all the usual processes, and all organs, are affected by eating sugary foods. During the busy holiday season, the last thing you want is to feel tired and have difficulty thinking or making decisions.
Prevent the Blues
Many things can contribute to sadness or irritability around the holidays. In the northern hemisphere, the reduced daylight plays a part. The holidays are also a time when we gather with friends and family we haven’t seen for a while, and for some this can evoke a certain sense of melancholy. However, sugar also plays a big role in moodiness around the holidays or any other time of the year. When blood sugar swings high and low, it exacerbates any underlying mood problems you may have. If you are slightly irritable, you will find this also heightened.
By limiting sugar during the holidays, you will feel better physically, mentally and emotionally. While holiday treats can be a great way to continue traditions and enjoy time together, consider limiting the amount of sugar you will eat. A cookie here and there won’t do much harm, but constant sugar during the holidays can leave you feeling sluggish and unhealthy.
