Removing sugar from your daily diet is almost impossible. More importantly, it requires great discipline and let’s be honest — very few of us have this trait.
According to the American Heart Association, people should only ever have between six and nine teaspoons of sugar per day.
This, you will find, is also very difficult to do. However, the rewards that come with avoiding certain foods are unmatched.
We are not advising you to alter your entire dietary make-up, but we are saying that doing away with certain delicacies packs the greatest benefits for your physical and mental health.
After all, there isn’t a better self-esteem booster than looking in the mirror and seeing a leaner, more healthier version of yourself.
Five benefits of reducing sugar from your diet
Brain
Sugar derived from sweets, sodas and baked goods, contains mood-altering substances like opioids.
Once mixed in with your bloodstream, it releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates the reward centres of your brain.
Once your body experiences this surge of excitement and jolly, there is no turning back. It’s like nicotine addiction.
However, the reality is, your body can do without all of that sugar, and avoiding it long enough will see marked improvements in your mental health.
Removing dependency will ease your mind from depression and anxiety and guarantee you a life of peace and mental balance.
Heart
In this case, it is simple and straight forward. Removing sugar from your diet will most certainly reduce the risk of a heart attack and high blood pressure.
Skin
Outside of your skin-cleansing routine, staying away from sugar is the quickest solution to acne severity.
Dermatologist, Sonia Batra, explains that “when you stop eating [it in] large amounts, your pancreas releases less insulin, which can decrease breakouts.”
Weight
Because sugar targets the pleasure centres of your brain, it is the chief catalyst behind excessive eating.
Scratching sugar off your daily menu will most certainly impact your weight loss plan positively.
In fact, staying away from sugar for 10 weeks can guarantee you a notable 1.8-pound weight slash.
Libido
We hear this often and it does hold some elements of truth to it: a happy partner promises a happy life.
What’s more, a crucial part of that happiness comes from a healthy sexual relationship.
Believe it or not but too much sugar can impact your sex drive negatively.
“Sugar raises insulin and creates a hormonal domino effect. It lowers testosterone and leads to higher levels of estrogen, which can really knock down desire in both men and women.”
Mark Hyman, MD at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine.