Simply put, sugar is the devil! Even though an item is labeled as “sugar-free” or “no added sugar”, please do not be fooled. It’s so important for you to read the label when you see these claims as artificial sweeteners are not real food, and they come with many health concerns.
These hidden sugars are everywhere so you can’t trust everything you read, can you?
Artificial Sweeteners
While these substitutes might seem like a good idea since they have "zero calories”, artificial sweeteners can actually cause you to crave more sweet foods over nutritious foods, ultimately ending in weight gain over time.
Several animal studies also suggest that artificial sweeteners have an addictive quality, as well as causing brain tumors and bladder cancer.
Why is sugar the devil?
Diets high in sugar can lead to chronic inflammation which in turn leads to:
- a weakened immune system making you more susceptible to getting sick (cough, ahem)
- diabetes and/or insulin resistance which puts you in that high-risk category and repeats what I mentioned above
- increased cardiovascular risk
Did you know one soda has 40g of sugar? 40g!
You should be aiming for less than 30g of sugar daily for optimal health. Welp, that one soda just put you over the limit! Obvi there are other sources of sugar, like Red Bull, Sweetened Tea, coffee drinks (think 'bucks or Dutch), cookies, pastries, candy...the list goes on.
It’s important for us to be mindful of what we consume on a daily basis so remember to READ THE LABEL.
Which sugary food are you ready to ditch?