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HOW DO SUGAR AND SWEETS AFFECT OUR HEALTH? (PART 2)
Continuing with the last article Part 1, Sugar and Sweets have other harmful impacts we should be careful about to protect our health.
1.4. Reduced resistance
Another impact should be mentioned is that sugar and sweets weaken immune cells in the body. Meanwhile, the resistance decreased making you more susceptible to colds and flu. Furthermore, problems such as stress, depression, and insomnia also happen.
Gradually, the “wall” to protect the human body is broken, making you always tired, losing your memory…
1.5. Occurrence of skin problems: acne skin, dark skin
(Eating a lot of sugar and sweets causes the skin to appear blemished and rapidly age)
Excess sugar in the blood causes the hormone to transport sugar to rise. Accordingly, there would be an increase in sebaceous gland activity, stimulating pores to expand and creating conditions for acne.
Especially, for acne-prone skin, sugar and sweets will promote inflammation and pus of acne to take place quickly.
About our skin, it is easily dehydrated and dull because it has to neutralize blood sugar.
1.6. Faster skin aging.
Many studies have shown that high blood sugar breaks down the natural collagen and elastin in the skin – the protein fibers that keep skin firm and youthful. At this time, maintaining moisture and elasticity for the affected skin means wrinkles will appear with dry, sagging and premature skin.
2. Ways to help limit sugar cravings and sweets.
Limit sugar and sweets with the following tips to improve your health:
Drink a lot of water
Studies have shown that one of the main causes of a sweet craving is dehydration. When the body is dehydrated it will send a signal to want something to soothe the throat quickly, at which point the brain is confused between the craving for sweets.
So drinking 1 glass of water right away helps you stop cravings and feel full of stomach right after, even if you still want to eat, the amount of sugar intake will be less than normal.
So, whenever you feel cravings for a sweet treat, drink a glass of water instead. This is a very helpful way to suppress cravings, while also hydrating the body and providing a healthy balance.
Eat healthy foods
Eat sweet vegetables and fruit substitutes for sugar.
The foods with the most pure sweetness are fruit that is fresh when it ripens. The natural sugars of the fruit, combined with enzymes, vitamins, and fiber, help the digestive system stay healthy and absorb maximum nutrients.
Naturally sweet fruits and vegetables like yams, carrots and beets… provide the same benefits. When eaten regularly, their mellow sweet taste can help reduce your cravings for sweetness.
(Replace sugar and sweets with healthy fresh fruit)
Balance protein and carbohydrates.
When you get protein (like meat and cheese) in your body, you will naturally feel cravings for sweets.
On the other hand, if you don’t get enough of these proteins, you will have cravings for sweets. Thus, eating a staple diet with plants and animal supplements is great for avoiding sugar and sweets cravings.
Eat more nutritious foods.
Cereals, legumes, brown rice… are foods rich in plant protein, meet the essential protein for our body, help it purify and be healthier, while reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Plant protein is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which is a very good aid in treating depression and improving sleep quality.
So, when you have a craving for sweets, replace them with foods containing plant proteins to provide energy for the body, reduce the cravings for sweetness and are very good for the body.
Do exercise regularly
Exercise helps to reduce cravings for sweets, fight fatigue, cravings, stress and drowsiness of the body.
Usually, cravings for sweets come from when we feel bored with nothing and want to find something to sip on. Instead of lying in one place “fighting” with cravings or foraging, let’s do some exercise.
Walking is the best choice to tackle the cravings for sweets. This is partly caused by an excess of acid in the body. Exercise will help balance pH and favorable blood circulation to reduce cravings effectively.
Using sugar and sweets excessively has bad impacts on health such as obesity, heart disease, nervous system disorders and skin aging… A suitable diet, a healthy lifestyle will limit your cravings for sweets and enhance your health.