Sugar comes in two forms: natural and unnatural. The natural form, the so-called unrefined sugars, supplied by nature in vegetables, fruits and honey, for example. The unnatural form, which we call artificial or refined sugars are produced by man. Refined sugars, due to absence of fiber, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, are not properly digested by your body. Refined sugars greatly affect some important functions of the body such as the immune system, hormone balance and blood sugar levels.
The Hidden World of Sugar
Unrefined sugars, a cheap raw material, is added by the food industry in many products. Because we have slowly, imperceptibly become accustomed to the sweet taste of tomato ketchup, peanut butter, granola, fruit yogurt, ready-to-eat products, bread, cold cuts, mayonnaise, it can have an addictive effect.
Sugar has many faces and many of them are hidden. Besides all types that have the word sugar in them, such as soft sugar, there are many hidden forms such as glucose syrup, dextrose, sucrose, molasses, maltodextrin, caramel, lactose, monosaccharide, muscovado, polysaccharides, fructose, agave, maple syrup, disaccharides, treacle and stevia. This is very misleading.
What does refined sugar do to your body?
Sugar makes you fat, but that’s not the only thing sugar does to your body. Continued excessive consumption of sugars in the long run leads to, among other things:
- Sugar causes a spike in blood sugar levels, which must be balanced again by the hormone insulin. If this hormone has to go into action too much and too often, fat is stored in the body. Insulin is a major contributing factor to aging.
- Sugar disturbs the mineral balance in the body; it makes the absorption of calcium and magnesium more difficult. Among other things, both minerals are desperately needed to keep bones strong.
- Sugar can cause an imbalance in the intestinal flora, leading to overgrowth of candida; a yeast in the intestinal flora. This causes the immune system to be undermined.
- Excess sugar overstimulates endorphins (neurotransmitters in your brain), which can make you restless, unstable and nervous. It can lead to concentration problems, cotton wool in the head, depression and lethargy.
- Excess sugar is not burned. This is converted to triglycerides in the metabolism. This, in turn, becomes part of total cholesterol. This can cause cholesterol levels to rise to undesirable values and ratios, increasing the risk of arteriosclerosis. This can lead to high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease.
- Too many sugars can weaken the immune system, causing all kinds of large and small inflammations in the body.
- Too many sugars can cause a reduction in insulin sensitivity which can cause abnormally high insulin levels to cause hormonal imbalance and diabetes.
- When too much sugar (and carbohydrate-rich foods) are eaten daily, insulin levels go up, causing hormone imbalances. As a result, the body will be less able to make and absorb serotonin. As a result, serotonin levels drop, causing increasing cravings for carbohydrates and sugars. A vicious cycle, which can eventually lead to binge eating and obesity.
Artificially sweet
In addition to all forms of sugars, there is also a whole range of synthetic or artificial sweeteners to replace sugar. These include sorbitol, xylitol, saccharin, aspartame and cyclamate. They contain no calories and are therefore very widely used in (sweet) light products. However, they are at least, if not more, addictive than sugar, as they continue to tantalize your taste buds with their sweet taste, keeping your addiction intact. Often you will eat or drink more of it because it has no calories anyway, so you need more and more of it to get the sugar kick.
"Converting sugar consumes minerals and vitamins, so frequent use of refined sugars can lead to deficiencies and an imbalance in the body."
Converting sugar consumes minerals and vitamins
Natural sugars, in addition to the “fuel,” contain so-called co-factors, consisting of vitamins, minerals, trace elements and other substances that are important to properly convert the final fuel into a form of energy for the body. Substances that play a role in the conversion and regulation of blood sugar levels include: zinc, manganese, chromium, vitamins B1, B3, B5, l-cysteļne, alpha-lipoic acid, l-glutamine and vitamin C.
With refined sugar, these co-factors are missing. After eating them, the body must supply these substances itself. If a person frequently eats refined sugars, the body often cannot compensate for these from other foods and may even develop deficiencies in these substances. Often when sugar consumption is high, the entire balance in the diet is lost.
This means that the quality of vitality declines and organs and tissue may begin to function differently due to deficiencies.
Converting sugar consumes minerals and vitamins
Of course sweet fits into a healthy diet. Unhealthy sugars and unhealthy foods just don’t fit with health, however. Eating refined sugars once need not be a problem. But regularly eating wrong sugars will cause problems in the long run.