Health: 5 Signs That You Are Eating Too Much Sugar
Excessive consumption of sugary products is associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cavities, but also obesity, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Contrary to what we often imagine, weight gain and tooth decay are not the only warning signs. We have listed for you 5 signs that you are eating too much sugar.
1- You are hungry mid-morning
If you consistently get cravings around 10am when you've had breakfast before leaving for work, you may see this as one of the 5 signs you're eating too much sugar.
When breakfast contains too many sugary products like fruit juice, industrial cereals, jam or spread on toast, the sudden arrival of all that glucose in the blood triggers a big insulin spike... followed by hypoglycemia.
This explains why one to two hours after eating you feel hungry again and feel an urge to snack on sweets to quickly bring your blood sugar back up.
To stop this vicious cycle that tires your body, the solution is to eat lower glycemic index foods for breakfast:
- sourdough or semi-complete bread instead of white bread (baguette or sandwich bread)
- margarine enriched with omega 3 (with ham if you wish) or fresh cheese instead of jam on toast
- a hot unsweetened drink and a whole fruit such as an orange or an apple instead of fruit juice
If you don't have the appetite to eat a whole fruit for breakfast, you can take your apple to the office to munch on for a morning snack.
2- You are often tired
If you often feel fatigued and sleepy throughout the day, especially in the half hour or hour after meals, this is another of the 5 signs that you are eating too much sugar.
The vicious cycle of high blood sugar followed by reactive low blood sugar, which we told you about above, is very tiring for the body.
As a result, post-meal crashes, feelings of drowsiness or even feeling tired all the time are symptoms that should alert you. They can mean that your blood sugar is yo-yoing and this can even cause nighttime waking and worsen your exhaustion.
Some ways to limit these blood sugar spikes that wear you down include:
- eat lighter meals, even if it means having one or two snacks during the day (in the morning and afternoon)
- wait at least 2 hours after your evening meal before going to bed
- always include vegetables or a salad on the menu, especially with high glycemic index foods such as pizza or pasta
- eat cakes and other sweets as a dessert after a light meal, but never alone as a snack
3- You have trouble concentrating
Although the brain feeds exclusively on glucose, excess sweets are not beneficial to the brain because high glycemic index foods cause blood sugar to yo-yo. If you have to put in mental effort for an exam, for example, remember that your brain prefers to be fed glucose continuously.
When blood glucose levels drop, it can result in lack of concentration and memory lapses. Difficulty concentrating is the third of 5 signs that you are eating too much sugar.
To feed your brain well and keep your blood sugar levels stable, it's best to eat foods with a low glycemic index such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, not to mention the omega 3s that are essential for proper functioning of the nervous system.
4- You have mood swings
If you are exhibiting bad temper and aggression towards those around you, it doesn't have to be because of stress or your bad temper! It can also be one of 5 signs that you are eating too much sugar.
The link between mood and eating too much sugar is explained by two phenomena:
- eating sugar causes euphoria, which is quickly broken down by insulin, resulting in mood swings
- foods that are too sweet are bad for the intestinal flora or microbiota. However, it is in the intestine that more than 80% of serotonin, the neurotransmitter of good mood, is produced.
To improve your mood, you can limit industrial products full of hidden sugars and increase your fiber intake (because it feeds the good bacteria of the gut microbiota).
5- You have wrinkles and/or acne
If you have acne when you're over 50, you may need to look to your plate for the cause. Poor skin health with deep wrinkles and/or severe acne may be the latest of 5 signs that you're eating too much sugar.
It's often overlooked, but eating sugary products has a direct impact on skin quality. Glucose molecules caramelize collagen, which accentuates wrinkles and accelerates skin aging.
Eating too much sugar can also cause severe acne flare-ups in 15% of women and 5% of men over 50 because insulin stimulates sebum production.
Therefore, to improve the quality of your skin, you need to limit blood sugar spikes.For example, you can start by stopping sweets and sodas. If you try to eat a balanced diet by limiting industrial products and increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, your efforts will be rewarded with a visible result on your skin quality.
