I’m pretty sure that, by now, you know that sugar is our number one enemy when it comes to healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. What better way to lead an appealing lifestyle than to cut out the sugar in our diet? You cut the sugar, you cut the fat. Great, right? You will see that the sugar-free diet benefits DO exist and they start with the moment you decide to reduce the amount of refined sugar you eat up to zero.
Sure, you will probably say that you cannot live without sugar and eating sweets, desserts and every other food containing this ingredient. Nobody’s saying you shouldn’t eat sweets, but what you could do instead is a little bit of research on sugar’s natural and healthy substitutes and why it’s okay to avoid sugar as often as possible. Cutting out sugar can lead to solving problems such as weight loss, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity.
Let’s take sugar apart and make a clear difference between natural sugar and refined sugar. Sugar, in its natural form, fructose or lactose, found in fruits, vegetables, and dairy, is a harmless and, most of the times, quite a necessary ingredient. When all of this changes and sugar is added to other foods during processing for flavor, colors and/or texture, then we have a real health problem.
12 Sugar-Free Diet Benefits
Leading a healthy lifestyle and being happy with our healthy bodies should be our main goal in life. I know that’s mine. I didn’t start a sugar-free diet but I must say I am tempted to try it and to actually see the sugar-free diet benefits over my whole self. I am not a big fan of sugar, but I do love to eat desserts especially those I make with my own hands.
However, lately, I’ve been trying to avoid using sugar or to use as little as possible. Guess what? They taste the same or even greater – you can actually feel other flavors and ingredients when you lose the sugar. It’s really not that bad. Here are 12 reasons why we should embrace the sugar-free diet.
#1. Skin
Foods containing high quantities of sugar are known to have effects on the severity of acne and other skin-related issues. They trigger hormonal fluctuations which lead to skin inflammation. One of the sugar-free diet benefits is that skin becomes clear and pimples/acne are reduced.
Also, you might have noticed that if you’re eating too many sugary foods your skin is looking dull and wrinkled. Yes, sugar ages you. Collagen and elastin are damaged by the sugar in your bloodstream. Time to cut the sugar and get hydrated.
#2 Weight
One of the obvious sugar-free diet benefits is weight loss. Adjusting to a sugar-free life is pretty tough, but keep in mind that you won’t drop out sugary foods for good: you will still be able to eat fruits and vegetables, meaning sugar in its natural state. So now, when there will be no other source of energy in your body, except fat, your body will turn to the fat storage deposits. This is the time when you might want to think about doing some exercises and start working out.
#3 Healthy Eating
Keeping your motivation on a high level requires a certain amount of “work”. When you start to see the true sugar-free diet benefits, avoiding sugar or eating some low-sugar foods, you will realize that eating healthy should be your lifestyle. It will also keep you motivated into doing so. Eating healthy gives you the chance to experience with food and to find sugar-free recipes or natural alternatives to sweeten a dessert.
By always remembering that sugar is damaging to your body, you will always motivate yourself into leading a healthy lifestyle and eating as healthy as possible. You are your own motivation!
#4 Blood Pressure
One of the major health risks and consequences of eating large quantities of sugar is obesity. It is also a major risk for high blood pressure. In time, a high blood pressure increases the workload of the heart and arteries – it can cause damage to the whole circulatory system, which can result in heart diseases, strokes, heart attacks, kidney damage, artery diseases and other serious health problems.
If you haven’t though so far about these major health problem, you might want to start thinking about the sugar-free diet benefits over your health.
#5 Cholesterol Level
Surely you know that consuming sugar on a regular basis will lead to high levels of cholesterol, bad cholesterol that is (LDL). It will also lead to a high level of triglycerides (blood fats). These high levels of cholesterol and fats will clog up arteries and result in heart diseases. Think twice before ingesting large quantities of sugar.
#6 Anxiety
People who have engaged in the sugar-free diets say that, after a certain period of time, their anxiety problem started to be reduced. If you come to think about it, sugar may give you energy and an agitated state, but the lack of it can result in a calm mind and body and in anxiety-free, maybe even a stress-free state.
#7 Addiction For Sweets
Looks like drugs aren’t the only ones that give addiction. With sugar, it’s the same. During sugar absorption, dopamine is released, so you feel somewhat euphoric. When you eat too much sugar, the healthy dopamine is shut down which means that in order to re-signal it, you have to eat more and more sugar.
Studies show that excessive amounts of sugar develop physical addiction symptoms and signs of withdrawal. Next time you think of eating large amounts of sugar think of this sugar-free diet benefits.
#8 Sleep
Are you eating sweets in the evenings? Do you struggle with insomnia? Well, if you didn’t know it by now, blood sugar problems are the second cause of insomnia, affecting a lot of us. Avoid eating sugar before going to sleep in order to have a proper sleep.
You can also experience some reactions that can keep you up at night: congestion, bloating, gas, gastrointestinal issues. If you do feel like eating something before going to bed, make sure it is not sweet: you could try some oatmeal or whole grain carbs.
#9 Illness Risk
A poor diet, a diet rich in sugar and refined carbs is the main cause of inflammation in the body. Although a certain inflammation level is normal, when that inflammation is chronic, you start to worry. It can cause asthma, allergies, diseases and can also lead to cancer. Specialists believe that sugar and white flour are the main culprits that cause chronic inflammation.
After cutting out the sugar and replace it with fruits and vegetables, the body’s inflammation response will decrease so the risk of major illness will be reduced. One great sugar-free diet benefits.
#10 Energy
You drink some soda and you quickly feel an energy boost. But is that energy for real? How long does a soda keep you energized? Not long enough, that’s for sure. And if you take a minute and think about it, you will get to the conclusion that it also gets you exhausted, irritated and craving for more. You feel like you can’t focus on anything. Right?
By replacing sugar and those simple carbs you love so much to eat, you won’t feel anymore the ups and down of energy levels. You will feel a constant one. This is one of the coolest sugar-free diet benefits.
#11 Brain
We’ve established that sugar contributes to the inability to concentrate and memory loss, to negative thinking and a nervous state. Eating a lot of sugary foods can lead to disturbances in the brain activity. If you want to enhance your mental clarity try a sugar-free diet.
#12 Dental Health
Dental health and sugar don’t mix so well. Sugar encourages the growth of bacteria responsible for cavities. Although bacteria can be removed by brushing our teeth, the tartar still builds up resulting in dental problems. An okay sugar substitute that doesn’t cause dental health issues is Xylitol.
Everybody wants the perfect life, the perfect lifestyle, to eat in a perfect balance, etc. But do we work for it? Perfection is not the key here. And I think perfection will never be an important aspect of our lives. We are not robots. We cannot have and lead the perfect life. We can just make it almost perfect in our very own ways.
Don’t let perfection ruin you and don’t let yourself be ruined by your lifestyle. Lead the lifestyle you desire, but make it a healthy one. Don’t abuse sugar and reduce it, with time. You will see a difference. You will see the sugar-free diet benefits. Trust me!
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