How Much Sugar Should You Eat?
This is where I am going to sound like a judgemental b-word because I cannot get over how many people eat candy on a daily basis. I kind of thought it was more children. I was traveling recently and as anyone does, I perched myself for people watching. I don’t typically notice what people eat but on this day there was a ton of candy in people’s hands. Maybe I never noticed?
The couple that sat next to me on the flight were getting settled and out came three big ass bags of candy. What the heck? I like options as well, so I get it. The flight was only two and a half hours. It occurred to me later that they are smokers, so I imagine the sugar can maybe help combat the pull of nicotine? Maybe?
I actually love sweets, I have donut sundays and have been known to devour six donuts in one sitting. That is of course if they ARE NOT Dunkin Donuts. That is not an exaggeration, it's an average, it’s facts as well as a humble brag. Some people take pre-workout supplements, I eat a donut or some dark chocolate. I love sugar as much as the next guy, and absolutely have it at times. I didn’t grow up able to eat candy, it was probably the only thing we weren’t allowed to have in our charmed childhood.
How much candy do you eat each day? How much candy do you have in a week? I am talking refined sugar like the kind in Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, Laffy Taffy, or Snickers, or M&M’s? How many sugary sodas do you consume in a day or week? I read something once that said humans shouldn’t eat baked goods, it was terrifying information. I ignored it but it’s in the back of my head I learned later it was because of the sugar?.
There are many forms of sugar and it can get confusing. I’m going to just speak on refined sugar and natural sugar as this is a big topic and if it’s warranted to break sugar down even more for folks I am happy to just not in this post because it’s a lot already.
Refined sugar has been chemically altered. It’s an easier sugar to add to soft drinks or candy. That’s just a basic explanation. It’s high calorie and doesn’t have a nutrient your body can really use. If you eat too much refined sugar it can trigger your body’s immune system. If that sounds wrong to you it should. Think about the fact that too much refined sugar triggers the immune system! Isn’t that the wrong system for food consumption? Something ain’t right if the digestion or gut is calling in for back up.
The gut can’t handle too much refined sugar and what happens is our gut creates bad bacteria and has less of the good bacteria because the refined sugar has thrown things off so much. This is a shit show and can disrupt your digestion, and create bathroom issues like IBS.
That’s not the worst part, what also happens is it creates inflammation in the body.
Something that has alarmed me about refined sugar is this:
Sugar promotes the release of signaling molecules that initiate and amplify inflammatory responses.
We hear a lot about inflammation. I swear everything leads to, or causes inflammation so that word has lost its umph.
We all know inflammation is bad, but like how bad? Bad how? Chronic inflammation can lead to all kinds of things like cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's, just to name a few. Inflammation occurs when you eat too much refined sugar. I think one thing here that is important to remember is that heart disease is the number one cause of death. Not just in the US but worldwide.
So how much is too much? The American Heart Association says women can have no more than 25 grams, and men no more than 36. Men are always the winners. Children should have even less!!!
In one original Oreo there are 10 grams of sugar in two cookies. You don’t want to know the amount in the double stuffed. It's too depressing. One can of Mountain Dew has 46 grams of sugar. My favorite, a glazed donut has anywhere from 11-13 grams of sugar in one donut. This is all depressing information, but there are alternatives. Are they as good tasting? No not at first, but it gets there. It takes time to wipe the mind’s desire for all the good stuff you’ve consumed over time.
Eating natural sugar found in fruit is where it’s at. You shouldn’t over indulge in anything really, because joy isn’t healthy, but eating fruit instead of refined sugar is a perfect way to get that sweet moment met. Using honey and monk fruit is a great way to sweeten things. I’m crazy and will add the occasional Splenda.
WEIGHT LOSS AND SUGAR ARE NOT A THING
Sugar and weight loss aren’t a thing for a number of reasons. Not only is sugar typically high in calories, it can throw many things off in your body. What I’m talking about is the spike in sugar which is like a spike in your insulin level causing things to become fat stores…It’s like a hoarding situation. You can think of it like stacks of old news papers, and piles and piles of stuff placed all around a small apartment. That’s what happens when you have a lot of sugar. Your body has to store it somewhere!
This is a lot to take in and it honestly sucks. I told my son once when he was hoping to have some candy that we aren’t going to have candy everyday. He asked why and I told him. He then asked me if it’s so bad for us why is it even made and even available to us? Obviously I pretended not to hear that question, but he had a great point.
My personal way of navigating this sugar world as I am a sugar girl is this:
I eat fruit everyday and I use honey as my sweetener when I need it. I use it instead of maple syrup and I sometimes cut up strawberries and add honey to them. I think that probably sounds mad, but I need sweetness. I eat dark chocolate just like Oprah taught us, slowly to taste it in all of its glory. I really like monk fruit, and like I said I have an occasional Splenda. I think grapes and mangos are the perfect thing to have when specifically craving candy. Desperate times may call for sugar free chocolate jello or some Cool Whip right out of the container. I also drink Coke Zero when I crave something sweet. I don’t care what anyone thinks. It’s better than having what I really want which is an actual Coke. Do what you need and if you can stick with the natural stuff eventually your cravings will no longer be present, or at the very least the cravings will be more a whisper, and you can satisfy your sugar cravings quite quickly.