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Health 3 February 2017
By: Natasha Tanga

5 Reasons to Get Rid of Refined Sugar in Your Daily Diet

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It's 9 pm. You get back from work and feel tired. You already have your dinner on your way back, but still have room for something else. Ah, the good old sweet treats; chocolate chip cookies, brownie cheesecake, a pint of ice cream, you name it. As you reach out for the cookies, your eyes widen at the sight of the nutritional facts, staggering 10 grams of sugar on each cookie. They look tempting, however, so you decided to limit your intake of one cookie while promising yourself to go jogging in the next morning.

How relevant might that scenario be for us? Sugar is a very common occurrence in almost every food we eat, every single day. It's not just that excusable condiment you might put in your morning coffee, that lollipop you consume in order to resist smoking temptations, or that molten lava cake you savor as dessert in a fancy restaurant.

Think about it; grocery store shelves are littered with junk foods--some of which are disguised as being healthy--that contain massive amounts of sugar. In fact, some food like energy bars, may contain more sugar than a candy bar. Aside from that, many foods contain hidden sugar, or sugar that is masked by other names such as high fructose corn syrup and dextrose, to name a few.

Excessive sugar intake can cause a lot of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, heart diseases and liver problems. Here are a few reasons why you should consider consuming them only on your special days:

1. You'll Feel Less Tired and More Energized

Ever thought why nutritionists out there advice you not to consume high-sugared meals during breakfast? While sugar is an instant energy booster, its downfall is as instant as a rollercoaster slope. You will most likely feel sluggish before lunch time and may also crave more sweets to fullfill your dopamine needs. The trick is to keep a balanced blood sugar level so that energy is constant.

2. You May Not Need to Pay Your Dentist a Visit That Often

Admit it, the main reason we all go to the dentist as kids would be because of dental cavities, whose culprit is none other than the sweets we consume.

3. Your Immune System Gets Stronger

Eating or drinking too much sugar curbs immune system cells that attack bacteria. This effect lasts for a few hours after consuming sugary foods or drinks. The negative effect of sugar on the immune system is commonly observed in diabetes. Diabetics usually have a hard time fighting off infections and experiencing complete wound healing. The impairment of white blood cells caused by high blood sugar levels in diabetics lower resistance to infections. In the same way, flooding the blood with sugar can temporary impair the functions of white blood cells even in healthy people altough it is definitely not the sole factor responsible for your sickness.

4. You'll Save Your Heart from Breaking (literally)

Sugar may be worse for your blood pressure than salt, according to a paper published in the journal Open Heart. Just a few weeks on high-sucrose diet can increase both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Another study found that for every additional sugar-sweetened beverage, risk of developing hypertension increased 8 percent. If that isn't alarming enough, sugar is also the culprit of high LDL cholesterol in your lipid levels and could strain one's heart muscles.

5. Your Liver will Thank You

This detoxifying organ functions as a filter of toxins for your body. The liver uses about 20 percent of the calories you consume to fuel itself and its work, which includes converting proteins and sugars from food into energy for your body, aided by insulin. However, the liver has very limited capacity to metabolize processed sugar. This enhances fat deposition in the liver that hamper functioning of the pancreas resulting in impaired insulin production and causing fatty liver buildup.

Now that we've presented a fragment for you to take simple steps towards a healthier lifestyle, we at Herbana believe that the actions being taken are effortlessly possible. As your trusted source of herbal products, we strive to accommodate your health needs by providing you with essential supplements. Our range of Relief Sari products, specifically Kayu Manis will help you maintain a healthy blood sugar level, and even aid in lowering cholesterol levels. Our Temulawak may also benefit you in helping protect your liver from damage.

This article was written by Natasha Tanga

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