Why You Should Watch Your Sugar Consumption Over Christmas

Christmas is fast approaching and so are the mince pies, figgy pudding and yule logs. For that reason, it’s more difficult than ever to control the amount of sugar we’re consuming. We all know that too much sugar can rapidly make us put on weight, but there are some other ways that sugar effects your body, which might make you think twice about eating that third mince pie.

Saggy skin

Your sugar consumption contributes to the condition of your skin and consuming too much sugar can make your skin sag. Some of the sugar that you’re putting into your body will attach itself to proteins to make a whole new molecular structure. This process weakens the elasticity in your skin and is the reason why your skin can appear to be ageing quicker than it should be.

Too much sugar impairs the way your brain works

Studies have proven that a diet which is high in sugar can result in your cognitive function being impaired. Too much sugar can cause a reduction in the proteins that are necessary for memory and responsiveness. So if you’re feeling a little bit mentally sluggish, it could be due to an unhealthy diet.

Sugar doesn’t contain any essential nutrients

Added sugars are high in calories but don’t actually contain any nutrients that your body needs. For this reason, sugars such as sucrose are essentially ’empty’ calories because there’s no point in consuming them. Added sugar doesn’t contain any protein, vitamins or minerals that your body needs.

Your teeth will rot

We all know that sugar is bad for our teeth. This is because it feeds the bad bacteria in your mouth by providing it with easily digestible energy. Consuming a lot of sugar increases our blood sugar levels, which is why you can feel hyper after drinking sugar drinks. It’s easy to forget the damage that the sugar is doing to your teeth when you have that feel-good feeling. As well as tooth decay, sugar can also cause gum decease so it’s best to monitor the amount of sugar in your food and drinks.

Weight gain and obesity

A little sugar in your diet won’t be a problem as long as you live an active lifestyle. However, the consumption sugar in processed foods and added sugar can be harmful for your body if you’re not careful. Because added sugar gives us energy in the form of calories, it’s quite easy to consume too much of it and end up having a calorie and sugar intake that are unnecessarily high. This will make it easier for you to start gaining weight without realising.