Sugar, a word that sounds negative. A lot of parents say: “Sugar is bad for you”. They are right, too much sugar is bad for your health.But your body needs sugar too!There are cons and benefits of consuming sugar, we will explain them to you.

Health effects

Sugar is often associated with weight gain . This is not totally true: eating too much sugar can be associated with weight gain, but sugar doesn’t have to be the direct cause of it. Sugar provides energy but does not contain vitamins, minerals and fiber. This means that it doesn’t satisfy the body, even though your body receives the extra calories.  

But sugar isn’t all bad: the body needs sugar, or glucose, for energy.  Your brain needs glucose to function.Also glucose is a quickly available energy source, used during high intensity efforts like a work-out or when you feel dizzy.

Positive and negative effects

There are different forms of sugar. For example, granulated sugar, cane sugar, honey and (agave/maple)syrup. They say that granulated sugar is the worst, but all kinds of sugar are processed the same way. So your body can not know the difference between those sugars. However, sugars from for example fruits and vegetables are a better choice. This is because next to the sugars, they contain nutrients. Sugars from candy or soda don’t have too much nutrients. These are the so-called ‘empty calories’: they contain calories without being beneficial for your well-being.  Are you curious about what sugar alternatives are the healthiest? Read it in this post. 

What to do if you want to eat less sugar?

For example, cut sugar in your breakfast. Replace sugary and crispy muesli for muesli with nuts of fresh fruit. Also try to decrease your sugar intake while you are eating snacks! Instead of cookies, cake, go for vegetables, fruit, whole grain bread or crackers. During dinner you can decrease sugar intake by making your own dressing or sauces instead of ready-made dressings and/or sauces. Also replace soda drinks with water, coffee or tea.

NiceDay: Note in your diary what cutting sugar does to your well-being. Is it easy for you? Do you feel more energetic? What is going well? Where can you still improve?

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Tim Buijs

Here to help you every step off the way. Passionate about sports, traveling and movies.

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