diabetes

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5 Great Reasons To Cut The Sugar From Your Diet

June 3, 2020 John Uncategorized No comments

Sugar is sweet. We know that.

But GenuLines reminds you that cutting back on sugar can sweeten your overall health.

5 Great Reasons To Cut The Sugar From Your Diet

There’s been a lot of talk in the media about the evils of sugar consumption. Sugar is hiding in all sorts of foods including bread and salad dressing.

Add to that our love for things like cookies and ice cream and it’s no wonder our sugar intake is skyrocketing. Unfortunately, all this added sugar is doing a lot of damage to our health.

And it’s causing weight gain like never before.

It’s time to cut added sugar from our diets. Here are five reasons why you should do a sugar detox and do as much as possible to avoid sugar consumption.

Consuming Sugar Spikes Your Insulin

As soon as your body starts to digest sugar, your insulin spikes up. Insulin is the hormone that’s in charge of keeping blood sugar levels from rising too high.

It converts extra sugar into fat for storage. This is a delicate process. Consuming sugar in large quantities will cause your insulin to spike.

The insulin then faces more than it can handle. Over time it becomes less and less effective.

This is when you get a negative effect on your health.

Consuming Sugar Makes You Gain Weight

Because of the insulin and because sugar adds a lot of calories to food. It can make you gain weight and you don’t have to be eating a lot of candy and cakes for that to happen.

Health authorities tell you to watch and lower your fat intake. The food industry gives us all sorts of low fat and fat-free food options.

But, to make these low-fat foods taste o.k, they added a lot of sugar. Take a look at regular and low fat or fat-free salad dressing.

The lower fat options have a lot more carbs and in particular, sugar.

You may not taste it, but it’s there. Sugar gets digested a lot faster than fat.

You’re hungry sooner after consuming a low-fat meal, so you eat again. The end result is weight gain.

Consuming Sugar Increases Your Risk For Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

With all that increased sugar and weight gain comes a higher risk for diabetes. And a condition called metabolic syndrome.

This is a group of symptoms and behaviors that put you at a much higher risk for heart disease and Type II diabetes. The good news is that both conditions are reversible.

The first step is to cut out the sugar.

Sugar Doesn’t Have A Lot of Nutritional Value And It Makes You Hungrier

Remember that aside from a little boost of energy, sugar doesn’t provide a lot of nutritional value. If you want something sweet, you’re much better off grabbing a piece of fruit than a cookie.

At least with a piece of fruit, you’re getting some vitamins and fiber with your sugar fix. If you want or need to lose weight, begin by cutting out sugar.

It causes spikes in your blood sugar.

These make your body produce a large amount of insulin to pull the sugar out of your system (and convert it to body fat). The sad little side effect of that process is that your blood sugar goes on a roller coaster ride.

This nowhere ride will leave you hungry and craving more sugary treats.

JohnK 6-3-2020

chiforyourself@gmail.com

Overheard: “I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.”

~Og Mandino

Childhood Obesity: Its Causes And What We Can Do

September 5, 2018 John Uncategorized No comments

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in our culture. Many children are so overweight that they almost stop being children.

They can’t play and enjoy their lives the way children usually do.

Of course, childhood obesity causes health issues too. Overweight kids tend to be sick more often.

And they’re at risk of developing long-term health problems. Understanding childhood obesity helps parents make decisions and prevent obesity in their children.

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What Is Childhood Obesity?

Childhood obesity is a health condition. The diagnosis is generally based on a child’s BMI or Body Mass Index.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has obesity guidelines for kids. The CDC defines it as a BMI greater than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and gender.

Your pediatrician records your child’s height and weight. Then the numbers are compared to the average child across the country.

What causes Childhood Obesity?

There are actually many causes of childhood obesity:

Hereditary factors

In some cases, genetics plays a role. A child may inherit a thyroid problem or another hormonal problem.

If parents and other family members are obese, then their children are more likely to be obese as well.

But, other environmental factors that may have a bigger impact on a child’s health. Things like diet and lack of activity.

Poor eating habits and lack of activity

The biggest causes of childhood obesity are poor eating habits and inactivity. Many obese children live on a regular diet of starchy carbohydrates and high-fat foods.

A fast-food diet is a major contributor

Let’s look at the common diet that’s high in sugar, white flour, and fat. These foods cause children to have blood sugar imbalances.

The highs and lows lead to cravings. Cravings then lead to more poor food choices and the cycle can quickly get out of hand.

The problem worsens when parents don’t or are unable to provide healthy options.

Cupboards stocked with junk food are tempting. Kids almost always choose the junk over a healthy snack.

Add inactivity to poor food choices and you have the makings of childhood obesity.

More and more children are left home to fend for themselves after school. When they’re home, they sit on the couch and watch television.

They play video or computer games instead of being active and playing outside. Obesity results when children are consuming way more calories than they burn.

Also, the calories they do consume are empty, not providing them with the nutrients they need.

What are some problems associated with obesity?

Overweight and obese children often face a life of ridicule from their peers. They suffer health challenges most adults cannot imagine.

The result can be a shorter lifespan.

The good news is that childhood obesity can be reversed. Children are incredibly adaptable.

They can learn new habits. But they can’t do it alone. They need support. They need adults who can help them make responsible and healthy decisions.

That’s where their parents or guardians are so important in helping them.

JohnK 9-5-2018

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