Since childhood I have been hearing that high intake of sugar is linked to weight gain and all sorts of Health problems.
My personal experience is that sugar is extremely important for good health. And yes I am talking about added sugar. Yes there is a point in limiting the added or natural sugar. But avoiding sugar like plague is too bad.
95% of the educated people avoid added sugar. I also tried giving up sugar for 6 to 9 months. My personal experiences are –
- Early black outs while playing sports
- Lack of quality sleep and Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Cervical pains
- Constipation
- And most shocking weight gain of 6 to 7 kg
- Sugar seemed to give substantial relief to schizophrenia and depression patients as well
- There are scientific studies which blame low intake of sugar for heart diseases.
Now look at what the most credible web sites in the world say about added sugar
First Link – http://www.mydailyintake.net/nutrients/
Sugars
The reference value for sugars for an average adult is 90 grams (1 spoon is about 5 grams). That is about 18 spoons a day.
Carbohydrates
The reference value for carbohydrates (both complex and simple) for an average adult is 310 grams.
Second Link – http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/healthy-sugar-intake-per-day-6128.html
The American Heart Association recommends limiting sugar consumption to no more than half of your daily discretionary calories. Women should have about 100 discretionary calories daily, which means the limit should be no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar daily. Men are allotted 150 daily discretionary calories, meaning no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugars each day. Similarly, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommends no more than 5 to 15 percent of daily calories come from added sugars and solid fats.
Third Link – http://www.cbsnews.com/news/world-health-organization-lowers-sugar-intake-recommendations/
World Health Organisation
For an adult of a normal body mass index (BMI), that works out to about 6 teaspoons — or 25 grams — of sugar per day.
Fourth Link – http://www.healthline.com/health/hypoglycemia#Overview1
Symptoms of low blood sugar can occur suddenly. They include:
Blurred vision, high pulse rate, fatigue, cold hands, headaches, difficulty sleeping, Tingling, Anxiety, problems in concentrating. Stroke and what not.
I really fail to understand why people who show these symptoms are not advised to check their sugar intake.
Fifth Link – http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-hypoglycemia#1
Same as in link 4
I think I do not need to say much. Draw your own conclusions. If you want to know what other people are saying about their sugar consumption fill out a small form here.