Sugar!
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s almost Easter! It’s actually hard not to notice. Every grocery store, drug store, convenience store, and the like “prime” their stores with one of the sweetest American holidays, Easter.
As I ran to my local Target today to get some things, I was amazed at the variety of candy offered. Peeps in every shape and color, Reece’s eggs, chocolates, dark chocolate bunnies, milk chocolate bunnies, M&M’s, Cadbury eggs, and the list goes on.
Does the thought of this candy make you cringe or make you happy? Have you given any thought to who will eat all of this candy? Kids? Friends? Yourself perhaps? Although sugar tastes delicious, there are a few things you should keep in mind before you polish off your Easter basket of chocolate.
First – natural sugars. This is NOT candy! You need to know that your body naturally produces sugars at a normal level that are healthy. Your body is an amazing machine so it automatically knows when to produce more or less sugar (again, naturally, not artificially) to provide you with energy that helps to keep you going throughout the day.
Second – artificial sugars. These are the chemically produced ones that you find in processed foods, candies (like our beloved Easter candy). When we ingest these, our body detects a high level of sugar and secretes insulin to help lower our blood sugar. While it’s good our body is working to control our sugar levels, this also puts stress on our bodies. It will increase your chances for diabetes and it alters things such as our calcium and magnesium in our bodies.
Lastly – sugar can be harmful to many parts of your body. Some of the health issues associated with too much sugar includes diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, depression and hypertension.
Next time you are craving something sweet try to reach for a “healthier” alternative such as a piece of fruit, a natural sugar (like honey or pure maple syrup on top of something), dried fruit or a pure fruit juice.
If you have any questions about sugar and its effects on your body, please reach out and contact us.
At Carlos and Parnell, M.D., P.A. our professional and caring staff makes the difference with patient care. – See more at: http://www.dev.carlosparnellmd.com/thermometers-and-babies/#sthash.MFvVROkI.dpuf
