Sugar Binge - Ill Effects of Sugar on Our Mind & Body

The social distancing norm of the lockdown has brought us closer to the kitchen but further away from our health goals. 2020 has been a year full of banana bread, Dalgona coffee, and various other “sweet trends”.

It has been a rocky road for other sectors barring the sugar industry which saw a boom like never before. The baking trends on social media and sweet indulgence has heightened the demand for baking products especially sugar. Sugar consumption is incredibly hard to measure and the approximate numbers lie solely with the suppliers and traders, giving us an idea that even the health-conscious portion of the population must have fallen for the “sweet binge” 

Amidst Relishing every piece of cake, every cup of sweetened coffee and every scoop of ice-cream have we evaluated the effect sugar has on our mental and physical well-being? Have we checked ourselves while binging on sugary drinks while we incessantly Netflix or watch our favourite programmes on TV? Have we thought of going off sugar for a while to help cleanse the body?

Probably not. The only thing we’ve gauged or measured all lockdown, is  whether we need 2 or 3 cups of sugar to prepare scrumptious desserts. 

Ill effect of sugar on our body:

1. Weight Gain and Obesity
2. High blood pressure and inflammation 
3. Diabetes
4. Heart Attack
5. Risk of a stroke 
6. Increased risk of cancer

Ill effects of sugar on our mind:

1. Slow cognitive ability
2. Deficits in memory and retention problem 
3. On set of dementia
4. Risk of Alzheimer's 
5. irritable and anxious behaviour 
6. Depression disorders

Looks like the sweet treats come with a lot of baggage but being mindful of your food choices and checking food labels for added sugars, preservatives and sweeteners can go a long way in keeping the mind and body healthy.

 

We all need a wake-up call to prudently think about our choices. We must apply the same to our eating habits. Replace your sugar with jaggery and opt for healthier options like fruits and fruit juices instead of sugary aerated drinks. Opting for a healthy lifestyle is opting for a better tomorrow.  

With the lockdown still underway, we shouldn’t be sitting or rather sleeping on our sugar binge habits yet again

 

Written by - Tushna Choksey