Sugar, Health, and Your Hormones

Say “no” to sugar!

The FDA tells us that we should include a very minimal amount of sugar in our diet, so why is it that 80% of our food options have sugar in them. The USDA approximates that the average American consumes about 8 teaspoons of high fructose corn syrup a day, which is 27 pounds per year, and this is only increasing. In addition, the USDA estimates that you consume 32 teaspoons of “added sugar” a day. Added sugar is any form of sugar that is put into products such as bread, in order to improve the color, consistency or taste of a prepackaged product. You can find large amounts of added sugar in products such as: tomato sauce, bagels, ketchup, salad dressings and more.

The WHO organization and The American Heart Association goes as far as to say we should only consume sugar equal to that of 5-10% of our daily calories, especially if you have other health concerns. 10% is about 50 grams of sugar a day, which is equal to only 3 tablespoons of refined sugar. This means that if you have any health issues or are worried about the effects of aging, you should cut that down to a tablespoon and a half of sugar per day. Sugar can have an impact on the health and appearance of your skin, and as we age, our skin becomes more sensitive to poor diet decisions. Overdoing sugar can even increase the severity of the symptoms of menopause.

How much sugar is in our food?

a small chocolate milkshake: 62 grams

½ a cup of white chocolate candy: 50 grams

½ a cup of raisins: 43 grams

10 gummy worms: 43 grams

8 oz of fruit yogurt: 43 grams

A 240-milliliter Gatorade: 15 grams

The worst, and most highly criticized source of sugar is, of course, soda. In a 12 oz. can of coke you can find 39 grams of sugar! Many soda drinkers end up having several, if not many cans of soda a day. 

Here are some foods where you wouldn’t expect to find so much sugar:

In 1.5 cups of soup you can find up to 15 grams of sugar

Salad dressings often contain up to 4 grams of sugar per tablespoon

In half a cup of tomato sauce there can be up to 12 grams of sugar (often high fructose corn syrup)

Many granola bars contain up to 9 grams of sugar per bar.

Sugar and your Hormones

Excessive amounts of sugar can affect one of your body’s most important hormones: insulin. Insulin is closely connected to both estrogen and testosterone (not to mention related to the rest of your hormones). It can either increase or decrease the levels of estrogen and testosterone, which then, in turn, effects the ratio of progesterone and estrogen. These imbalances can cause drastic changes in your mood, energy levels, weight, and health overall. In turn, unbalanced hormones can also cause you to crave sugar more, causing a vicious circle with only poor results. Getting your hormones in check will likely help you to get your sugar cravings under control. 

Conclusion

A simple change in your diet can have wonderful results for your health, ranging from energy levels, to weight loss, to hormonal balance. The first step is cutting out the largest, most obvious sources of sugar but one cannot forget about all of the “added sugar” in everyday products like tomato sauce, bread and granola bars. If you are going to choose a sweet snack, pick a piece of fruit! At least that is also a fantastic source of vitamins!