Challenge of the day: what happens if you give up sugar? Especially worth a try for athletes

Today, perhaps, only a lazy person is not talking about the harm of sugar: how many scientific articles are written and documentaries are filmed. And yet many people think that giving up sweets is an almost impossible task. We in the editorial office decided to find out for ourselves and exclude sugar in all its manifestations for one day.

nutritionist

If you give up sugar, life will be healthier and less dependent.

What is sugar harmful?

Causes obesity
Consuming large amounts of sugar increases hunger and cravings for food, leads to the development of obesity and other equally dangerous diseases. A correlation has been established between high levels of simple sugars in the daily diet and the amount of fat in the abdominal area – the most dangerous type, leading to endocrine and cardiovascular diseases.

Head of Lifestyle

For me, this sugar-free day was not my first experience. I already gave up fast carbohydrates two years ago for more than six months. And now I mostly prefer desserts without refined sugar. But lately, I’ve been hooked on candy in the newsroom again. That’s why on this sugar free day not the healthiest, but my favorite chocolate bar was beckoning me from the shelf of the refrigerator. I could barely wait till morning.

Contributes to heart and vascular disease
Simple sugars increase chronic inflammation in tissues, raise blood glucose levels, and slightly raise blood pressure levels. All of these are major risk factors for heart and vascular disease.

Causes acne
Any diet rich in “sweet” carbohydrates is associated with a high risk of acne. There is a spike in blood sugar – accelerated secretion of sebum. Among other things, this provokes acne.

head of special projects

A year and a half ago I started having problems with my facial skin. The reason was the wrong diet – I had no boundaries in food at that time. I had to give up fast carbohydrates, including sugar, for six months.

At first it was hard psychologically. I caught myself thinking that I looked at food indifferently: as if I was forcing myself to have breakfast to make myself feel normal. But the desire to have clear skin outweighed the urge to jump off the diet.

Another thing that many people don’t realize is that sugar is everywhere. I could stand at the counter for 10 minutes, choosing the right product. Sugar is added even where you don’t expect to see it: for example, in ham or salad. It became difficult to buy in ordinary supermarkets, so healthy food stores helped. There you could even buy a sugar-free dessert, but the price was corresponding.

Therefore, to give up sugar and live a tasty life is a great skill. And to come to it, you need time and motivation.

author of “Championship”

Giving up simple carbohydrates, that is, sugar and its analogs, is not new to me. Therefore, such a challenge came easily to me. About five years ago I decided to give up sweets, because I couldn’t live a day without a bar of chocolate (and sometimes even two). As a result, I became allergic, and of course, I was worried about it. Well, and the extra weight was not at all embellishing. Then I experienced a real chocolate withdrawal: I got angry at nothing, irritated and ate fruit for everything. I had constant headaches, loss of energy, and it seemed that I was tied to chocolate for the rest of my life.

For about a year I firmly refused to eat sweets, but occasionally I broke down and still allowed myself a piece. Later I found an alternative and switched to bitter chocolate. Even later I started to allow myself other desserts, but not every day, but when I really want to. I believe that balance is important in everything, and it’s okay to indulge once in a while.