Sugar makes every part style higher. However indicators you’re consuming an excessive amount of sugar embrace feeling sluggish, bloated, or craving extra sweets.
It’s simple to overdo it. As a dietitian, I’ve labored with many consumers who didn’t understand how a lot sugar was sneaking into their food regimen—till their power ranges, temper, and digestion began struggling.
In the event you’ve ever hit a day droop that solely a pastry appears to repair or felt always hungry regardless of consuming loads of meals, sugar is likely to be the wrongdoer. The most effective methods to know for certain is to trace your sugar consumption.
Let’s break down the indicators you is likely to be consuming an excessive amount of sugar and what to do about it.
How Dangerous Is Sugar, Actually?
Sugar isn’t inherently unhealthy—our our bodies want some to perform. It’s the added sugars, particularly from sweets and processed meals, that may trigger issues.
“Your physique absorbs these easy sugars rapidly, which may elevate the danger of weight achieve, diabetes, and different well being points,” says Daisy Mercer, a MyFitnessPal dietitian (1).
Even in the event you really feel fantastic now, indicators you’re consuming an excessive amount of sugar can quietly present up in your power, digestion, and even your pores and skin over time.
I’m not saying that you must minimize sugar out utterly. However staying conscious of how a lot—and the place—the sugar in your food regimen comes from might help you meet your well being objectives.
Added Sugar vs. Sugar in Complete Meals
Not all sugars are the identical. The sugar naturally present in fruits, greens, and dairy comes packaged with fiber that helps sluggish digestion and supply power.
Then again, added sugars—like these in flavored yogurts, baked items, and packaged snacks—lack these vitamin advantages and might spike blood sugar ranges rapidly.
Crucial sugar to be conscious of is the added sugars present in ultra-processed meals (2). Extremely processed meals are designed to be extraordinarily tasty and straightforward to eat (2).
For instance, most individuals aren’t prone to overeat apples, despite the fact that they include loads of pure sugar. However cookies? It’s all too simple to achieve for one or two and find yourself consuming a complete sleeve. That’s as a result of apples include filling fiber and most cookies don’t.
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9 Indicators You Might Be Consuming Too A lot Sugar
Look ahead to these indicators you’re consuming an excessive amount of sugar. In the event you spot any, it is likely to be time to take a more in-depth have a look at your sugar consumption.
1. Diabetes or pre-diabetes
In case your physician’s flagged your blood sugar—or if diabetes runs in your loved ones—it’s sensible to take a more in-depth have a look at your sugar consumption.
What’s occurring:
Consuming an excessive amount of added sugar over time can result in insulin resistance. That’s the place your cells cease responding correctly to insulin, the hormone that helps management blood sugar (1).
When that occurs, your blood sugar stays increased than it ought to, growing the danger for Sort 2 diabetes. In keeping with the CDC, over 98 million American adults have prediabetes—and most don’t even comprehend it (3).
What to look at for:
- Fixed thirst
- Frequent urination
- Unexplained fatigue
What to do:
Initially, comply with your healthcare supplier’s recommendation. It in all probability consists of slicing again on added sugars and filling your plate with high-fiber carbs and lean proteins that may assist stabilize blood sugar.
Bonus: utilizing a instrument just like the MyFitnessPal Meal Planner might help you begin consuming a much less processed food regimen.
2. Coronary heart Illness
Whereas sugar won’t be the very first thing that involves thoughts whenever you consider coronary heart well being, consuming elevated added sugar can enhance danger of diabetes, which will increase danger of coronary heart illness. (1).
What’s occurring:
An excessive amount of sugar can harm blood vessels and lift your danger of coronary heart illness by contributing to excessive blood sugar and irritation.
A research within the journal Circulation discovered that individuals who consumed extra of their each day energy from added sugar had been extra prone to die from coronary heart illness than those that saved their consumption underneath 10% (4).
What to look at for:
- Weight-reduction plan excessive in sweetened drinks, pastries, or processed snacks
- Historical past of excessive ldl cholesterol or hypertension
What to do:
Swap sugary snacks for nutrient-dense meals like greens, complete grains, and lean proteins.
3. Starvation Quickly After Consuming
In the event you simply ate however already really feel such as you want a snack, your meal would possibly’ve been too heavy on sugar and light-weight on the stuff that really retains you full—like fiber, protein, and wholesome fats (5).
A sugary breakfast like cereal or a pastry will digest quick, leaving you hungry once more an hour later.
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What’s occurring:
Analysis has discovered that meals excessive in refined carbs and sugars elevated starvation and led to overeating all through the day (6).
Sugar digests rapidly and doesn’t set off long-lasting satiety indicators like protein or fiber do. This units off a cycle of consuming and re-eating.
What to look at for:
- Starvation shortly after meals
- Meals low in protein or fiber
- Fixed grazing all through the day
What to do:
Construct balanced meals and snacks with protein, fiber, and fats. Assume: Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts or eggs with complete grain toast.
In regards to the Specialists
Caroline Thomason, RD, is a dietitian and diabetes educator combining her love of vitamin with the ability of creating higher well being simple to grasp. With 12 years within the business, her work has appeared in additional than 40 publications. She’s additionally a speaker, broadcast spokesperson, and recipe developer.
Daisy Mercer, RD, is a Meals Information Curator at MyFitnessPal. She graduated along with her bachelors of Meals Science and Dietetics from Colorado State College and accomplished her dietetic internship with the VA San Diego Healthcare system.
Melissa Jaeger RD, LD is the Head of Diet for MyFitnessPal. Melissa obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Diet (DPD) from the Faculty of Saint Benedict and accomplished her dietetic internship by means of Iowa State College. In Might 2024 she was acknowledged because the Registered Younger Dietitian of the Yr awarded by the Minnesota Academy of Diet and Dietetics.
4. Pores and skin Issues
Sugar won’t be the very first thing you blame when your pores and skin flares up, however it may be a sneaky wrongdoer.
Excessive sugar consumption can result in hormonal shifts and irritation, each of that are unhealthy information on your pores and skin.
One research discovered that individuals who consumed high-sugar diets had considerably extra breakouts than those that saved their blood sugar regular (8).
What’s occurring:
Sugar spikes insulin, which may enhance oil manufacturing and set off irritation—two key components in breakouts and uninteresting pores and skin (7).
What to look at for:
- Frequent breakouts
- Boring or infected pores and skin
- Pores and skin points after high-sugar meals or weekends
What to do:
Reduce on added sugars, particularly from ultra-processed meals and sweetened drinks. Swap in additional antioxidant-rich produce like berries, leafy greens, or candy potatoes.
5. Digestive Points
Sugar can throw your intestine out of whack. A high-sugar food regimen might feed dangerous intestine micro organism and trigger an imbalance, resulting in bloating, gasoline, or constipation (9).
On high of that, sugar alcohols—widespread in “sugar-free” merchandise—can act like laxatives and irritate your digestive tract (10).
What’s occurring:
An excessive amount of sugar disrupts intestine micro organism and might trigger digestive discomfort and even flare-ups of IBS (9, 18).
What to look at for:
- Frequent bloating or gasoline
- Sensitivity to sugar-free merchandise
- Irregular digestion
What to do:
Concentrate on complete meals with fiber—like fruits, veggies, and legumes—and in the reduction of on extra added sugars and synthetic sweeteners like sorbitol and maltitol.
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6. Temper Swings and Irritability
Ever felt hangry after a sugar crash? That rollercoaster of temper and power is likely to be your blood sugar speaking. A research in Scientific Stories linked excessive sugar consumption with nervousness and emotional volatility (11).
What’s occurring:
Sugar causes fast spikes in serotonin and blood sugar, adopted by dramatic crashes—leaving you drained, anxious, and cranky (11).
What to look at for:
- Feeling “off” or irritable after consuming sweets
- Temper dips an hour or two after sugary meals
- Emotional consuming patterns
What to do:
Select complicated carbs and pair them with protein or fats. For instance, go for candy potatoes and grilled rooster or fruit with peanut butter to maintain your temper (and blood sugar) steady.
“Concentrate on fiber-rich carbohydrates for a nutrient-dense power supply that helps you are feeling full and energized longer,” gives Melissa Jaeger, RD, LD, Head of Diet at MyFitnessPal.
7. Poor Sleep
Late-night sweets is likely to be messing together with your relaxation. Analysis exhibits that diets excessive in sugar can intrude with melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle (12).
What’s occurring:
Blood sugar spikes late within the day can wake you up in the course of the night time, disrupting deep, restorative sleep (12)(13).
What to look at for:
- Bother falling asleep or staying asleep
- Stressed nights after dessert-heavy dinners
- Feeling groggy within the morning
What to do:
Keep away from sugary snacks late within the night. As a substitute, attempt a bedtime snack with magnesium and protein like a banana with almond butter or Greek yogurt. (You should utilize MyFitnessPal’s Sleep Characteristic to check meals consumption with the way you slept.)
8. Weight Achieve
Consuming an excessive amount of sugar—particularly added sugars—can result in weight achieve as a result of sugar doesn’t hold you full the way in which protein and wholesome fat do.
What’s occurring:
Sugary meals can spike your blood sugar and depart you hungry once more quickly after consuming, resulting in overeating (14). Research additionally present that high-sugar diets are linked to elevated fats storage, particularly across the stomach (14).
What to look at for:
- Issue shedding weight or unexplained weight achieve
- Meals or snacks excessive in refined carbs and low in fiber or protein
- Fixed starvation, even after consuming
What to do:
Shift your focus to meals that embrace extra fiber, protein, and wholesome fat to assist regulate starvation and assist wholesome weight administration. Be conscious of added sugar hiding in on a regular basis meals like:
- Salad dressings
- Granola bars
- Low-fat yogurt
- Pasta sauce
- On the spot oatmeal
- Non-dairy milks
Slicing again on these and selecting extra complete, unprocessed meals might help you are feeling fuller for longer—and handle your weight extra successfully.
9. Power Crashes
In case your power seems like a rollercoaster—up after breakfast, crashing by lunch—sugar is likely to be the rationale. Meals excessive in refined sugars trigger fast spikes adopted by steep crashes, resulting in sluggishness (15).
What’s occurring:
Sugar rapidly boosts blood sugar, however the ensuing crash can depart you feeling fatigued and foggy.
What to look at for:
- Afternoon slumps
- Want for caffeine or sugar to get by means of the day
- Fatigue shortly after consuming
What to do:
For regular power, concentrate on snacks and meals that mix fiber, protein, and wholesome fat—like apple slices with almond butter or eggs with avocado toast.
The right way to Minimize Again on Sugar
Listed here are 5 easy methods I like to recommend as a dietitian that can assist you scale back your sugar consumption with out feeling disadvantaged:
- Swap sugary drinks for glowing water, natural tea, or espresso with only a splash of milk.
- Select complete meals like nuts, cheese, or fruit as a substitute of packaged snacks with added sugars.
- Learn meals labels and search for added sugars in addition to hidden sugars underneath names like maltose, dextrose, and cane syrup.
- Don’t go chilly turkey—scale back sugar progressively to keep away from cravings.
- Use MyFitnessPal to trace sugar consumption and set practical objectives.
Incessantly Requested Questions
How a lot sugar is an excessive amount of?
The American Coronary heart Affiliation recommends not more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for ladies and 36 grams (9 teaspoons) for males (17).
What are hidden sources of sugar?
Sugar may be present in salad dressings, bread, flavored yogurts, and even pasta sauce. Checking vitamin labels might help you notice these hidden sugars.
How lengthy does it take to detox from sugar?
Your physique doesn’t must detox from sugar. Nonetheless, you would get sugar cravings in the event you minimize sugar out too rapidly. As a substitute, concentrate on including in additional steadiness within the type of excessive fiber and excessive protein meals first.
Are pure sugars (like in fruit) unhealthy?
No. The sugar in fruit comes with fiber and vitamins that assist your physique decelerate the absorption. Concentrate on decreasing added sugars, not slicing out complete meals.
The Backside Line
In the event you’re seeing indicators you’re consuming an excessive amount of sugar like always craving sugar, feeling sluggish, or fighting temper swings, it might be time to chop again.
Decreasing sugar doesn’t imply deprivation — small modifications, like swapping sugary drinks for higher alternate options and prioritizing complete meals, could make an enormous distinction.
You too can use MyFitnessPal to trace your sugar consumption, experiment with new habits, and take management of your well being—with out sacrificing your means of consuming.
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