Today, there is a wave of people around the world to stop eating sugar or to reduce it as much as possible. But in Nepal, people still say, ‘If you say you don’t eat sugar, do you have diabetes?’ The question is asked. There is still a common belief that only diabetics should give up sugar.

Earlier, sugar was considered an essential part of daily diet. However, recently, doctors and nutritionists are not only recommending healthy people not to eat sugar, they are also insisting on giving it up as much as possible. why Because sugar is not only ‘direct energy’ in the body, it also causes great damage in a hidden way.

What happens to the body after eating sugar?

Sugar mainly consists of sucrose, which contains glucose and fructose. After eating sugar, it is first digested in the stomach and small intestine and mixed with the blood. Nutritionist Pravin Bhattarai says that it will increase the glucose level in the blood quickly.

‘Seeing this increased glucose, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin’, he says, ‘Insulin transports glucose from the blood to the body’s cells, muscles, liver, etc., where it is used as energy or stored as glycogen.’

Excess glucose is stored as fat in the liver and other parts of the body. Bhattarai said that fructose is mainly processed in the liver and can be converted into fat there.

Which element of sugar does what harm?

If we consume a lot of sugar, the carbohydrates in it accumulate in the body. And it increases bad cholesterol in the body and increases blood glucose, says nutritionist Pratima Sen KC.

She says, ‘When we eat sugar and sweet foods, our brain produces happy hormones. So if you eat sweets today, you want to eat sweets the next day. Consuming too much of it causes obesity, diabetes and cholesterol problems.’

How many sugary foods are we eating daily?

How much sugary foods are eaten depends on the individual. One tablespoon of sugar contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates and 60 calories. Therefore, if a person consumes two cups of tea a day, he will get 120 calories, said KC, a nutritionist.

According to KC, the body needs 1600 to 1800 calories daily. Which we get from rice, potatoes and fruits that we eat daily. Apart from other sources of carbohydrates, we usually consume 10 to 15 grams of sugary foods daily. This means that we are consuming more carbohydrates than our body needs, says nutritionist Casey.

Why is it advised to give up sugar?

Today, doctors and nutritionists advise to eat less sugar or avoid it as much as possible. Because the foods we eat daily contain sufficient carbohydrates, which are digested and converted into glucose. Nutritionist Pravin Bhattarai said that our body is consuming more carbohydrates and sugar than it needs, so it is advised to give up sugar.

According to Bhattarai, carbohydrates can be understood in simple language into two types – complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates such as rice with fiber, pulses, vegetables, fruits are slowly digested in the body and converted into glucose. It does not allow the blood sugar level to rise suddenly and gives energy for a long time. But simple sugars such as sugar, flour, polished white rice, juice, sweets etc. are quickly absorbed by the body and increase the blood glucose level immediately.

Bhattarai says that the portion of carbohydrates in our daily diet is high and energy consumption is low when our lifestyle is sedentary. Therefore, he says, there is no need for extra added sugar.

“Sugar is also called ‘zero nutrient’ because it only provides instant energy,” says Bhattarai, “but does not provide vitamins, minerals or other nutrients.” He informed that eating too much sugar on a regular basis can lead to fat accumulation, obesity, blood sugar increase, skin problems such as dark spots, collagen loss and cellular damage.

Bhattarai says that it is better not to eat extra sugar as much as possible. If you want taste, you can use sakhkhar, pure honey or stevia instead of sugar. Stevia is a zero calorie natural sweetener that does not cause weight gain. Some minerals and iron are also found in Sakhkhar. But Bhattarai suggests not to eat these too much.

We don’t need more sugar to meet our daily needs. Bhattarai said that eating as little or no sugar as possible is the best option for health.

What happens when you stop eating sugar?

Since we get the carbohydrates our body needs from the food we eat daily, there is no harm in giving up sugar suddenly. Protein fat should be consumed daily. Bhattarai, a nutritionist, said that only if we leave such foods suddenly, our body may lack micronutrients.

But since we get carbohydrates from other food sources, we don’t need to keep eating sugar for carbohydrates. Therefore, he says that quitting sugar immediately will not have any negative impact on health.