Introduction

Sugar intake to an average amount may be fine. But, are you used to high sugar intake lately? If so, you should probably reconsider the amount of sugar you consume everyday. Human body functions aptly as long as the required ingredients are consumed as much as the body needs. Any ingredient that is beyond the body's acceptance level can cause serious health hazards, and the same applies to sugar. Several researches and clinical studies have suggested that sugar intake beyond the required level can be critical for human health leading to potential health concerns.

Health Hazards of High Sugar Intake

In general, too much sugar is believed to increase carbohydrate levels in the body. Many people also believe that excessive sugar has a direct relation with diabetes - a health condition that substantially increases blood and urine sugar levels in the body. In reality, the results obtained from several clinical studies on sugar can be really shocking. 

Too much intake of sugar can result in the following conditions:

• Disturbs functioning of the immune system in the body, thereby reducing body's resistance to several potential diseases
• Reduces vision power 
• Is responsible for premature ageing.
• Leads to arthritis and inhibits risks related to Crohn's diseases 
• Results in obesity, asthma, and Parkinson's disease
• Reduces vitamin levels in the body
• Blocks production of growth hormones
• Increases symptoms of polio

Do these results pose a question on how much sugar do you consume daily?

A 4-Step Guide to Control Your Sugar Intake

For healthy living, an effective way to control your sugar intake is highly recommended. Following is an effective 4-step guide to help you reduce your sugar intake:

Step 1 - Reduce your sugar intake gradually. Before you can follow this step, you must be strong enough to consider that you are addicted to sugar. You must be convinced that now it is time to reduce the amount of sugar you consume each time. For example, if you add too much sugar to your tea or coffee, you may consider drinking only half cup of it the next time. If you usually depend on a sweet dish as an evening snack, reduce the quantity of the dish and add some non-sugary food to balance the gap.

Step 2 - Remember that you are determined to reduce your sugar intake, so making some strict rules to ensure you consume less sugar is very important. These rules may include one or more of the following:

• Add less sugar to your tea, say one spoon rather than using two spoons as you used to do earlier.
• If you enjoying having sweet cookies with tea, you should avoid adding any sugar to your cup of tea. 
• Avoid having sweet desserts after you have had you lunch or dinner.

You can add more such rules for yourself depending on your eating habits.

Step 3 - If you have craving for sweet food, replace your sweet dishes with fruits with low carbohydrates. Fruits are always a better option than sugar and they also meet your sugar needs aptly. Needless to mention the manifold other health benefits of having a variety of fruits everyday. Additionally, you can also have juices or Gur (Jaggery) to add sweetness to your regular meals, as these are natural sweeteners and equally healthy.

Step 4 - Avoid packaged food as much as possible. Many packed food have high sugar content and some of them even do not have the quantity of sugar mentioned on their labels. Food that contains refined sugar substances or glucose syrup must be avoided next time you buy any food items from outside.

There can be many other steps to follow depending on what forms of your food have high sugar content. But following these common steps can definitely help you to reduce your sugar intake to a large extent. 

Conclusion

High sugar levels in the body in the long run can result in critical health conditions. Many people have a craving for sugary food. It is not really necessary to reduce such cravings, but it is important to reconsider what forms of sugar are unhealthy for you and how you can wisely replace such food with other healthy options. Once you start following these rules and you know you have strictly followed all of the rules you had set for yourself, do not forget to pamper yourself with a slice of yummy dark chocolate. Your body definitely needs a certain amount of sugar to balance the nutrient needs.