We all are aware that excess sugar is not good for our health. However, avoiding sweets can be tricky at times. Do not take this in a wrong way, we can make pastries and ice cream a part of our healthy diet but too much sugar can be harmful specially when you are not tracking each gram. Let us know 5 signs of sugar addiction that will help us to know that we are eating too much sugar.

1- WEIGHT GAIN SPECIALLY AROUND YOUR BELLY

We all know that we consume more than what our body demands then weight gain is but obvious. In fact it is easier to consume foods that are filled with sugar because this makes our food delicious. When we consume simple sugar, it starts getting accumulated in the blood. Out of this some is converted to glycogen which starts getting accumulated in the blood. Out of this some is converted to glycogen which starts getting stored in our liver and muscles. However liver and muscles have a limited capacity and when that capacity is exceeded then the remaining glucose gets converted to fats and starts getting stored in the body.as time passes the stored fats starts getting accumulated around important organs like heart, liver, pancreas and we are more susceptible to many diseases like hypertension and cardiovascular. Besides excess sugar also wrecks havoc to hormones due to which our hunger level increases.

2- ENERGY LEVEL CRASHES

When we consume a lot of sugar, specially which does not have fiber, fats and protein then our body starts releasing a hormone named insulin to control the blood sugar levels. The amount of insulin released is directly proportional to the glucose in the blood due to which we get energy by burning sugar. However the problem is that high sprut in energy also leads to energy crashing rapidly. This results to tiredness. If you want to avoid this energy crash then only consume those carbohydrates which releases energy slowly like lentils, rice, oats, fruits, vegetables etc.

3- SKIN PROBLEMS

Even though diet is not the main source of skin problems like acne, pimples. However sugar and processed carbohydrates can evaluate this breakdown. In fact according to American Academy of Dermatology, if you consume fiber rich carbohydrate source like fruits, vegetables, oats then it can helps us reduce acne problems. This is perhaps possible because Low GI rich foods which means those foods that does not drastically enhances the blood sugar levels can reduce the oil production on skin and can thus help in acne reduction.

4- YOU CRAVE FOR SWEETS MOST OF THE TIME

Sweet gives you sense of satisfaction and you start relishing those moments. This is due to the fact that at this juncture our body starts to release serotonin and dopamine like feel good hormones that gives us a temporary sense of satisfaction and joy.

5- BLOOD TEST

If you are consuming excess sugar for a longer time you can develop insulin resistance. This can lead to diabetes. If you wish to understand this aspect in details then you can go for blood glucose test, HbA1c is such a blood test that can detect the average blood glucose test for the past 2-3 months. Besides triglyceride test can also indicate that your sugar intake has exceeded.

So the next question that might arise is how much additional sugar per day is good enough. General recommendation is that you should not consume more than 10% of your daily caloric intake.so if you are consuming 200 calories diet then 50g per day but remember that processed foods like cakes pastries also contains high amount of sugar. Hence if you are drinking 300ml cola then 30gm sugar goes straight away and one tablespoon sugar contains 10-12 grams.