Almost all of us eat sugar, salt daily. However, we do not even think about the so-called white death. These two essential ingredients enhance the taste of dishes, thereby increasing appetite. Sweet tooth and tries to put an extra couple of spoons of sugar in tea, but lovers of salty will never give up canned vegetables in the winter. We will talk in more detail about permissible consumption rates per day of these products.
Sweet life: its effects on the body
We’ll try to figure out whether basic foods such as salt and sugar can actually harm the human body. First, let's talk about the sweet ingredient. White sugar grains are a complete carbohydrate, it consists of glucose and fructose. Without them, it is sometimes difficult to drink tea or coffee. Why? Is this the first manifestation of addiction to these bewitching grains?
Glucose and fructose, which enter the body, are energy sources. The first of them neutralizes various toxins, so it is often injected into the blood when the body is poisoned. Also, glucose is a source of the “hormone of joy” - seratonin. Accordingly, sugar gives us a sense of emotional uplift, making a person happier.
However, this is one positive side of the effect of sugar on the body. There are far more negative consequences for the body than one would imagine. Here are the most basic ones:
- metabolic disorders in the body;
- increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease;
- weakening of immunity;
- premature aging and withering of the skin;
- the appearance of rashes on the skin;
- leaching of calcium from the body;
- tooth and gum disease;
- fat deposition;
- often the occurrence of a feeling of false hunger, which leads to obesity;
- suppression of insulin production;
- the risk of developing a disease such as diabetes is increased;
- allergic reactions;
- feeling addictive.
Scientists at a medical university compared addiction to sugar with drug addiction. This product greatly affects the human nervous system. Moreover, the more sugar is contained in the blood, the worse the human immune system works. As you know, immunity is unprotected - hello, disease!
What is salt dangerous for humans?
At first glance, it might seem that it is not so harmful compared to sugar. Salt contains two vital elements: sodium and chlorine. In food, the presence of these substances is minimal. However, they are important in order to maintain a normal mineral balance in the human body.
Sodium is found in blood plasma, and chlorine is involved in the formation of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, without which digestion is impossible.
Is it possible to understand what is actually more harmful - salt or sugar? This question cannot be answered unequivocally, since it all depends on the quantity consumed. If you abuse salt, then in the kidneys and tissues fluid will linger. Accordingly, swelling occurs, urolithiasis is formed and blood pressure rises. Plus, salts are deposited in the human body. In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to constantly monitor the consumed volume of these products.
Permissible Norms
Sugar, salt, children need to be given in different quantities. Regardless of age, doctors recommend daily adjusting their dosage and, if necessary, reduce the consumption of "white grains." In small quantities, these products will only benefit the body.
For adults, the intake rate in bitches of salt is 4-5 g (half a teaspoon). Allowable volume should not exceed 8 g.
Regarding children: from 1.5 to 3 years - 2 g per day. It is advisable for babies up to 9 months to not give salt at all, even in a minimal amount.
The norm of sugar consumption per day for adults is 60 g. Moreover, this amount is considered the maximum allowable. However, it should be remembered that salt and sugar are also found in natural foods. Children under 3 years old must consume natural sugar: fresh fruits and juices.
What do scientists say?
The famous cardiologist Heinrich Takmeier for many years investigated the effect of sugar on the human body, directly on heart health. He conducted many experiments on animals and parts of human hearts that were cut out during operations. As a result, he came to the conclusion that sugar contains molecules that destroy the myocardium. Processing glucose in the body causes the formation of a substance called glucose-6-phosphate. It affects the structure of proteins, and the number of contractions in the heart muscle is reduced. In addition, diseased cells require more and more sugar.
Thus, the vicious circle closes: a lot of sugar - a sick heart. When asked what to do, the doctor answered simply: "Change the diet."
American family experiment
The harm of salt and sugar to humans is quite large.
In sugar 399 kcal. At the same time, all carbohydrates are digestible, and when they are consumed uncontrolled, weight is rapidly gaining. Accordingly, glucose is the main cause of obesity.
Impressed by such publications and experiments by doctors, the Schaub family from Vermot State decided to stop using sugar for the whole year. The head of the family, Stephen Schauff, accepted this experiment as entertainment, his wife, as a journalist, as excellent ground for a report-investigation. Only their children Greta and Ilsa accepted this experiment with tears.
During the annual experiment, receptors were reconfigured: ordinary sweets seem very cloying.
The main thing is that the state of health has improved. Stephen's wife counted the number of missed days at school due to the illness of her daughters. The numbers pleasantly surprised her: before the experiment - 15 days of admission for illness, a year without sugar - 2.
To everything else, the family came to the realization that without sugar their life did not become bitter. Proper nutrition and avoiding the consumption of poisons, strengthening immunity are incentives to forever give up sugar.
How to refuse sugar in the diet?
As you can see, the negative impact of sugar on the human body is great. That is why doctors recommend minimizing the amount of use of this product. However, it would not be correct to completely exclude it from the diet, and it still will not work. The products we discuss are contained in mayonnaise, pastries, yogurt, bread, etc. After all, you still need to remember that in addition to the harm of salt and sugar, the benefits of these ingredients are also present. This is especially true of natural glucose, when white sweet grains are replaced by a natural substitute - honey and fruits.
Moreover, natural sugar for the human body is needed in small doses. And cakes, sweets are better to use only occasionally.
Harmful of salt and sugar: like addiction?
It is one thing to consume these products for health benefits, and it is completely another to be dependent on them. “Sugar and salt addiction” - this is exactly how Dr. Nicole Aven explains the effect of addiction to these human products. In the brain of people there are certain structures responsible for rewards. When a thought organ is excited, two substances are automatically secreted: topomin and abioid proteins. The same brain activation is also observed when cocaine, morphine, nicotine, alcohol and similar substances are exposed to the human body.
Sugar addiction is stronger than heroin. And the effect is enhanced when it comes to food in combination with fat, such as donuts or ice cream.
The trend of healthy eating is a moderate intake of salt, and even more so sugar. This is a proven and field-proven way to extend life.