7 things that happen when you cut out sugar for a month

Sugar is in everything - so it’s not surprising that the average UK person eats more than the daily 25 grammes recommendation.

Giving up sugar takes a lot of willpower, but for the few that brave it, there are numerous health benefits.

Food lovers, Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley, who founded Hemsley + Hemsley, cook food free of refined sugar. They told indy100:

By cutting out refined sugars you'll also be cutting down on a lot of other refined and processed foods.

Since we've stuck to minimal amounts of more whole and natural sweeteners, we've had better energy, better sleep and we've lost the sweet tooth that used to control us!

Here’s seven reasons, in case you need convincing:

1. Weight loss

Losing weight involves a lot of factors but cutting down sugar, which is roughly 16 calories a teaspoon, will help you shift the pounds.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition found that consuming sugary drinks compared to non-sweetened drink resulted in weight gain and an increase in BMI.

2. Regulating your appetite

Consuming sugar causes the brain to releases dopamine and serotonin, the hormones that boost your mood.

However, regular or high sugar consumption can inhibit dopamine transporters, leading to wanting more sugar.

Cutting down on sugar can help regulate your appetite and sweet tooth.

3. Sleep better

Without the huge sugar rushes you will also sleep better.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, told indy100:

Those constant shifts and ups and down of blood glucose will effect sleep and mood.

Achieving glucose control will help sleep.

4. Clearer skin

You might also benefit from clearer skin as health coach Rose Long found.

5. Lower risk of type two diabetes

The number of people with diabetes has quadrupled around the world over the last 35 years.

Consuming one serving of a sugary drink to your diet each day adds a 15 per cent risk of getting type two diabetes, found a study from the Harvard School of Public Health.

6.…and heart disease

One study found that those that had 17-21 per cent of their calorie intake from added sugar had a 38 per cent high risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease, compared to those that kept within the recommended level.

7.…and tooth decay

The World Health Organisation found consistent evidence that those consuming more than the daily limit risk tooth decay.

So cutting down will leave you with a lot to smile about.

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