Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s)
by Shareefah Muhammad
I had the grand opportunity to partner with my sisters of Queendom Come Inc. last month to talk to a group of young ladies at Worthing High School about how over consumption of sugar affects our mood. Did you know that when we consume too much sugar, especially in the form of refined white sugar or high fructose corns syrup that our brains have a negative reaction to it, therefore affecting our behavior? Consumption of such poisons (refined and processed sugars) cause a reduction in the production of an important growth hormone in our brain (BDNF-brain derived neurotropic factor) that is commonly found to be very low in people who suffer with conditions such as schizophrenia and depression. Other ways it may affect our mood is by the inflammation it produces in our gut (stomach) which eventually causes forms of inflammation in the brain.
So cutting back and eventually completely cutting out unnatural sugars is one of the best solutions to improve upon this aspect of our mental health. How can one begin this process? Well, our students realized that a lot of refined and processed sugars we consume more so come from what we drink compared to what we eat. As a result they discovered that if we just start by cutting back on sugary beverages, it could make a significant enough impact on our mood and overall health. With the average amount of sugar one should consume a day ranging from 5-6 teaspoons (1 teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams) we could remove a lot of sugar from our diets simply by what we drink. Sugary drinks include sodas, fruit drinks and yes, even fruit juices. Note: The average can of soft drink contains 39 grams of sugar which is equivalent to 39 ÷ 4 or almost 10 teaspoons! Give it a try and share your results with us! [SOURCE]
