Stop Giving Your Brain the “Sugar Blues”

Refined sugar has been called poison, toxic, and the "anti-nutrient". It's said to be more addictive than cocaine. Is it really that bad? How much does sugar really affect your brain? Let's take a look at the somewhat complex relationship between sugar and your brain. Your Brain Needs Glucose, Not Fructose Brain cells need twice as much energy as other cells. After all, there's a lot going on up there! Your brain cells can’t store energy, so they need a steady stream of glucose from your bloodstream. Your brain cells can live only a few minutes without energy supply - it's that critical! The healthiest sources of glucose are from the complex carbohydrates found in whole grains, legumes, fruits,  and vegetables. Glucose is also a building block of the lactose found in dairy products. Unhealthy sources of glucose are sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which are all are roughly half glucose and half fructose. Virtually every cell in the body can metabolize glucose for energy, but only your liver cells metabolize fructose. While honey and maple syrup do contain some nutrients, they are still the same basic composition as refined sugar - half glucose, half fructose. All Fructose Is Not Created Equal A healthy diet contains lots of fruits and vegetables which are sources of dietary fructose. But a diet high in these sources of naturally occurring fructose is not the same as a diet high in fructose from refined sweeteners. Don’t make the mistake of thinking y...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Community Posts diet health self improvement sugar Source Type: blogs