Poor North West. Turning one years old on June, 15th, her diet is controlled by her parents. Some may say Kanye’s and Kim’s enforced diet on their daughter is extreme. Others may see it as an itellegint decision. North West is not allowed to eat added sugar. Added sugar is sugar and syrup that is added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. Upon beginnig to notice life around her, North West will be plagued with watching other kids stuff their faces with candy while the most sugar she can intake is from foods like fruits – natural sugar. Poor North West. But is this really such a bad thing? What if the suffering of watching others ingest sweets in her adolescence, becomes an appreciation for her parents. We all know that an excess of sugar in the body is dangerous, but many may not understand just how harmful it is. I´m not expecting you to completely take sugar out of your diet, but after reading this article, I hope that you will lower your intake.
First and foremost, sugar contains no essential nutrients. These are what we call empty calories. Imagine when people overeat sugar, they fill their bodies up with empty calories, taking up space for necessary nutrients (leading to defficiencies). Also, sugar goes straight to the liver, turning it to fat. Worse than extra fat stored in the liver, an over-consumption of sugar can lead to fatty liver disease.
Added sugar intake directly affects the insulin levels in the human body. Insulin promotes the absorption of glucose in our blood. Too much sugar lowers insulin levels, possibly leading to numerous problems, such as cancer and diabetes.
Added sugar can be addictive. You may be addicted and not even realize it. In fact, I will admit that I think I was addicted to sugar up until about two years ago. As a child, I cannot remember a day that I did not eat candy. As I aged, I still ate candy quite often, but that was no longer the main culprit for my over-consumption. It was processed juice. My poor teeth. Sugar is known to release dopamine (parellel to addictive drugs) in the brain to make you crave it. If you find yourself constantly having a ´´sweet tooth´´, you may want to eat fruit instead.
What is the number one killer in the world? Heart disease. What is a direct cause? Added sugar. Infact, new studies are pointing towards sugar as the leading cause as opposed to saturated fat.
Yes, sugar tastes good because as people, we enjoy the taste of sweet things. But after being enlightened on just how bad it is, it may be worth it to cut it out completely, like North West.
Her father, Kanye West (who celebrated his birthday exactly one week before her) recently received an honorary doctorate degree from Chicago State University. In an emotional moment, he stated that his mother, who has passed away, would have been proud. If it is one thing Kanye West cares about, it is his family.