The most recent (2020-2025) Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting calories from added sugars to 10% or less each day. The American Heart Association, on the other hand, recommends no more than 150 calories of added sugar per day for men, and 100 calories for women and kids.
But if you’re not consuming enough fruits and veggies, or your meals don’t have a balanced amounts of protein, fat and unrefined carbs, then you may be eating more added sugars instead of healthy foods. Even if you do CrossFit a few times a week, you are still preventing your body from getting all the benefits if you consume lots of sugar.
Here are some key indicators that you’re consuming too much sugar:
1. You’re always hungry.
If most of your calories come from added sugars, you’ll notice that you’re easily hungry. Without fiber, protein, and healthy fats, your body will burn through sugar fast and lead to compulsive eating.
2. You gain weight.
It goes without saying, if you eat more calories than what your body needs then your body will store the extras as fat. But there’s another factor that lead to weight gain when you consume more sugar. The gut microbiome, which is composed of 39 trillion microorganisms, is the self-defense system of the body. When your gut is healthy, it’s able to regulate metabolism, blood glucose and insulin levels. But added sugar damages this ecosystem; bacteria overgrow while good bacteria decrease in number, leading to dysbiosis and metabolism issues.
3. You become irritable.
If you’re irritable and moody, you may be stressed. Or you may be consuming too much sugar. A high-sugar snack or meal without fat and protein leads to blood sugar spikes and eventually energy crash, making you irritable and sluggish.
4. You always crave sweets.
Those who often crave sweets may be addicted to sugar’s feel-good effects on your brain. Eating sugar boosts dopamine, which in turn increases cravings for sugar. It becomes a vicious cycle.
5. You have wrinkles and acne.
Glycemic control plays an important part in skin health. Studies suggest that insulin resistance lead to acne development. Moreover, consuming too much sugar also encourages skin aging thus the appearance of wrinkles.
6. You experience joint pain.
Regularly consuming sodas and other sweetened beverages are associated with an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women. Excess sugar also leads to systemic inflammation.
7. You have trouble sleeping.
If you’re having difficulty falling or staying asleep, it could be because of sugar. Poor sleep quality has been found to be significantly related to excessive consumption of added sugars. Glycemic control affects our quality of sleep and sleep cycles, just like light and temperature.
8. You have digestive problems.
If you always experience stomach cramping, diarrhea or pain, you might want to check your sugar consumption. Too much sugar becomes a gut irritant and conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can worsen with it.
9. You experience brain fog.
You may notice that you have difficulty concentrating, and you may also experience lack of mental clarity and focus. Glucose helps fuel the brain but excess amounts of it can also lead to high blood glucose levels, hyperglycemia and an inflammatory effect in the brain affecting cognitive function.
It’s unlikely for anyone to avoid all added sugars in our diet. The best thing you can do is to eat mostly unprocessed foods and consciously choose healthy food.
Learn more about the warning signs of consuming too much sugar here: