Among the plethora of unhealthy food ingredients and additives that have burst onto the scene in recent decades, it is probably good old-fashioned sugar that is causing the most damage. Sugar is in scores of processed foods and added to many others in some form or another. One statistic states that as of 2012, the average American consumes roughly 130 lbs. of sugar every year. Since 1820, when the annual amount was about 20 lbs. per year, the number has continued to grow, until it reached the ridiculous total we see in modern society.

As you may or may not know, sugar is one of the leading culprits when it comes to packing on pounds and holding back your weight loss efforts. Contact the team at our Greenville SC weight loss clinic today.

Sugar Equals Energy in Greenville SC

When sugar is ingested, the molecules enter the mitochondria within your cells and are burned up for energy. The process from sugar to energy produces carbon molecules that act as building blocks for saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. If you happen to take in more sugar than your body needs for energy, extra carbon molecules are produced. And since those extra carbon molecules are toxic to the body’s metabolic processes, your body carries the excess as fat on your body cholesterol in your blood.

When you consider how many of us have sedentary jobs and sedentary lifestyles, and combine that with the average annual sugar intake of 130 lbs per year, it’s easy to see how the obesity rates are so high. Our bodies don’t use even a fraction of the energy that is created by such a massive sugar intake, and extra carbon molecules are being created every day.

Storing Energy for Later

Another way that your body interprets all that sugar is to store it as fat so it can be used as energy during a future famine. This is how the body may have worked historically, but for the vast majority of people in modern society, that famine never arrives and that excess fat is never burned off.

Sneaky Sources of Sugar

Sugar is everywhere, and one of the smartest things you can do to avoid being part of the 130 lb average, is to read labels. We all know that fresh fruits have sugar, but in their whole form, they also have fiber and are loaded with helpful nutrients. The issue is with packaged and processed foods like ketchup, bbq sauce, sports drinks, pasta sauce, protein bars, and scores of different low-fat foods.

Sugar in packaged foods may be listed as cane sugar, honey, agave nectar, dextrose, high-fructose corn syrup or HFCS, molasses, malt syrup, or fruit juice concentrate. The higher the sugar derivative is listed on the ingredient list, the more of it there is in the food. Read labels and take control of your own sugar intake.

For more information about how to achieve your weight loss goals contact our team at Clinical Dietitian and Nutrition Consultants in Greenville SC today.