3 major signs you’re eating too much sugar

Sugar is like the forbidden fruit of the modern diet - it tastes incredible and is added into pretty much everything, but at the same time we’re told that it’s killing us. Spoiler alert: It’s not killing us, and experts say it is okay to eat most of the time. The sugar “addiction� you feel isn’t biological and is probably due to your own personal battle with dessert.

However, too much of anything - including vegetables - isn’t good for you. Loading up on sugar and skimping on other nutrients is going to have its drawbacks, including an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. And with the hypertension guidelines looking scarier than ever, that is not something you want.

To prevent these health effects before they happen, it’s important to just remain aware of how much sugar you’re eating and look for your body’s signs that you’re overdoing it. Here are three of the biggest warning signs your body wants you to be eating less sugar.

You’re tired all the time.
Sugar gives your body a ton of energy really quickly. Your body uses up that energy just as fast. Without longer-lasting sources of fuel such as dietary fat and protein, you’ll quickly experience an energy crash after you’ve eaten a sugary serving. Even while eating the same amount of calories as you would otherwise, you’ll feel exponentially less energized by your food if you rely on sugary foods.

Your mood is all over the place.
When you eat a lot of sugar, your hormones react immediately. You get a spike of insulin and serotonin, your happy hormone, followed by a huge crash of both. You feel sluggish and your mood plummets, causing you to crave more sugar and “emotionally eat� or just feel depressed and awful until your next meal.

You’re thirsty even after drinking water.
Sugar, like salt, causes feelings of dehydration. Due to the excess sugar floating around in your bloodstream, your body needs more water to balance out. This causes fluid retention - the effect that’s part of the reason you feel so large and bloaty after dessert.

Sugar isn’t the only food that makes you feel bloated. Click here for more foods that could be the cause of uncomfortable belly bloat.