With Halloween coming and going and Thanksgiving on the way, this time of the year is filled with a lot of sweet foods. This can mean a lot of sugar in the form of candy, pies, and other desserts is in abundance. There are a lot of facts, and also a lot of myths surrounding sugar, and it is pretty easy to get confused about how much is too much or how much is enough. A lot of the clients that I work with are diabetics and are kept on a diet to control their blood sugars. This means they do not get candy and rarely get desserts, except when they order them if they go out to eat. When they do get dessert, it's easy to tell that they really enjoy it.
I recently came across a blog in Psychology Today that talks about the way candy can be good for you, and I was pretty excited because I know I love candy. It mentions a study done showing that modest candy consumption, such as once to three times a month, is associated with a longer life. I have candy more than that, so I was relieved to read that it people who ate candy more often lived longer than those who didn't eat candy at all. The blog also mentions that sugar can help restore willpower, and consuming sugar can help you maintain focus. In addition, it was found that people who regularly consume chocolate had a lower risk of heart disease, which couldn't be explained by any other factors such as age, sex, calorie intake, smoking, or fruit and vegetable intake, among others.
So this just goes to show that maybe a treat won't be the worst thing for you, of course there is plenty of other research that disagrees, and situations that may not be the best for candy consumption, like diabetes.
That's pretty interesting to read that by eating candy three times a month, it can help you live longer. I never thought someone would say that since candy usually contains so much sugar in them. I also learned by reading your blog that sugar can help restore willpower, and helps you maintain focus. I find that fascinating just because when people go on diets, usually the first thing people have to stop eating is sugar to loose weight. I guess consuming the right amount of sugar can be beneficial in ways, while on the other hand, consuming too much sugar can be harmful to ones' body.
ReplyDeleteWhile our nation has become obsessed with the obesity epidemic, we should still look at the opposing side of things, especially in terms of sweets. I find that I have quite a bit of self-control, there are days that I just need to satisfy myself with some chocolate or something sweet. It helps to keep us balanced, at least that's what I tell myself to rationalize my eating behaviors. But, I also learned portion control and only indulging a little from my great-grandmother. She lived to be 103 and she could make a box of chocolates last for a couple of months because she had so much self-control that she would limit herself to only one a day! So, I totally agree that eating sweets in moderation is perfectly fine, especially if it will help me live to anywhere near the age my great-grandmother did!
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