Though candy may satisfy your temporary sugar craving, the effect long-term is nothing sweet at all. In fact, besides negatively affecting your teeth, candy can hurt your body in 5 other major ways:
- Teeth – We all know candy affects your teeth, but did you know why sticky, hard, and sour candies are the absolute worst for your teeth? Sticky candies get stuck in hard-to-brush places making it a breeding ground for bad bacteria that cause cavities; hard candies often lead to chipped or broken teeth; and sour candies are often acidic, making teeth even more vulnerable to cavities.
- Weight – It’s hard to just eat one small piece of candy. And, if you’re bingeing on chocolates, you can quickly eat an extra thousand + calories per day. This can lead to quick weight gain.
- Heart – Many candies are extremely high in saturated fats. If you eat a few candy bars (even the small ones) each day, you are greatly exceeding the recommended daily amount of saturated fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease.
- Mood – Researchers have linked the intake of sugar and sweet beverages to depression, showing that there was a higher chance of depression for men and women with diets of higher glycemic index foods and added sugar.
- Joints – Sugar can release cytokines, or inflammatory proteins. Studies found that women who consumed one or more servings of sugar-sweetened soda per day had a 63 percent higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis than those who consumed no sugar-sweetened soda or those who consumed less than one serving per month.
- Pancreas – Insulin is released every time you eat any food with sugar. Eating too much sugar can result in your pancreas releasing too much insulin and that overwork can lead to high levels of blood sugar and possibly Type 2 diabetes.
So, the next time you find yourself in the candy isle or raiding your child’s Halloween or Easter left-overs, you may want to think about grabbing an apple instead. Your body will love you for it!