Unhealthy Sugar Intake?

[ShamrockRig]

Hey there, im not really part of any other forums so this is my only resort
I have between 8-10 cups of tea a day in a cup around double the size of the average cup, i take 5 sugars, are there any healthy substitutions i could use? also does anyone have any idea on how damaging this can be to my health?
Cheers

 

[DocBrown]

5 sugars ? = cubes, packets, teaspoons, tablespoons, or pounds ?

 

[ShamrockRig]

Tablespoons

 

[OvenMaster]

5 tablespoons per cup, and 8-10 double sized cups per day = 2.5 tablespoons per 16-20 regular cups a day.
Um... that's a lot.
There is a definite link to sugary drinks and developing Diabetes Mellitus type 2 and obesity.

Harvard School of Public Health » The Nutrition Source » Sugary Drinks and Obesity Fact Sheet
Diabetes and Sugary Drinks - Food Fit Philly
Sugary Drinks Raise Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

For quite a while I had one teaspoon of sugar in a cup of coffee, and had maybe 4 cups a day.
I am now down to 1/3 of a teaspoon per cup, and I drink maybe one Coke a week.

 

[ShamrockRig]

Im generally fit, i do have a very high sugar intake, im also 16 so thats why im even more concerned, im going to the army in march, hopefully by then il be settled, tues-thurs i drink around 1l of energy juice while at college (cheapest but most juice) but i rarely consume anything fizzy outside of college.

 

[boohbah]

i would visit the doctor, if there is something tht makes you crave that amount of sugar then there is something wrong.
i drink tha same amount of coffee you have (8-10)
but i use sweetners so i dont have the sugar .

if there is nothing physically wrong with you then you seriously need to stop the sugar intake, as there is sugar in the food you eat also,
so your intake is actually more than the spoon count.

im thinking your body has become addicted to the sugar levels and you need to address that fast whilst you still have some teeth.

 

[LMiller7]

I think the biggest risk at your age is that you are developing bad habits which when continued into later life will cause serious health issues. Breaking long term habits can be VERY difficult. And your sugar intake is such that it could have risks in the short term as well.

 

[Joan Archer]

I agree with the others that amount of sugar is very dangerous to your health and will definitely lead to diabetes if you carry on as well as obesity.

I drink lots of coffee a day but I don't have sugar, in fact nobody has sugar in the house and only keep some for visitors or for hubby to put on breakfast cereal, and he doesn't have that every day.

I'd definitely go and see the doctor about it and take his advice before it's too late and you've damaged your health beyond help.

 

[Everlong]

Immediately after you consume a cup of tea with that amount of sugar in, your blood sugar will go through the roof. You'll have an insulin spike to keep the blood sugar levels down (basically so you don't die), and the insulin will store the sugar in fat cells. You'll also become hungry because you're not getting the energy.

Over time, your fat cells might begin to hold on to the energy for longer, making it harder to lose weight and easier to gain. Those constant insulin spikes will turn in to insulin resistance, and this is the first stage of type 2 diabetes.

 

[ShamrockRig]

Its not because im physically addicted, i dont feel any addiction, i just dont like the taste of tea with any less or more sugar, as of tomorrow, 3 sugars and chop it down all the way to 0! Thankyou for all the replies, much appreciated!

 

[Solarstarshines]

Well this is my little input hehee

My Doctor told me if you are very active and physical you can have a high sugar intake but mainly do to the metabolism and constant burning of it

If you are not being constantly active and burning on a daily basis too much sugar has reverse effects I in fact eat lots of sugars but there is also natural sugar you get from the food you eat so you kind of have to balance it out once in a while

Fore sure the culprits for quick and high sugar levels are Ice Cream and Hostess products little Debbie stuff like that can't eat that garbage every day but 2 twinkies a week will not kill you
either

I you have a sweet tooth it's time to incorporate some of that into natural sugar based foods that you can eat and kill the cravings Cranberries Raisins honey you can eat this in salads most of the time and it gives them a uplift you can use raspberry or strawberry vinaigrettes

bananas stuff that is natural sweet it will balance you out and it will not have the awesome effect of raw sugar

 

[Everlong]

I keep this saved as it's very interesting - What happens in your body when you drink a can of Coca Cola:

<10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat.

40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish.

You’ve also now, literally, urinated away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth. This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.

 

[ShamrockRig]

That is really interesting Everlong!
As a matter of fact, i have a very high metabolism

 

[LMiller7]

I once worked with a man who at times would have 8-10 cokes a day. Not coincidentally I am sure, he also had some rather serious health issues.

 

[BrightBlessings]

Hey there, im not really part of any other forums so this is my only resort
I have between 8-10 cups of tea a day in a cup around double the size of the average cup, i take 5 sugars, are there any healthy substitutions i could use? also does anyone have any idea on how damaging this can be to my health?
Cheers

Stevia is a natural product that is dried and then ground into powder, it has a slight aniseed taste and a very little is quite sweet and much better for one than the artificial sweetners you can buy.
Stevia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Everlong]

I once worked with a man who at times would have 8-10 cokes a day. Not coincidentally I am sure, he also had some rather serious health issues.

I worked with a guy who used to drink about 2 litres of Coca Cola a day. He'd just bring the bottle in every morning and have that throughout the day. His Dentist eventually told him he needs to stop as his teeth were becoming a mess, so he stopped. Said it was horrible quitting, had serious withdrawal symptoms, but then started to feel much better. Said especially in the morning he would feel well, and not just tired and worn down.

 

[smarteyeball]

Its not because im physically addicted, i dont feel any addiction,

Try cutting out sugar all togethetr (not just tea) and you'll soon learn whether you're addicted to sugar or not


Seriously though - cut back. Going to zero is not necessary however.

 

[boohbah]

im wondering what your parents are doing letting you have 5 tablespoons of sugar in your drinks.
personally i would chop your fingers off if i was your dad and tell you its for your own good.

 

[iRazer]

Yeah, Why do they let you have 5 tablespoon of sugar o.o