Whether you are a vegan or a keto enthusiast, if there is one food people of every dietary preference aim to avoid, it is sugar. But giving up sugar can be challenging as it is found in the most unsuspecting places like your crackers, sauces, and burgers. Once you figure out ways to nix the added sugars from your diet, your body benefits almost immediately. We give you a low down on what exactly happens when you throw sugar out of your plate.

1 Your Heart Will Do a Happy Dance

Added sugar increases insulin levels which activates the sympathetic nervous system thereby increasing the blood pressure and heart rate. Expect to see a dip in your blood pressure levels within a week after cutting down on sugar. You will also notice a sink in your bad cholesterol levels.

2 You Will Sidestep Diabetes

Added sugar stalls the production of insulin thereby contributing to type 2 diabetes. So once you ditch sugar and switch to a handful of nuts instead of that sugary granola, you will also have healthier levels of fat and insulin in your blood stream. Also, include these 5 foods in your diet to lower blood sugar. 

3 You Will Ditch Your Acne Cream

Say goodbye to zits as that inflammatory sugar can no longer be an acne trigger. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who gave up soda and aerated drinks did not have to use that expensive concealer like others.

4 You Will Fit In Your Old Jeans

Within three to five days of giving up sugar, your liver will make ketones from fat since there is no glucose which your body can use as energy. That is when your body enters ketosis, aka fat burning mode. You may experience some muscle cramps, headache or fatigue as a result of ketosis but it will only last a week. Here are 5 natural and healthy sugar substitutes. 

5 You Won’t Be Cranky

A Columbia University diet found that women who had a high-sugar diet experienced more anxiety, irritability and mood swings. When you ditch sweets it is normal to be cranky for a while but once you are over that sugar fix, you will feel better than ever.

As you can see, slacking back on your sugar habits can have many benefits. How many sugar-laden items have you ditched from your diet?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2019 08:27 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).