What happens when you eat too much sugar? How to recover from Halloween candy binge
Sugar has a bittersweet reputation when it comes to health. Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy. Consuming whole foods that contain natural sugar is okay. Plant foods also have high amounts of fiber, essential minerals, and antioxidants, and dairy foods contain protein and calcium.
Since your body digests these foods slowly, the sugar in them offers a steady supply of energy to your cells. A high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains also has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes heart disease, and some cancers.
But Trick-or-treaters and Halloween party goers consume a terrifying amount of sugar, so the hours afterwards can feel a little strange.
A typical child collects 3,500 to 7,000 calories in candy on the spooky holiday, one public health expert estimate . Adults help themselves, too, from their kids’ stash or at grown-up festivities. On a more immediate level, there’s the wild ride your body takes during a sugar binge.
“It’s definitely important that you don’t eat too much,” Dr. Jason Ng, an endocrinologist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told TODAY. “Your body essentially is on a roller coaster, and that roller coaster effect really takes a lot out of people.”
Still, it’s OK to treat yourself a bit. If you’re pretty healthy and only partake in a sugar binge once in a while, it’s not going to hurt you, Ng said. There are also ways to help your body recover.
Here's what you need to know:
1. Your body on sugar: A blow-by-blow account
A quick of sugar affects your brain chemistry by boosting levels of dopamine, the “feel-good hormone,” and almost immediately providing a feeling of euphoria and excitement, Ng said. All that extra sugar also delivers extra energy, so you may become hyperactive.
At the same time, insulin levels rise to remove the sugar from the blood stream and convert it into stored energy. That's accompanied by a decrease in leptin, a hormone considered to be an appetite suppressant, so many people will even more sugar prolonging the high, he added.
Then comes the crash — anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours after the sugar binge. Hormone levels quickly decrease as your body returns from the high back to normal.
“It’s almost the opposite of what you initially feel,” Ng said. “You have to go to the couch to lie down; you get the lethargy and the tiredness. You get a sudden overwhelming sense of fatigue.
2. The type of candy you eat matters
To minimize the roller coaster effect, avoid treats that combine a ton of sugar — caramel, a cookie crunch, nougat, the works — into a little piece of candy, Ng said, naming Milky Way, Three Musketeers, and Snickers as some examples. They don’t have a lot of protein to help delay sugar absorption, he said.
Better options may include
Dark chocolates: They have less sugar and contain antioxidants.
M&M’s with peanuts: the protein in the nuts delays the absorption of the chocolate part, Ng said.
Jolly Ranchers and similar candies: small hard candies can be easily rolled around in your mouth providing longer and slower sugar intake also takes longer to consume preventing binging candy too quickly. This is a great option as long as you don’t mind sugar sitting on your teeth too long make sure you’re brushing.
3. How to recover from a sugar binge
Drink plenty of water: Keeping yourself well hydrated will help your body naturally flush some of the sugar out of the system.
Exercise: It doesn’t have to be hard core activity, Just get your body moving to help burn off all the extra calories and sugar intake
Eat foods that are more stable forces of energy: Choose low-carb foods that contain fiber, protein and healthy fats. They’ll provide all day energy rather than quick bursts, to allow your body to adjust faster. snacks like peanut butter and apple slices, or hummus and veggie sticks.
Happy, healthy Halloween!