Why Eating Sugar Can Make You Sick?

Sugar is an important part of our diet, and people consume an average of 30 teaspoons of sugar in a day. However, too much consumption of it is not healthy, and you may have ever experienced feeling sick and nauseous after consuming sugar. Do you think these two were just coincidence? Well, the truth is they are related with each other to some extent.

Why Eating Sugar Makes Me Sick?

We all know that sugar is a bad nemesis of our teeth and waistline. Too much sugar does not only negatively affect these two aspects of our health, but also our overall health. If you have experienced sick feeling after eating sugar, you might be wondering why it happens so. Below are some explanations behind that.

  1. Overeating

When we eat a lot of sugar, our body produces toxic acid called ketones as a byproduct of metabolism. Large production of these toxic acids can cause nausea.

  1. Sugar Intolerance

One third of the whole adult population has dietary fructose intolerance, a condition where your body is not able to absorb the sugar properly. This can result to diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence or constipation, and nausea.

  1. Sugar Allergy

This disorder is when your body perceives sugar as a harmful substance and releases antibodies to fight them as a response. People that have sugar allergy will experience vomiting, nausea, rash or abdominal pain when eating sugar.

  1. Artificial Sweeteners

Always have them in moderation as excessive intake of artificial sweeteners can cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.

  1. Diabetes

If eating sugar makes me sick is your mantra, you must be suffering from type 2 diabetes. Patients diagnosed with this condition have blood sugar level that is extremely high. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, frequent urination, extreme thirst, weakness, weight loss and even coma and loss of consciousness in severe conditions.

  1. Rapid Gastric Emptying

This condition happens when food such as sugars and simple carbohydrate are transferred from the stomach to the small intestine at a very rapid pace. Because foods are digested rapidly, you may experience vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, cramps, dizziness and weakness.

  1. High Blood Sugar

Also known as hyperglycemia, it is a serious medical condition that affects people who have diabetes. Symptoms in the early stage are greater thirst, need to urinate more often, fatigue, headache and blurred vision. It can progress into serious condition when left untreated and you may experience vomiting and nausea, abdominal pain, weakness and even coma. Seek medical help immediately if your blood sugar level reading is above 240mg/dL.

  1. Other Possible Triggers

Don’t just blame the sugar as the main culprit when you feel sick. Other possible causes could be:

  • When you feel sick after gulping down a big bottle of soda, you may be feeling bloated from drinking carbonated products.
  • Most sweet foods are high in fats which can also be the culprit of being sick.
  • If you are pregnant, your nausea is more probably related to the pregnancy than eating something sweet.

How to Deal with the Sick Feeling Quickly

Now that you have probably found the answer as to "why eating sugar makes me sick", it’s time to gauge the possible cause and seek professional help when necessary. Proper treatment will be provided by your doctor to provide long term relief on this condition.

Below are proven to help ease your nausea quickly.

  • Let it all out. If you feel the need to vomit, don’t suppress it. You would feel a lot better after you have emptied your stomach out. Vomiting allows your gut system to cool down.
  • Ginger, the most powerful anti-nausea agent. Ginger is popular due to its many health benefits, one of which is providing relief for nausea as it neutralizes stomach acids by promoting the secretion of enzymes. Make your own ginger tea by collecting the juices from small-cut ginger and adding it into a glass of water. You can add some honey on it to taste.
  • The wonderful effect of lemon. One of the most popular home remedies for treating nausea is lemon. Experience its soothing effect by cutting up the lemon in half, then inhaling its sweet scent. You can also cure hang-over or morning sickness by making some lemon tea.
  • Increase blood circulation to your brain. One of the reason why you feel dizzy and nauseas is because you’re not getting proper circulation. To remedy this, simply increase the circulation of the blood to your brain. Find a quiet room that has adequate supply of oxygen, lie flat on your back and bend your knees. Breathe deeply until you’re feeling better.
  • Calm your nerves. Have you ever feel nauseas because you’re anxious or nervous? A lot of people are experiencing nausea caused by stress and anxiety. Try to calm down and perform deep breathing. Zone out from all the problems and anxiety and solely focus on your breathing and how your body moves with it.
  • Perform acupressure. Every time I feel that eating sugar makes me sick, I practice acupressure to get relief. This has been practiced for many centuries where pressure is applied to certain points of the body. Using two fingers, apply pressure gently at the top of the crease in your wrist. You can also use your index finger and thumb to put pressure on the sides of your wrist.
  • Back and neck stretching. You’re putting pressure on your back or neck if you’ve been sitting in front of your desk for hours. Remove the queasiness of nausea by taking a few minutes off to have a good stretch. It brings the circulation of blood back to life.
  • Get some fresh air. One of the easiest remedy of feeling sick is by simply getting some fresh air. Feel the wind as it blows and take a deep breath.