What Happens To Your Body When You Cut Out Sugar

Your Heart Disease And Stroke Risk May Change

There are varying schools of thought on the impact of a low-carb diet and your health. PLOS One’s 2014 study concluded that increasing the intake of refined carbs increases the body’s production of palmitoleic acid, which is a biomarker for a host of health issues like high cholesterol, diabetes and more.

However, Emma De Fabiani, Editor at the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at Universita degli Studi Milano in Italy, argues that our understanding of palmitoleic acid is incomplete, at best, and more study is needed to determine in which “stages of the lipid scene” the acid is harmful or harmless. Other studies, however, have examined the health impact of a low-carb diet. One found that, in a 24-week ketogenic diet, the subjects experienced lower total cholesterol with a significant decrease in triglycerides and an increase in HDL levels. Those findings might lead us to believe that a low-carb diet can, indeed, help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.

You May Be Irritable After Giving Up Sugar But Your Mental Health Will Improve In The Long Run

In the short term, cutting out sugar may leave you feeling lousy and not much fun to be around. According to Medical News Today, individuals going through acute sugar withdrawal may experience irritability, anxiety, and depression. These negative feelings should subside fairly quickly as the brain adjusts to life without sugar.

Despite initial discomfort, quitting sugar may be one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Healthline noted that consuming too many simple sugars can increase your risk for depression and mood disorders. Sugar promotes inflammation within the body, and inflammation may be an underlying cause of some forms of depression.

In fact, the link between sugar and depression is so compelling that researchers have begun to experiment with the use of diabetes drugs to treat depression. In one 2016 study published in Psychiatry Research, participants with depression were given pioglitazone, a medication that makes the body more sensitive to the effects of insulin, for 12 weeks. The medication improved their ability to regulate blood sugar, and this in turn led to improvements in their depression symptoms.

Things That Will Happen To Your Body When You Stop Eating Sugar

Given the modern cosmopolitan lifestyle we lead these days, we are constantly, either consciously or sub-consciously, consuming large quantities of sugar everyday. Sugar is present, not just in obvious unhealthy foods and beverages but also in so-called healthy alternatives such as nutrition bars and fruit juices. Its a vicious circle of calorific nightmares thats almost impossible to escape… so you really need to watch out and be careful about what youre consuming.

Did you know that excess consumption of sugar is not only addictive, but also potentially dangerous for your body? It can lead to multiple, serious;health problems;including obesity, diabetes, heart diseases and tooth decay to name a few.

Quitting sugar isnt all that easy thoughespecially if youve had a sweet tooth all your life. You will have to endure a passing phase of side effects and mood swings, restlessness, depression etc. But once you get past this phase, youll realize that the benefits are well worth the trouble. We suggest cutting down on the sugar slowly in smaller doses rather than at once so that your body doesnt have to endure a sudden shock before you can reap the benefits of this positive change in lifestyle.

Once you cut that unwanted sugar out of your life, here are a bunch of positive changes you can expect:

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Your Liver Becomes Leaner

To create fat, the liver uses sugar, specifically fructose. The more sugar you consume, the more chance your liver has to produce copious amounts of fat, which can result in a fatty liver.

While it is specifically called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, it looks exactly like the livers of those who overindulge in alcohol. If detected early, it is reversible, but becomes less so the longer the damage continues.

Week : Expect Less Energy And ‘withdrawal’

Okay, let’s get the bad news out of the way first: Dr. Smith warns that you should brace yourself for withdrawal symptoms during the first three to five days of reducing sugar. The first thing people notice is they typically get headaches, similar to caffeine withdrawal, he says. They also report having decreased energy levels and mental acuity, as well as gastrointestinal distress.You’ve

Its not totally clear why this happens from a biochemical standpoint, but research shows that giving up sugar creates a similar reaction in the body as ditching drugs. Dopamine levels fall, while acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that regulates pain perception, risesand this chemical combination is said to be linked to withdrawal symptoms.

Science aside,;its important to remember this phase is only temporary. Dr. Smith says, Not everyone experiences it, and if you do, you have to believe that its going to get better.”

If it all becomes too much to bear, he recommends eating some;fruit to take the edge offsome options are lower in sugar than others, so stock up on options;that won’t give you a glycemic spike.

Also Check: How Do You Test Your Blood Sugar

Detox To Reset Your Gut Health

Removing a chunk of foods from your diet can be a big step. I did it all at once and never looked back.

Megan Gilmore, the author of No Excuses Detox, suggests taking breaks from offending foods on a regular basis for several days at a time. Thats how Stephanie saw the improvements she did, including more energy and a clearer mind. So there is no doubt it works. In her book, Megan explains, Serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, appetite, and sleep is mostly produced in the gut, so the food you put in your body not only affects your energy levels, but it can affect your emotions as well.

Im living proof of that and know others who have experienced a profound improvement just by ditching gluten, sugar, dairy and processed foods.

I think a 7 or 10-day food detox is a great place to start. If youre not sure that these foods are contributing to your fatigue, aches and pains and other specific health issues, test it out. See how great you can feel after going without them for as long as 10 days. Keep in mind if you eat them heavily, it could take a week just to get them out of your system.

Editors note: Did you know that when you take your body from acid to alkaline you can boost your energy, lose weight, soothe digestion, avoid illness and achieve wellness? Click here to discover The Alkaline Secret to Ultimate Vitality and revive your life today!

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What Happens When You Cut Out Sugar

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Sugar is hard to escape. Even if youre one of those people who dont have a sweet tooth and do a good job at avoiding sugary indulgences, youre most likely still consuming a lots of sugar because its so prevalent in our food. According to a report by the University North Carolina,;the average person consumes about 300 calories from added sugars a day, and 20-percent of Americans exceed 700-calories from added sugar on a daily basis! This is because sugar is not only in things like cakes, cookies and soda its also in salad dressings, pasta sauces, and even a seemingly healthy snack like yogurt.

Since sugar is so prevalent and has such a profound effect on our body, when we stop eating it there are many things that happen to our body. At first it will be difficult as the body goes through some mild withdrawal symptoms. But after that, there are several amazing health benefits that occur when a person cuts sugar from their diet. Heres a look at 14 of them

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You Lower Your Risk Of Some Types Of Cancer

You can lower your risk of some types of;cancer;by avoiding sugar.

Cancer cells are fed by sugar, which encourages ongoing cancer cell growth. Cancer cells’ rate of sugar uptake is more than 10 times higher than the rate at which regular healthy cells make use of it.

Cancer cells are also known to thrive in environments that are acidic in nature. Since the pH of sugar is about 6.4, it provides a very cancer-friendly atmosphere. Sugar is linked to more cancers of the breast, prostrate, endometrium and pancreas.

Sugar substitutes are not a good replacement for sugar, as they are also linked to cancers such as bladder cancer, lymphoma and leukemia.

Things That Happened When I Cut Out Sugar For A Month

The nutrition editor at Runner’s World tamed her sweet tooth for 30 daysand the results weren’t exactly what you might think

Dont get me wrong. Being an avid runnerand also the nutrition editor at Runners Worlddoesnt mean I can eat whatever I want, despite people saying this to me. Constantly.

I still need to fuel my body, and my runs, with whole foods, good fats, fruits and veggies, and make sure Im not eating more than Im burning.

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But Id been hearing a lot about this no-sugar craze, and the truth is I have an insane sweet tooth: I eat ice cream every day. I even held a taste test here at work. So if anyone could stand to cut back on their sugar, I figured it was me. I gave myself a month to see what happens. Here were my guidelines:

1. No Refined Sugars Natural sugars, on the other hand, were fine. I would not cut out fruits, and I would still be able to sweeten my plain yogurt with a little bit of honey, for instance.

2. No More Than 8 Grams of Sugar a DayMy go-to breakfast is the aforementioned yogurt with granola in it, so I looked for stuff that contained fewer than eight grams of added sugar. If Im being honest, I made that number up: Im not a registered dietitian . But eight grams seems like an appropriate amount of sugar, especially if its mostly natural.

Finding a granola with so little sugar turned out to be difficult so I ended up making my own and adding a little bit of honey for sweetness.

Stop Eating Sugar And Your Cholesterol Will Likely Improve

An estimated 93 million American adults have a total cholesterol level greater than 200 mg/dL, and approximately 29 million of those individuals have levels higher than 240 mg/dL . In addition, 18 percent of adults have an HDL cholesterol level below 40 mg/dL. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, the CDC revealed.

Sugar may be a bigger contributor to cholesterol than dietary fat, so cutting it out could make a big difference for your heart health. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2007 followed more than 15,000 women for about a decade and concluded that those who ate more sugar-rich refined carbs had higher cholesterol levels and were at greater risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

Additionally, a;study;published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in 2020 looked specifically at the link between sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda, and cholesterol issues. They found that individuals who consumed more than one serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per day had lower HDL and higher triglyceride levels than those who consumed less than one sugary drink per month.

Get Ready For Those Zzzs

When youre not consuming sugar on a daily basis, you might not be able to get the shut-eye you deserve. , A Cleveland, OH, medical director noted that eating sugar before bed can also supercharge stress hormones, which leads to trouble sleeping. However, Hyman also noted that once you kick the habit, youll likely be able to fall soundly asleep.

Promotes Sound Sleep :

Cutting back on sugar can help maintain blood sugar levels and also increase the level of serotonin within the brain, promoting a healthy and consistent sleep pattern.

Also, sugar suppresses the activity of orexin, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that helps regulate arousal, wakefulness and appetite. High sugar leads to large amounts of glucose in the bloodstream, which suppress the activity of orexin neurons in the brain.

Try cutting sugar out of your diet, or at least limit your intake, to enjoy better sleep. You might be surprised by how much better you are sleeping!

Codexone Challenge: Give Up Sugar For A Week

You cant have a conversation about obesity, diabetes, calories, low-carb eating or even diet in general without the topic of sugar coming up. Sugar is everywhere, in practically every food product on the market. And were not just talking about soft drinks, sweets, or sugary breakfast cereals.

Salad dressing? Loaded with sugareven savory dressings such as ranch.

Hot dogs? The second ingredient in several brands is high-fructose corn syrup.

Peanut butter? Loaded with sugar. And dont think that healthier almond butter is any bettermost nut butters on supermarket shelves have lots of added sugar. The same goes for milk substitutes like soy or almond milk and other foods most people think of as healthy. And lets not even get started on convenience foods like canned soups or pasta sauces and frozen dinners. Nearly anywhere you look, sugar is lurking.;

And with few exceptions, it didnt get there naturally. So why is our food supply so saturated with sugar? Because it keeps us coming back for more. And thats hurting our health in countless ways.

What Is Glycemic Index

Even though the general rule is that simple carbs have the inclination of raising blood glucose faster than complex carbs, there is a much more exact way to find out how quickly a food source affects the blood sugar level. The answer is checking the glycemic index , a scale used to measure how rapidly a food increases blood sugar level. Higher the measurement, faster the reaction. In general, foods that rate 55 or lower are known as low GI foods, foods that rate 56 to 69 are labeled as medium GI foods, and foods that rate 70 or higher qualify as high GI foods.

So when you are choosing your options, opt for carbs that are lower in GI value, high in nutrients, and high in fiber. This way, your blood sugar will have lesser fluctuation, you will receive more vitamins and minerals, and you will stay satiated longer. Here are some examples:

However please note that the GI value of a food can change depending on the following factors:

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Your Skin’s Aging Process Will Slow

Cutting out excess added sugar and keeping blood glucose within healthy parameters may slow the rate at which skin ages. A high-sugar diet leads to the production of AGEs , and AGEs are associated with acceleration in the skin’s aging process. In fact, research suggests that decreasing sugar intake may slow the aging effects that AGEs have on skin aging by up to 25%.

Related:;What to Eat for Healthy, Glowing Skin, According to a Dermatologist

Youll Finally Lose The Weight

According to the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, the average person eats around 22-teaspoons of added sugars a day. This amounts to about 350 calories! Readers Digest talked to Leah Kaufman, MS, registered dietitian at NYU;Langones Weight Management Program;who explained how sugar can be addicting, but if we stop eating it, it can help a person lose weight. Sugar can be addicting, and when we decrease the amount that we eat, it also stops cravings, so we consume fewer calories and lose weight, says Kaufman. It seems like this is that magic diet plan weve all be waiting for!

Not only is it addicting, but endocrinologist David Ludwig, MD, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and coauthor of Always Delicious, told Health.com that sugar causes high levels of insulin which puts fat cells all over your body into calorie-storage overdrive. He describes it as Miracle-Grow for fat cells. Its just not the sort of miracle you want happening in your body.

The Many Names Of Added Sugar

Its in about three-quarters of all prepackaged foods at the grocery store and has more than 50 names, so it can be hard to keep up. Some of the more common ones are corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, raw sugar, cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, agave, brown rice syrup, coconut palm sugar, barley malt syrup, and more. Look for a list of names from a reputable source if you want to be sure of what youre buying.