Cravings Can Be Conquered
Everyone has a weakness. Mine is chocolate. I absolutely adore it but the addiction has always been a source of irritation. Ive lost count of the number of times Ive tried to give it up . I knew this craving wasnt going down without a fight. My olfactory system went into overdrive and I could sniff out chocolate from a superhuman distance. Within a week , the mental battle had dissipated.
The Honest Truth On How You’ll Feel On A Sugar Detox
Prepare for the likelihood that as your body adjusts to its new sugar-free reality, youre going to feel like crap.
It takes three days to get through it, and it feels rough. Im thinking of one patient who told me, I cried for three days, Dr. Blum says. People dont realize it has that kind of power over you, and they really detox. They get achy. They get irritable.
The more addicted to sugar you are, the worse those three days will be, Dr. Blum warns, with lots of cravings and headaches. But after that things just kind oflighten.
Youll Feel Lighter Brighter And Happier
Sure, eating your favorite cake or ice cream may make you feel better in the short term, but over the long haul, your mental health can take a beating. Did you know that eating too much sugar is linked to depression? The underlying chronic inflammation that happens when we eat a high-sugar diet negatively impacts our brain function one of the reasons we get blue with too many sweets.
A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who ate sugary foods with a high glycemic index increased their risk for depression. Another study published in 2017 in the journal Scientific Reports found that men who consumed more than 67 grams of sugar every day increased their risk for depression when compared to men who ate less than 40 grams each day. Just consider a small child after eating their Halloween or Easter stash. They often turn from little angels to pesky devils! If you want to eat to beat the blues, youll want to stop eating sugar especially if youre prone to depressive states.
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Symptoms Of Cutting Added Sugar From Your Diet
Cutting added sugar from your diet may lead to physical and mental symptoms.
How the body reacts to giving up sugar is different for everyone. The symptoms and their severity will depend on how much added sugar you were taking in through sweetened foods and beverages.
Some people find that their symptoms last from a few days to a couple of weeks.
As your body adapts to a low added sugar diet over time and your added sugar intake becomes less frequent , the less intense your symptoms and cravings for sugar are likely to be.
You may find that your symptoms are worse at certain times of the day, such as between meals. Stress may trigger for sugar, so you may find that your symptoms feel worse during times of stress.
It May Help Reduce Your Risk For Cancer
Although research hasnt proven that sugar directly causes cancer, there are some pretty compelling links between the two. Cancer cells like other cells in your body use sugar as fuel. And eating a high sugar diet leads to weight gain, which is a definite risk factor for cancer.
A 2013 study found that diets rich in refined sugars, as well as meat and other animal products, were linked to a greater risk of pancreatic cancer. Bosetti C, et al. . Nutrient-based dietary patterns and pancreatic cancer risk. DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2012.12.005
After following subjects for more than 2 decades, researchers in another recent study found that sugars and sugar-sweetened beverages increased the risk of type 1 endometrial cancer among postmenopausal women. Inoue-Choi M, et al. . Sugar-sweetened beverage intake and the risk of type I and type II endometrial cancer among postmenopausal women. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-13-0636
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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%.
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It Could Keep Your Skin Looking Young
And now for the appeal to your vanity: A lifetime of eating too much added sugar can leave your skin dull, wrinkled, and prematurely aged.
Sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, which is an appropriate name for what they do! Nguyen HP, et al. . Sugar sag: Glycation and the role of diet in aging skin.
AGEs damage collagen and elastin, the protein fibers that keep skin firm and elastic. That damage leads to the wrinkles and drooping that some experts refer to as sugar sag.
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First Thing In The Morning
Remember, breakfast shouldn’t taste like dessert.
Breakfast is the most dangerous meal of the day for sugar. Many breakfast foods that sound as if theyre healthy are in fact laden with sugar. In Chobani Strawberry Yogurt, for example, the second ingredient ahead of strawberries! is evaporated cane sugar. And many brands of granola have more sugar per serving than Froot Loops or Cocoa Puffs. In the United States, as the science writer Gary Taubes says, breakfasts have become lower-fat versions of dessert.
There are two main strategies to ensure that breakfast doesnt become a morning dessert. The first is for people who cant imagine moving away from a grain-based breakfast, like cereal or toast. If you fall into this category, you have to be quite careful, because processed grains are often packed with sugar.
A few grain-based breakfasts with no or very low sugar:
- Cheerios. Theyre quite low in sugar.
- Plain oatmeal. Flavor it with fresh fruit and, if necessary, a small sprinkling of brown sugar.
- Bread. A few breads have no sugar . A longer list of brands have only one gram, or less, per slice . Authentic Middle Eastern breads, like pita and lavash, are particularly good options and a growing number of supermarkets sell them.
- Homemade granola. You can also make your own granola and play around with the sugar amounts.
- Scrambled or fried eggs
- A small portion of well-spiced vegetables, like spinach, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Ready To Change Your Lifestyle Reach Out To Ideal You Today
One of the best things that you can do for yourself is changing your diet. By changing what and how you eat, you can lose weight and take advantage of a whole host of benefits like what happens when you cut added sugars from your diet.
At Ideal You, we understand how difficult it can be to lose weight in a safe, sustainable way. Our program is different. We dont ask you to buy shakes, bars, or frozen meals. Instead, we offer a healthy approach to weight loss, using a multifaceted approach that takes the latest science on things like added sugars into account.
If youre interested in learning more, we are here to help. To schedule a free consultation with Ideal You Weight Loss, call us today at or book your free consult online.
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Quit Sugar For 10 Days And This Happens To Your Health
Weve all heard it before added sugar is awful for you. Large quantities can wreak havoc on your health and lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. Despite the dangerous health consequences of consuming sugar, Americans are still eating it. Candy, sodas, ice cream treats, processed foods The sugar addiction is real, and obesity has become an epidemic.
The serious health damage being caused by sugar is preventable. Cutting back on sugar consumption can show immediate, positive effects on overall health and wellness. In a recent study, researchers were able to prove dramatic effects of cutting out sugar that appeared in just 10 days.
Dr. Robert Lustig worked alongside a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, in a study to show the effects of cutting sugar out of a childs diet. In only 10 days, all of the children who participated in the study dramatically reduced their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Researchers were able to decrease triglyceride levels by an average of 33 points and drop LDL cholesterol levels by 5 points, also dropping diastolic blood pressure.
You’ll Lose Belly Fat
Added sugar is synonymous with added caloriesand extra weight, according to a BMJ meta-analysis. And once you swap out processed, sugary meals with high-fiber foods, you’ll instantly notice a slimmer waistline. That’s because when your body is deprived of added sugars, it’ll start burning belly fat instead of carbohydratesblessing you with the toned tummy you’ve been dreaming of. Start by steering clear of these sugariest restaurant dishes.
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How Did We Get Here
Its not an accident. The sugar industry has conducted an aggressive, decades-long campaign to blame the obesity epidemic on fats, not sugars. Fats, after all, seem as if they should cause obesity. Thanks partly to that campaign, sugar consumption soared in the United States even as people were trying to lose weight. But research increasingly indicates that an overabundance of simple carbohydrates, and sugar in particular, is the No. 1 problem in modern diets. Sugar is the driving force behind the diabetes and obesity epidemics. Fortunately, more people are realizing the harms of sugar and cutting back.
How To Sugar Detox: Going Cold Turkey For Three Days
The good news is that even if youre not a true sugar addict, by eliminating sugar from your diet, you can quickly lose unwanted pounds, feel better and have a more radiant appearance.
There is no one person who wouldnt benefit by eliminating added sugars from their diets, Lustig said.
Children can benefit, too. Lustigs research revealed that when obese children eliminated added sugars from their diets for just nine days, every aspect of their metabolic health improved despite no changes in body weight or total calories consumed.
But going cold turkey is what works best, at least in the beginning.
Early on in my practice, when I would notice that people had real addiction to sugar, wed start trying to wean them of sugar or limit their intake or eat in moderation but the word moderation is so clichéd and not effective, Alpert said. It was just ineffective to ask people to eat less of something when theyre struggling with this bad habit. You wouldnt ask an alcoholic to just drink two beers.
What was so successful in getting my clients to kick their sugar habit was to go cold turkey. When they would go cold turkey, I wasnt their favorite person but the number one positive effect was that it recalibrated their palate, she said. They could now taste natural sugars in fruits, vegetables and dairy that they used to be so dulled to.
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Lower Odds Of Disease
People who have more added sugar in their diets are more likely to have diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, and other serious illnesses. You may be able to cut your risk for those conditions if you eat less of it. But itâs not yet clear whether the problem is added sugar itself or just the extra calories. Scientists are still trying to answer that question.
Make Your Own Takeout
I love to treat myself with takeout. Some of my weaknesses are Thai, Mexican, Japanese and Chinese. Thinking back to when I used to buy these, I was often left disappointed after eating it, mostly because I didnt really think I had gotten value for money. It always ended up being average food, for more than average prices, and it left me feeling bloated, tired, weighed down and if Im honest, a little regretful.
The takeout that used to make me happy, wasnt making me happy anymore. Id changed, and my taste buds had changed.
What was a girl to do? This girl started making her own healthy takeout, recreating store bought favorites with a healthy spin and without all the refined sugars and bad fats.
Its easy once you know how. To help you get started, here are a few of my favorites:
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It Will Help Keep Your Brain Sharp
You may have been warned that sweets can eat away at your tooth enamel. Whats even scarier is that sugar can eat away at your brainpower.
Research shows that a high sugar diet negatively affects mental function. In a sense, sugar might rewire your brain. Eating too much of it can alter the structure of the hippocampus the part of your brain where your memories take hold. Reichelt AC, et al. . Dietary influences on cognition.
It May Reduce Your Risk Of Depression
Eating sweets produces a quick sugar high, but that rush is short-lived. Several studies have linked diets high in sodas, juices, pastries, and other sugary foods to depression.
One study found that older adults who drank more than four servings of soda per day were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression than people who drank unsweetened water, coffee, or tea. Guo X, et al. . Sweetened beverages, coffee, and tea and depression risk among older US adults. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094715
There are a few possible reasons for the connection. One is that sugar increases inflammation in your body, which can have a depressive effect on mood. Sweets also affect your bodys insulin response in a way that might alter your hormone levels. Knüppel A, et al. . Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression: Prospective findings from the Whitehall II study. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05649-7
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Clean Eating : What Does It Mean To Cut Back On Sugar
With quitting sugar and sugar free being such buzzwords, its easy to be confused about what it even means. One of the things to understand though is that your decision to stop eating refined sugars and get started with clean eating doesnt involve being on a diet. Hooray!
Being on a diet would imply it has a start and an end. There is no start and end date because clean eating becomes an intrinsic part of your lifestyle and something that becomes as automatic as tying your shoelaces.
Youd be surprised that when you stop eating so much processed food, how much money you can save on your weekly grocery shop.
Clean eating means stepping out of the sugar haze and developing new healthier habits
Clean eating means developing a breakfast routine that will give you the energy to start the day
Clean eating means creating a lunch routine that doesn’t make you fall asleep an hour later
Clean eating means nailing a dinner routine that is easy, manageable and tastes good
Clean eating is about creating flexible routines that you’ll want to do over and over again because they make you feel awesome.
Achieve A Healthier Weight
For most people, weight gain occurs when we take in more calories than we burn. Over time, consuming too many calories can cause us to pack on the pounds. An all-too-easy way to eat too many calories is by eating sugar.
Sugary foods also taste really good to our bodies, so we may be tempted to eat much more than we would if the food was even slightly less sweet. At 4 calories per gram, this can add up to significant weight gain over time. By switching to whole foods like fruits, vegetables and lean proteins we can achieve a healthier weight.
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You May Sleep Like A Baby
If its loaded in sugar, your midnight snack may rob you of the ability to get good nights sleep, Dr. Hyman says. People can develop low blood sugar and get night sweats if they have a sugary snack before bed, he says. Eating sugar before bed can also supercharge stress hormones, which leads to trouble sleeping. What happens when you stop eating sugar? You will get higher quality zs within two or three days of kicking the sugar habit, he says.
Increase Your Dietary Fiber Intake
Eating high fiber foods may help you stave off hunger and cravings. They take longer to digest, causing you to feel fuller for longer.
High fiber foods also contribute to healthy blood sugar regulation. Keeping your blood sugar levels stable may help prevent cravings.
Aim for high fiber vegetables, beans, and legumes.
Pairing high protein and high fiber foods is best for healthy blood sugar control. Examples include mixing high fiber veggies like broccoli into your eggs or spooning some pumpkin seeds over your oatmeal.
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