While moderate sugar consumption poses no health risk, the average person consumes high quantities of sugar – perhaps without even knowing it.
The popularity of foods containing added sugars, such as sodas, breakfast cereals, packaged drinks, salad dressings, flavored yogurts and candy, contributes significantly to sugar overload in the body.
Another source of sugar is simple carbohydrates. Foods like honey, pure fruit juices, raisins, mangoes and bananas are rich in simple carbohydrates.
We usually think of these as healthy, but the body quickly uses simple carbohydrates for energy, causing a spike in blood sugar that can have adverse health effects.
An overconsumption of sugar also hampers the body’s nutritional intake.
Symptoms of a sugar overdose may include bouts of hyperactivity and consequent fatigue (as the sugar reserve crashes), yeast infections, depression, headaches, colds or sinus problems, mental disorientation and sleepiness.
Chronic sugar overload may also increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and promote the progression of cancer, especially breast cancer.
Sugar Consumption & Weight Gain
When you consume a high amount of sugar, your body converts as much as it needs into energy and stores the rest away as body fat.
Furthermore, added sugars do not metabolize like natural sugars. Instead, they travel to the intestine and alter the behavior of intestinal bacteria, which in turn raises blood sugar levels. This sugar, too, converts to fat.
When you are addicted to sugar, your body goes into overdrive converting unwanted sugar to fat.
Eventually, this fat begins to appear on your waist, hips, thighs and face.
Skip Moderation, Quit Completely
It is nearly impossible to break your dependence on sugar if you do not quit cold turkey. When trying to eliminate dietary sugar, many people experience the classic withdrawal symptoms of any addiction: sadness, headaches, queasiness, fatigue and cravings.
In a sugar addiction, this usually happens after a meal is digested. You experience a sugar craving and your body tells your brain it’s hungry again. What would a sugar-addicted person do in such a scenario? Reach for something sweet, of course!
As long as you satiate your “hunger” by eating that cookie, the sadness, headaches and sick feelings go away, and you feel instantly better.
It is necessary to abstain from sugar completely to break this cycle. Practicing moderation is just a psychological cop-out that is not likely to work.
If you can cope with the discomfort of withdrawals for a few days, you will be on your way to kicking the addiction and improving your health.
3-Day Sugar Detox Diet
Day 1
Breakfast: 1 cup of steel cut oats with berries and seeds or almonds – OR – 3 scrambled eggs
Mid-morning snack: A small bowl of nuts
Lunch: Chicken breast (poached) with a bowl of lightly cooked butternut squash, carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, beans and almonds
Dinner: Broiled fish with a bowl of green beans – OR- Salmon with stir-fried broccoli and mushrooms (enjoy both of these dishes for your meal if you are really hungry)
Day 2
Breakfast: 1 cup of steel cut oats with berries and seeds or almonds – OR – 3 scrambled eggs with spinach (sautéed)
Mid-morning snack: A small bowl of nuts
Lunch: Grilled zucchini with red and yellow peppers and a dressing of lemon, vinegar and thyme – OR -A shredded green and red cabbage salad tossed with shredded carrots, drizzled with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and salt, and garnished with chopped parsley
Dinner: Steamed green vegetables of your choice with a vegetable casserole and bean soup – OR – Baked cod with stir-fried bok choy and roasted Brussels sprouts and turnips
Day 3
Breakfast: 1 cup of steel cut oats with berries and seeds or almonds – OR – A 3-egg omelette with shrimp and a sautéed kale, radish and walnut salad
Mid-morning snack: A small bowl of nuts
Lunch: Pan-roasted chicken thighs with rosemary, sage and lemon – OR – Oven-roasted chicken with onion, black olives, and thyme
Dinner: Mushroom heads with a broth of garlic, onion, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaves- OR- Penne pasta (made of brown rice) with a mushroom, basil and tomato meat sauce
Sugar Detox Drinks
Eliminating sugary drinks from your diet is a sure-fire way to beat the addiction.
Replacing sugary fruit juices with detox waters and healthy hot concoctions will boost your detox efforts and won’t deprive you of your beverage intake.
Detox water: Slice or chop one of these fruits – grapefruits, blueberries, strawberries or oranges – as well as some fresh rosemary or mint, and add them to a medium-size mason jar of filtered water. Store and drink it every day.
Tea: Drink unsweetened herbal or green tea 3 times daily.
Coffee: Drink no more than 1 cup of unsweetened black coffee daily.
Things to Remember:
Stay away from products like honey, agave nectar, maple syrup and all forms of artificial sweeteners to avoid binging. If you are exposed to even a small amount of sugar, you will want more and more.
Fight the cravings. It will be a challenge, so buckle up!
Replace fast-carbohydrate foods, such as white bread and fruit juices, with slow-carbohydrate foods like whole grains. They will regulate the release of sugar in your bloodstream, preventing a sugar overload and consequent cravings.
Always cook with extra-virgin olive oil.
Consume 2 ounces of nuts and seeds every day. Be sure you include flaxseeds and walnuts.
Eat 1 large bowl of cooked green vegetables every day. You have to keep the nutrients and micronutrients coming in when battling an addiction.
Try to consume a large serving of green salad every day and make sure to choose a healthy dressing.
Eat at least ½ cup of beans, including chickpeas and lentils, daily. Not many people know that including beans in a meal is known to reduce sugar cravings by the next meal.
Drink plenty of water. It’s always good for you!
A Way Forward
After you successfully complete this three-day detox plan, you will have significantly curbed your sugar dependence.
You depression, fatigue and headaches will begin to wear off and you will realize you can survive without a daily sugar fix!
The next step is talking to your nutritionist or doctor to figure out a longer diet plan to keep the sugar addiction at bay, while gradually incorporating healthier forms of sugar (such as fruits, dry fruits and a variety of low-sugar desserts) in your daily diet.
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