Are you a diabetic and still are not able to give up that sweet tooth of yours?
Of course, it is hard to quit sugar if you are addicted to it, but it is also worth to reduce it soon to stay healthy. Why just diabetic?
Even if you are facing problems with weight management, high blood pressure, and other related issues, it is high time that you need to do something with your sugar intake.
This is quite understandable that quitting sugar is not an easy task and hence one of the ways to help you can be through sugar detox.
“The ultimate is to really downplay sugar in the diet and have that be a permanent lifestyle change” – dietician Bethany Doerfler, Northwestern Medicine, Chicago.
Many people when hearing about sugar detox plan, they come up to a conclusion that all the sweetness of their life will be lost. But in actuality, it starts with a day sugar detox plan or even a meal detox plan as per many dieticians like Doerfler.
He says, “For most people, I recommend cleaning up one meal at a time and then progressing onto the next meal the following day.”
Are You a Sugar Addict?
Maybe you are absolutely healthy, and also, you are not detected with diabetes. But still you can be a sugar addict. There are a number of sugar addiction symptoms that a person can have but are not aware of. Check out these symptoms that say whether you are sugar addict or not.
- Getting hungry quite often,
- Getting tired quite often,
- Mood swings,
- A headache, muscle pain,
- Stomach upset, nausea,
- Sweating, faster heart beat and high blood pressure.
Sugar withdrawal headache is the most common symptom that such addicts face if they are disconnected of sugar suddenly.
There are cases when people try to detox themselves by suddenly stopping the sugar intake and then face a number of problems such as diarrhea, headache, and others. Such issues are often termed as sugar detox side effects.
But this only happens when the detox is started and continues in a wrong way. It is very important for the individual to research well and follow a proper guide to get detoxed from sugar in place of starting his or her own regime.
Reasons to Go for Sugar Detox
Such detox plan is mainly helpful in cutting down your craving for sugar. It does not help you in controlling your blood sugar level but also helps many individuals in losing weight. Though for many people, consumption of sugar can act as addiction while for some it may not be but still they need to go for the detox method.
Why is this so?
It is because many times people consume sugar in the unhealthiest way. They crave for something sweet and then ultimately loses control to gulp down sugar that is much higher than what they have planned. Sugar is taken as an addiction because; it fuels up the brain cells.
The brain cells take sugar consumption as a reward and hence it wants more of it each time. If proper steps are not taken at the proper time, then it becomes difficult to break down this chain.
Have you ever noticed that you finish eating a candy much faster than any other food stuff? The reason behind this is that the simple carbohydrate of sugar turns quickly into glucose that mixes with the bloodstream.
But while you are consuming other simple carbohydrates such as fruits and dairy products, the fiber in them controls the process of sugar turning into glucose. The faster the glucose will mix in your bloodstream, the faster will blood sugar level increase.
The human body is made in such way that it tries to find out remedies on their own. This is the reason why the glucose mixed in the blood is tried to be sent to the body cells for energy at a fast rate. For doing so, the pancreas secretes a hormone called the insulin.
This quickly drops down the sugar level in your blood similar how it has gone up while you were feeding upon your favorite sugar treat. To regain the glucose in the blood, your body will again start craving for sugar and the chain goes on until you do not bring a stop to it.
You are mistaken if you think that you are on an unhealthy diet only due to your craving for sugar. Another nutrient that can work similar to sugar is starch. The complex carbohydrates break down in your body as simple sugar and then work on in the same way as sugar does in your body.
So, if you are not addicted to sugar but have a craving for French fries, bagels, crackers and pasta, then also you should go for sugar detox to control down your craving and start a healthy living.
Does sugar detox actually work?
This is a major question that many individuals do ask before starting the diet plan. On the other hand, there are many individuals who come up with the answer that the sugar cleanse plan does not work. But one of the major reasons why such plan does not work is that they are planned in the wrong way.
Suppose it is your relative’s marriage, and you have started detox to lose weight just a week ago. You cut off all the sugary items such as fruits, cereals, and others in order to get cleansed from sugar. But do you really think this works?
No, because after a few days you will again start having a deeper craving for sugar and ultimately you will lose your control and will consume sugar so much that it will again increase your weight.
The best way is to exercise your taste buds slowly and steadily to get rid of sugar craving. This cannot be done in one day or even by suddenly stopping the intake of sugar. The only proven method of doing so can be by cutting one sugar item at one time.
For example, if you have a habit of eating dessert at meals, start cutting off the dessert from your dinner the first day, then lunch the second day and then go ahead cutting off other sugar intakes slowly each day.
Sugar withdrawal does not mean that you have to end up sweetness from your life. You can try out berries and low-fat dairy products in place of your regular sugar items. So, as you slowly cut off sugar items each day from meals, start including other sources such as wholesome fruits and others that can maintain sweetness in your life but in a healthy way.
Some Tips to Manage Sugar Cravings
Initially, when you start the sugar-free diet plan, you may face problems of controlling your cravings. But there can be a number of ways how you can control your craving while getting detoxed from sugar.
A very best way is to include protein in your meals. Proteins are high helpful because they take the much higher time to get digested. Hence, it keeps your stomach full for much longer time and hence can help you in controlling your cravings. Also, high intake of water helps in keep you full and staying away from eating.
Along with protein and water, high intake of fiber such as green leafy vegetables, oats, and others are also helpful in keeping you full, maintaining your blood sugar and keeping you away from sugar craving.
Exercising is not only helpful in toning down your body but also in cutting down your sugar craving. When to burn out calories while exercising, your body demands food that is high in energy sources. Thus, you start feeding on healthy food more than the junk and sweet food items.
It is a very wrong conception that artificial sweetener can help you in cutting down sugar from your life. In fact as per recent research, these artificial sweeteners leave you craving more for sugar. So, in place of making artificial sweetener a part of your life, it is better to go for other options for breaking sugar addiction.
The Sugar Detox Plan for Quitting Sugar
One of the common questions that people come up with is that how to detox from sugar. The best way is to take up the sugar detox method.
What is this plan exactly about? This is a program to know your body well and the cravings that your body has in next 21 days. In these 21 days, you will be comfortably cut off from maximum sugar from your diet. This is also known as the Paleo meal plan.
How to Get Started With Sugar Detox?
There are a number of sugar detox options, but the most effective one is said to be of 21 days. It is said that it takes exactly 21 days for anyone to get habituated to anything. For example: if you are continuously waking up in the morning at 6 o clock for 21 days, from the 22nd day, you will automatically wake up at 6 o clock without needing an alarm clock.
The same theory has been applied to the sugar detox plan too. Initially, the 3 weeks may seem to be a mountain to cross, but as the days pass, you can automatically see the comfort hat you have even without the sugar in your meal. But of course even after the 21 days, you need to maintain the plan in order to stay healthy.
So, do not even try to start sugar detox plan during holidays or before a wedding or a party when your sugar intake in at the peak.
Some of the common methods that are used in the sugar detox method are:
- Cereal meals with fruits as breakfast
- Grilled chicken or fish with vegetable salad in lunch
- 3 pm snack is must that should have nuts or vegetables
- Whole-wheat pasta in dinner with vegetables or chicken
- The craving for dessert can be stopped by fresh fruits
So, What Does the Detox Plan Consists of?
Normally, when you are going for the 21-day sugar detox plan, you can get assistance via e-books, videos and sugar detox recipes. The manuals explain you a number of things about sugar such as how the sugar is broken down in your body, how it is harmful to your health and many other points that can motivate you well in starting the plan.
The main concept of the sugar detox is to plan your diet based on wholesome natural food that is full of nutrients and complete for your healthy body. There are a number of sugar detox recipes provided that you need to follow for the next 21 days cleanse yourself properly.
You are not the only one who is addicted to sugar; there are many at present. It is said that sugar addiction is something similar to alcohol. But the good news is that this addiction can be broken up with the help of sugar detox.
There are a number of plans such as 5 days plan or a week plan, but it is medically proven that a 21-day sugar detox plan is much successful than the others.
Sugar detox does not mean to stay up on foods with no sugar. It is about maintaining a proper diet that consists of lesser simple sugar and high amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Consuming fibrous fruits and vegetables are the best sources to get the sweetness and also to curb sugar from your diet.
People often make a mistake in replacing their sweet items with sugar free foods or artificial sugar. Such mistakes will not help you in cutting down your sugar intake; rather will increase your sugar craving even more.
So, the best way is to go for a plan that consists of sugar detox recipes and a proper guideline about how to and when to cut off which sugar items from your diet in a proper way.
