This 10 Day Sugar Detox Is Guaranteed To Reset Both Your Mind And Your Body
Sep 20, 2018
Sugar is eight times as addictive as drugs like cocaine. By eating sugar, you can actually develop an emotional and biological addiction. Over time, sugar consumption can change how your mind's pleasure and reward circuits. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to reach for a candy bar when you are hungry. Your mind is hardwired to want sugary, fatty food, so you have to work against this impulse with a sugar detox.
The average American eats 150 pounds of sugar in their food and drinks each year. A child in the United States consumes a whopping 228 pounds. Meanwhile, the typical American eats 146 pounds of flour in a single year. Since flour raises your blood sugar more than actual sugar, it can cause lasting damage to your physical health.
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One of the problems is that so many of our foods contain sugar. Whether you are eating tomato sauce or a slice of bread, there is sugar hidden on the nutritional label. Avoiding hidden sugar seems impossible.
When you eat a lot of sugar, it can lead to obesity. Sugar is also connected to chronic diseases like depression, cancer, diabetes, impotence, dementia, heart disease and infertility. Recent studies have shown that sugar is a significant factor in cancer growth.
You know that sugar is terrible for your body, but the problem is figuring out what to actually do about it. Luckily, this 10-day detox can help you kick a sugar habit for good. It operates on the same idea as an addiction detox. When someone is addicted to cocaine, they enter a rehabilitation center for detox. This 10-day detox does the same thing for sugar. By sticking to the following 10 steps, you can kick your sugar habit for good.
1. Commit to the Sugar Detox
Your first step is to really commit to doing the detox. If you are not completely committed, it will be far too easy to break the detox and reach for a candy bar.
Start by looking at how sugar affects your health. Are you overweight? Do you have family members with diabetes? Do you find yourself eating when you are not actually hungry? Make a list of the reasons why you want to do a detox and find the right motivation.
2. Quit for Good
Cutting down on sugar intake might sound nice, but it is hard to actually do in practice. The best thing that you can do is quit sugar completely. Remove artificial sweeteners, flour, processed foods and sugar from your diet. Instead, eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Stick to whole foods. If you can tell the ingredients of a food by looking at it, you are probably eating a healthier diet.
3. Skip the Drinks
One of the biggest sources of hidden sugar is in beverages. Juices, sodas and sports drinks are all high in sugar. Because of this, they can increase your cravings for sugar and worsen your addiction.
4. Eat More Protein
Protein is important for keeping your blood sugar levels stable. Make sure to eat protein at every meal. For the best results, use healthy proteins like chicken, seeds, fish, nuts and grass-fed meat.
5. Enjoy Good Carbs
Despite the popularity of low-carb diets, carbohydrates are actually a healthy part of your diet. The main goal is to use good carbs. During the detox, choose vegetables that have carbohydrates. Look for foods like cauliflower, onions, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, fennel, kale, collard greens, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, green beans and artichokes.
6. Consume Good Fats
Your brain and body need fat to function properly. Healthy fats help you to feel full. Fat is also important for balancing your blood sugar levels. Consume fats from healthy foods like avocados, nuts, olive oil, seeds and fish.
7. Create an Emergency Kit
Be realistic about your diet. At some point, you are going to become hungry and want to eat something. When this happens, it is far too easy to reach for the closest food. Instead of ruining your detox, you can set yourself up for success by making sure that the closest foods are healthy.
Create an emergency kit filled with healthy snacks. Choose your favorite snacks so that you actually want to eat them. When your blood sugar levels start to fall, you will have a healthy alternative to bring them back up.
8. Engage in Mindful Breathing
When you are under stress, your body produces a stress hormone known as cortisol. This hormone can also trigger hunger cravings for sweet foods. The best way to counteract this hormone is through mindful breathing. In addition to reducing your cravings, mindful breathing can also make your metabolism burn fat.
9. Get Rid of Inflammation
Inflammation can hurt your long-term health. When your body suffers from inflammation, you are more likely to develop heart disease, depression and other inflammatory conditions.
Sugar and refined starches are one of the main causes of an inflammatory response. To maintain your health, go for healthy sources of fats, carbohydrates and protein.
10. Sleep Well
Sleep is one of the best things that you can do for your health. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. If you do not get enough sleep, it hurts certain hormones in your body. Since these hormones are responsible for suppressing hungry, you end up eating more when you do not sleep enough. When you get enough sleep, you have the hormonal support and mental strength to make the right food choices.
Help your friends quit their sugar addiction by telling them about this easy detox.
Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!