I did a cleanse and a 30 day health challenge last month. It went pretty good especially considering I went to Vegas right at the beginning of it. I was trying to get off sugar. Well processed white sugar that is. But it came back. I'm really bad with peer pressure. When friends have chocolate, I want chocolate. They barely have to even ask before I'm diving right in. I just can't shake it!!!
There's nothing better than a sugar induced coma. It feels so good once it hits your lips. Life just feels better. Until the inevitable crash. Its such a crappy thing to crash off of sugar. Most people just keep that cycle going. (I also include any white bread products here too folks). I am no different. Although I'm SUPER healthy and go to the gym 5-6 days a week (5 on a bad week) I still like my snacks. I love to snack! Such a bad habit. BUT that being said, I snack on as much healthy stuff before I dive into the chocolate.
I used to be able to get off sugar really easily. I don't eat a lot of bread or bread products in general. I'm a whole foods kinda vegan. Actual whole grains, veggies, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruit, etc. BUT when someone puts some bread in front of me watch out! I go crazy for it. Its like a drug. I've been trying to shake the habit but its so hard in the winter. Its like I just wanna carbo load to pack on some fat for the winter (like bears). I DON'T WANNA!!! lol
What too much sugar can do:
The sudden rush of sugar in your system can give you an quick energy boost but it triggers the release of insulin which lowers it and over time as you body becomes depleted of nutrients, your metabolism becomes inefficient resulting in poor energy and weight control. This can also lead to a number of health problems as the liver converts excess sugar to triglycerides (blood fats) and bad cholesterol (diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, heart disease, mood swings, yeast overgrowth, osteoporosis, premature aging, poor immunity, degenerative diseases and increased risk of cancer).
A sugar detox is well worth it if you want to lose weight, curb sweet cravings, control diabetes, improve your energy levels, and lower your risk of many health problems. However, you can experience some withdrawal symptoms such as headache, fatigue, anxiety, depression, irritability and sleep problems if your diet is high in sugar.
So I think I need to cleanse again. Today is day 1. Its about lunch time and I'm craving something sweet already. Lunch is done; big salad and homemade refried beans with salsa and hot sauce. I had a 20 smoothie for breaky. Mandarins might do the trick.
I think I should start packing snacks like nuts and seeds too. I always have lots of fruits and veggies with me anyways so that's not a problem. And I eat about 5-6 times a day. Veggies digest in 2 hours so I gots to keep my energy up. They aren't huge meals, some are liquid and I always have 1 big salad a day. Sometimes 2.
How to detox sugar?
Avoid adding sugar to your food and drinks and avoid obviously sweet foods. Read labels to exclude sugar hidden in many processed foods such as ketchup, many sauces, pickles, soups, dips, peanut butter, salad dressings and even bread. The majority of fruit drinks and sodas are FULL of sugar. It’s in everything isn’t it? A real eye opener when you see how much you eat every day.
Avoid adding sugar to your food and drinks and avoid obviously sweet foods. Read labels to exclude sugar hidden in many processed foods such as ketchup, many sauces, pickles, soups, dips, peanut butter, salad dressings and even bread. The majority of fruit drinks and sodas are FULL of sugar. It’s in everything isn’t it? A real eye opener when you see how much you eat every day.
DON'T PANIC. There are TONS of other foods you can eat. Replace sugar foods with fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, salad, unsweetened yogurt, almonds, almond butter, a handful of seeds, hummus. It may be hard at first to avoid sugar if you rely a lot on packaged foods but you can do it. Don’t fall into the trap of using artificial sweeteners or buying food or drinks containing them as they are not safe either. Try Stevia, a natural sweetener, instead.
What to eat instead on a sugar detox
Here are a few suggestions:
- buy plain unsweetened yogurt instead of sweetened and add your own fruit.
- oatmeal for breakfast and add some raisins or other fruit to sweeten instead of having a sweetened cereal
- make your own salad dressing with virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.
- Eat fruit
- snack on trail mix (unsweetened)
Eating a diet of whole foods whether vegan, vegetarian or meat eating will help stabilize blood sugar and reduce sugar cravings. Refined carbohydrates like white flour, white rice and refined cereals have the same effect as sugar. So even if you eat meat, just make sure its whole. Not the processed sandwich meat. YUCKY.
What a VEGUCATION that was!! lol
Peace
xoxo
K
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