The Benefits of Sugar Detoxing for a Healthier You:

Sugar Detoxing is one of the most common ways of quitting sugar and is frequently reported as a form of weight regulation.

Whether this is a motivation or not, this is one of the awesome benefits to crushing the sugar cravings.

People can learn to control their cravings and easily create a calorie deficit with better food choices to start lowering body fat.

The Dangers of Added Sugars:

Keeping your blood sugar balanced – Low blood sugar levels are associated with overall lower brain activity, including lower activity in the PFC, the brain’s brake.

Low brain activity means more cravings and more bad decisions.  What causes blood sugar levels to drop?

Drinking alcohol, sugary snacks, sweetened beverages, and other high-glycemic foods (think rice, pasta, and cereal).

Stabilizing blood sugar levels throughout the day improves self-control. Here are a few tipsthat can help:

• Eat protein and healthy fats at every meal.

• Have smaller meals throughout the day. This helps eliminate the blood sugar rollercoaster ride that can impact your emotions and increase cravings.

• Replace simple sugars and refined carbs with healthier options. For example, swapping candy for a few squares of sugar-free dark chocolate can help you kick the habit.

• Try nutritional supplements, such as chromium and alpha-lipoic acid. They have very good scientific evidence that they help balance blood sugar levels.

Eliminate artificial sweeteners:

Get rid of artificial sweeteners if you want to decrease your cravings. These sweeteners have no calories, but they are approx. 600 times sweeter than sugar,

which could activate the appetite centers of the brain making you crave even more sugar. Try to go without any sweeteners then your brain will stop craving the sweetness.

If you must, replace the artificial stuff with natural sweeteners like stevia or erythritol.

Manage your stress:

Anything stressful can trigger certain hormones that activate your cravings, making you believe that you need the ice cream, cake, or licorice. Meditation and hypnosis are powerful stress-management practices that can boost blood flow to the PFC to help rebalance your brain circuitry.

Outsmart sneaky cravings triggers:

Nearly everywhere you go, someone is trying to entice you to eat something sweet. Think of the candy displays near the checkout counter at the grocery store, which is intentionally designed to tempt you to make an impulse buy. To control your cravings, you have to control your triggers. Know the people, places, and things that fuel your cravings and plan ahead for your vulnerable times. For example, choose the grocery store aisle that has the display of razors and batteries instead of the candy.

Find out about hidden food allergies:

Hidden food allergies and food sensitivities can trigger cravings and make you fall back into old habits. For example, did you know that gluten and milk allergies can decrease blood flow to the brain and decrease your judgment? In addition, food allergies can cause concentration problems and anxiety, which can increase cravings. To find out if you have any food sensitivities, try an elimination diet. Stop eating corn, soy, dairy, gluten, artificial sweeteners, and food colorings for 3 weeks then introduce them back into your diet one at a time and see if you have any reactions.

Practice willpower:

Willpower is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Practice saying no to the things that do not serve you and over time, you will find it easier to do.

Increase Exercise:

Physical exercise can cut cravings. A 2012 study in the journal Appetite showed that taking a brisk 15-minute walk decreased cravings for chocolate. Not only that, it also fended off the cravings for an additional 10 minutes following the walk. Because cravings typically only last about 10 minutes, a brief bout of exercise may be all it takes to distract you from the sweets you crave.

Make sleep a priority:

Multiple studies, including a 2013 study in Nature Communications, show that lack of sleep increases cravings. “It’s important to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night to help battle cravings. Creating a healthy bedtime routine that promotes relaxation can help,” says Shane Creado, MD, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist at Amen Clinics Chicago and the host of the Overcoming Insomnia online course.

Nutritional supplements to curb cravings:

N-acetylcysteine, alpha-lipoic acid, chromium, dl-phenylalanine, and l-glutamine are 5 natural supplements with scientific evidence showing that they can help take the edge off cravings.

Avoid hidden sugars:

Even if you’re no longer adding sugar to the foods you eat and have kicked your cookie habit, you may still be consuming sugars without realizing it. Many so-called health foods contain hidden sugars. For example, many salad dressings, milk alternatives, and pre-made smoothies are loaded with sweeteners. You need to become a pro at reading food labels to root out sneaky sugars.

Treat underlying mental health conditions:

Craving sugar, sweets, and refined carbs have been associated with anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, schizophrenia, and other psychiatric issues.

Studies have shown that Antioxidants have a link between high-sugar consumption and depression. A diet containing more high-glycemic foods was associated with a higher incidence of depression and fatigue.

In addition, when you’re feeling anxious or stressed, you’re more likely to crave sugar. ADD/ADHD has been associated with dopamine deficiency,

which can cause people with this condition to seek out activities and foods—such as sugar—that stimulate dopamine, recognizing these conditions can help you overcome the sugar cravings for good.

More Energy and Less Slumps:

Sugar blocks the body’s ability to keep energy stores stable, and when people learn to fuel their body with alternatives it is common to find that blood sugar will stabilize,

which will stop the those up and downs plus the afternoon crashes will become a thing of the past.

Better Sleep:

Sleep is a critical part of mental health. It can clear out the brain of toxins, improve memory, regulate metabolism.

Insulin levels are regulated when blood sugars are balanced, this promotes good sleep patterns and provides consistent energy.

Lower Risk of Diabetes and Other Illness:

While it’s not true that sugar directly causes type 2 diabetes, excess calories from added sugar can lead to:

Weight gain, Insulin resistance and Pancreatic failure which causes the disease.

Also too much added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase inflammation which can both lead to heart disease and a lot of other illnesses.

When you cut out the sugar, you cut the risks of health issues, It’s a no brainer !!!