Sugar Detox and Cleanse - Importance and How to Do It

Why is it important to undergo a sugar detox, and how can you go about doing it?

The average American consumes an astounding amount of sugar in the course of a day. Many products have enormous quantities of sugar disguised in unfamiliar terms or innocent sounding names.

Furthermore, sugar can be addicting, and many people have come to rely on it for a quick energy or mood boost. Unfortunately, such energy cannot be sustained by the body and a "crash" soon follows, during which the body experiences a worsened fatigue.

Excessive sugar consumption can lead to a variety of disorders and diseases. A sugar detox can help counter the negative effects of this substance on the body and restore the body to health.

When embarking on the sugar detox, learning to read ingredient labels will be of prime importance. Sugar hides in most processed food, and statistics show that the average American will consume more than 150 lbs. of sugar in its various forms over the course of one year.

The body uses sugar in the form of glucose, obtained from carbohydrates, as a cellular energy source. Protein and fat provide fuel in the form of glucose as well, but take longer to metabolize. When one consumes items like whole grains, vegetables or legumes and pulses, the carbohydrates can break down slowly while the body works to release the glucose slowly into the bloodstream. The aforementioned foods contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals that cells can use during the conversion process.

On the other hand, the body rapidly absorbs refined carbohydrates as well as sugars from white flour pastries, syrups and dextrose into the bloodstream, which causes a swift increase in one's levels of blood sugar and the consequent release of the hormone insulin. Further, refined sugars have very few nutrients, so cells must strip nutrients away from tissues stores so that the glucose can be converted into energy.

Therefore, an individual who consumes sugar will feel a temporary boost in energy followed by a sudden drop that, over time, leads to inefficient metabolism, stifled energy, and weight gain. The liver converts the excess sugar in the system to triglycerides and "bad" cholesterol, which will eventually lead to a host of health problems including, to name a few, obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, and other metabolic syndromes.

A sugar detox will aid the body in losing excess weight, controlling sugary sweet cravings, and improving energy levels, as well as substantially lowering your risk for a number of serious medical conditions. Initially, like with many detox diets and plans, you may notice a mild headache, mood swing, sleep problems or other withdrawal symptoms. Stand firm, as these unpleasantries generally only last a few days and signal that your body must work diligently to cleanse itself of accumulated waste products.

Begin the sugar detox with the obvious. Avoid adding sugar to your drinks and meals, and curb obviously sweet foods like candy bars, pastries, and sodas. Start reading labels on the items in your refrigerator and pantry. Many foods like sauces, condiments, soups, and of course sodas have added sugar. It may masquerade under a different name, but rest assured that any ingredient that ends in '-ose' probably means sugar. This process will likely be quite daunting; as most packaged, canned, and otherwise processed and preserved foods have added sugar.

During the sugar detox, you will be consuming mostly wholesome, natural, and preferably organic foods. Replace sugary snacks with fresh fruit (fructose from raw fresh fruit can be consumed on the sugar detox diet).

Add in extra helpings of vegetables, unsweetened yogurt, and nuts to transition you from meal to meal. If you have been relying on convenience food, this may require a bit of planning, but will be well worth the effort.

While doing a sugar detox program, do not replace your white refined sugar with artificial sweeteners - this constitutes merely switching one excess for another. Instead, curb your intake of drinks that must be sweetened and drink plenty of filtered water, or try unsweetened green tea. If you have been drowning yourself in sodas and sugar-loaded lattes, this might take getting used to, but you will notice that you will experience a much wider range of tastes once you cut back on sugar (which all basically tastes the same).

Stevia, a natural sweetener, may be used occasionally during the detox, or try honey in limited amounts (an important natural sweetener in the Ayurvedic tradition).

If you experience sugar cravings, you will need to provide your body with nutritional support, through the use of dietary supplements; this will help restore the levels of nutrients which may be lacking. Some important nutrients which can help with symptoms of sugar withdrawal are chromium, zinc, the B vitamins, as well as vitamin C.

L-glutamine, which is an amino acid, is another nutrient which can assist in reducing sugar yearnings. Try taking 500 mg of it about half an hour before meals, 3 times each day. You may increase each dosage to 1000 mg at mealtimes if you continue to have cravings after seven days.

At the end of your sugar detox, you will find that you enjoy better health and increased vitality. After that, it is definitely a good idea to lay off refined sugar, permanently.

Read More: More on Specific Toxins to Detox | Specific Internal Detox Methods and Protocols | Specific External Detox Methods and Protocols | Full Body Detox - How To Detox Your Body | Home Page | Site Search

Wish to learn more about cleansing and detoxification after reading about sugar detox?

Have you heard of the 10-day Master Cleanse, the 12 steps to a complete body detox, or the definitive detox diet? Do you know how to detox to lose weight, or to detox your body at all levels in 5 minutes without ingesting anything? You could also discover the supposed body detox secret, or learn about colon cleansing as undertaken by a former toxic colon victim.

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