How to Curb Your Cravings on a Sugar Detox Diet

If you’re one of those people who mainly eats dinner just for that chance to chase it with something sweet, then the odds are it’s time you went through a sugar detox. The ultimate goal of this type of detox is to really downplay the sugar in your diet, making a low-sugar diet a permanent lifestyle change.

While your love for sweets may seem harmless, the truth is that most people are consuming way more sugar than they need. According to the experts, the average American consumes more than twenty teaspoons of sugar every day, which is more than three times the recommended amount. Research has also shown that having a sweet tooth can do some serious damage to your health, leading to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, weight gain and an increased risk for type two diabetes. Some experts believe that eating too much sugar on a daily basis puts you at the same type of health risk that smoking cigarettes does.

A diet that’s full of high glycemic index foods and sugar promotes most of the leading causes of death in this country. While some nutritionists don’t see much value in reducing your sugar intake just for a period of a few days and then going back to following an unhealthy diet, doing so can shed some light on how good you would feel, should you decide to live a low sugar lifestyle for the long haul.

A sugar addiction isn’t something to laugh about. Once you become hooked on a high sugar diet, it can be hard to quit, which can lead you down a real slippery slope towards major health problems and obesity. Studies have shown that in some animals and people, the brain tends to react to sugar like it can to alcohol or drugs. Which is why when you first start cutting back on sugar, you end up feeling very deprived for a few days. If the body is overloaded with toxins and waste, you’ll feel very uncomfortable when you stop eating that type of food.

The wildly popular twenty-one day sugar detox diet process can help boost your energy, shed unwanted fat and improve your overall sense of well-being and health. This detox can also help with lethargy, fatigue, depression and issues with concentration.

Several people who have tried this detox claim that their skin also appeared clearer, their sleep improved and they no longer experienced frequent mood swings. Other people have reported an improvement in eczema and other types of skin conditions.

Once the detox process has been completed many participants have stated that they no longer experienced intense cravings for sugar and crabs.

Getting rid of that Sweet tooth

This three week long detox consists of three different levels. The first level is where a person will begin to cut out refined foods, but will still be able to consume dairy, grains and legumes. The second level begins working towards removing the grains and legumes from the diet. The third and final level will involve eating a strict paleo diet, with a few modifications that allow a person to achieve the goal of a complete detox from carbs and sugar.

The basis of this diet is considered to be from a paleo viewpoint, which means almost anything that’s allowed in a paleo diet will also be allowed in this diet plan. Some essential foods you’ll want to include are avocados, eggs, canned meats, dried meats and veggies.

Avocados are packed full of healthy fats and don’t contain sugar. Eggs are a cheap and excellent source of protein and can be used in a number of recipes. Canned meats such as chicken, tuna, crab and salmon are all good options when it comes to quick snacks or meals. Canned meats can also provide you with a good source of protein and the fish can offer a healthy dose of omega 3. Dried meats such as turkey jerky or beef jerky provide you with a good option for snacks on the go and are also packed with large amounts of protein. Veggies offer a number of minerals and vitamins and you can use them for light meals, sides or quick snacks.

Foods that have a high carb content or a lot of sugar will be on the list of foods to avoid. In this list some of the most obvious foods will include crackers, rice, pasta, breads, pancakes, cookies, muffins, ice cream, brownies, cakes, yogurt with fruit, fruit based smoothies, brown and white sugar and other types of sweeteners, including honey and all fruit juices.

It’s almost impossible to remove all traces of carbs and sugars from the diet. If you want to perform a less strict sugar detox diet, you can consume foods such as brown rice, quinoa and low carb tortillas, in moderation. You can also use low fat plain yogurt, in place of the basic fruit flavored varieties.

Many people will typically choose to add a single piece of fruit in the morning, for nutritional value. If you want to perform a more strict sugar detox diet, you can substitute using veggies for fruit, in your morning smoothie.

 What you can do to Speed up the Detox Process

If you’re having trouble during the first few days or the first week, one of the best things you can do is keep distracted. Sugar and carb cravings are the worst and they can be challenging to get through. Hitting the gym and sweating out the toxins will not only help to speed up the detox process and help to minimize your cravings but they will also help you to feel better overall and can significantly help with the weight loss aspect of the sugar detox diet.

While your first week will seem pretty rough, in the end, your efforts to cut back on your sugar intake will really pay off. After the first few days, you should notice an increase in your energy level, around the same time that the cravings and fatigue diminishes.

Not to mention, the long-term benefits of cutting back on sugar are definitely positive to ignore. A study published last year shows that beverages high in sugar were directly linked to the cause of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.