5 Things That Happen When You Quit Eating Sugar

Image – EatLocalGrown (with permission)

Introduction: Today we are sharing a great report from Eat Local Grown on the positive effects of giving up sugar. I can vouch for this in principle because I did it myself several years ago and have not regretted it…

I first came across the idea of giving up sugar in the year 2000 when I met someone who had done so. At the time it seemed almost insane that someone could actually give up this substance – it’s everywhere. And why would they even want to? In somewhat evangelical tones, he handed me a book and said that if I read it, I would certainly want to give up sugar also. The book was Terence McKenna’s Food Of The Gods. But wait, isn’t that some sort of tripped-out book about magic mushrooms?

Well, partly. But as it turned out – it was so much more. And the chapter on sugar was indeed amazing. The history of sugar was fascinating and scary, reading like some sort of historical drug war account – linking the history of refined sugar directly to the African slave trade (slaves were imported specifically to work on the sugar plantations). But what was most surprising was that McKenna pointed out that sugar was, in fact, a drug – and a particularly insidious one. I had not thought of it this way before – but I had to agree: It’s addictive, bad for your health and causes changes to the mind and body (have you seen kids after eating too much sugar?).

McKenna’s perspective was enlightening – and so, long story short, I gave up sugar. To start with, I didn’t feel that much different. I was young and in pretty good health already. Perhaps subtly “cleaner” inside. It was only when I ate something very sweet after having not eaten any refined sugar for ages that I really felt the effects of sugar on my system. It was awful.

Fast forward to today: I’m still off the sugar (apart from a very occasional slice of cake) and feel all the better for it. My teeth are great, stomach perfectly flat and I’m sure the bacteria in my body are in much better balance without sugar.

5 Things That Happen When You Quit Eating Sugar

First, let’s set the record straight by saying that sugar in and of itself isn’t evil, per se. It occurs naturally in plenty of foods, including fruits and milk. With that being said, adding excess sugar to your dietary intake simply isn’t necessary. In fact, you’ll notice numerous positive things happen when you decide to quit sugar for life.

Although people living in the Western world have been trained to desire sugary treats, as well as foods that include copious amounts of sugar for flavoring, we certainly don’t need it. If you stop eating anything but naturally occurring sugars, you’ll notice that 5 very distinctive things will happen.

1. Your Energy Will Improve

Ironically, many of us have a tendency to reach for sugar-filled items, including so-called energy drinks and caffeinated beverages, when we’re tired. Yet without all the sugar, we’re guaranteed to have a higher energy level naturally. In other words, all that sugar is blocking our body’s ability to keep our energy stores at maximal levels. Plus, there will be no up-and-down with your blood sugar, so afternoon crashes will become an experience of the past.

2. Your Weight Will Stabilize

Sugar makes you crave more sugar, and we’re not just talking about sugar in its raw form.

Let’s face it: most sugar comes in high-fat and/or high-carb foods that have been processed or at least contain tons of unwanted ingredients. There is, of course, the exception of fruit, which are nearly all sugar.

By going on a sugar detox, your body will not be subjected to the need to deal with all those additional calories.

You won’t feel hungry, and you’ll end up losing weight – or at least not seeing the scale fluctuate as dramatically.

3. Your Intestines and Colon Will Perform More Efficiently

If your insides could tell you what they wanted on a daily basis, they would say lots of fiber and a minimum amount of tough-to-digest, impure foods. When you remove sugar, you’re enabling your tummy and bowels to reset their abilities to process what you’ve eaten. You may even find that you go to the bathroom more often … this is a good thing. It means everything is getting back to a normal routine.

4. You’ll Stop Wanting Sugar

It’s a fact: sugar begets sugar. After you rid it from your food regimen, you’ll begin to lose the desire to eat anything with sugar in it. Fruits will taste plenty sweet, and if you do take a bite of a cake or pie, you’ll be shocked at how overpowering and overly sweet it seems. It’s not actually that hard!

5. Your Skin Will Look Healthier

Have you noticed that you can’t seem to crack the case on why your acne appears and disappears despite all the creams, potions, and ointments you’re using? It may be that sugar is hurting your skin from the inside out. Many people report that their skin feels and looks healthier after they stop giving in to sugar’s pull.

Ready to Start Your Sugar Detox and Quit Sugar for Life?
While a cold turkey approach to your sugar detox isn’t always recommended, especially if you’ve been a sugar-holic for most of your lifetime, it’s definitely a good idea to start cutting back now. The faster you begin, the faster you’ll start to reap the advantages of going sugar-free.

In fact, in light of the countless dangers of consuming too much sugar, the World Health Organization has changed its sugar recommendation—advising no more than 5% of your daily calories should come from the sweet stuff, down from the previously recommended 10 percent. Considering that more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year, we have some work to do.

Start small by evaluating everything you’re eating and drinking. If you are addicted to sugar-laced coffee drinks sold at popular coffeehouses, scale back on how many times you drink them. Then, scale back some more. Soon, omit certain sugar-laden products. Over time, you will physiologically adjust to your new habits.

Remember that it takes about three weeks before a new way of doing something becomes a comfortable routine. If you have slight missteps, such as eating a candy bar after a stressful workday, just keep forging ahead. The results of your diligence will definitely be worth it.

Here’s some other cool stuff that relates to this:

How To Make Sugar-Free Chocolate Coconut Energy Bars (these are amazing!)
5 Important Facts About High Blood Sugar And The Best Foods To Eat To Prevent It
How To Make A Real All-Natural Electrolyte Drink

Article with permission from Rick D