Sugar is sweet, but you can say the same for diabetes, infertility, cancer, heart disease, acne and depression? You can’t call these diseases to be sweet. Can you?
On an average, a single person takes more than 152 lbs of sugar annually. The average American adult male/female weight is 195.5/167 lbs. The figures were 167/141 lbs during the 1960s.
This increase in average weight should be taken seriously.
The 152 lbs of average annual sugar consumption equals to 22 tsp of sugar a day. Do you know what the average is for an American kid? Its 34 tsp a day! Almost 25% of all teens are pre-diabetic.
The harmful effects of refined sugar and refined flour include enhanced blood sugar levels and inflammation to start with. They don’t have any special nutritional value which cannot be found from other foods.
According to a study in the Harvard University, scientists discovered the consumption of high amount of sugar from milkshake increased blood sugar levels, release of insulin, and stimulation of the brain centers associated with cravings for sugar. When the scientists recorded brain scans, they found that sugar caused the brain’s addition center to become hyperactive like the fireworks on the 4th of July.
Big 10 Remedy
When 600 overweight subjects used the diet created by Dr. Mark Hyman (M.D.) they lost 4,000 lbs between them within 10 days.
Can you remember when you lost just 7 lbs in a fortnight? Even your best efforts and hard work couldn’t help you achieve that. This diet by Dr. Hyman eliminates any cravings, causes no deprivation, and doesn’t involve any tasteless foods or unexciting diets. It’s about changing the way we all think about food.
Dr. Hyman’s diet is made up of foods that cause reversing of sugar addiction. The diet works by resetting our brain and body, and reduce sugar in our overall diet.
Your 10-Day Sugar Detox Diet
The following 10 detoxifying tips will help you cut on sugar and refined carbohydrates and the results will be there within 10 days:
1. Take the Decision to Detoxify
Mark Hyman asks a series of questions in his book to determine if you should detoxify or not. Even if you answer a yes to even a single question, his sugar detox diet will help you shed weight and become better.
2. Become a ‘Cold Turkey’
The best and only way to end physiological addiction is to ‘stop’ it. The key is to become a cold turkey. If you are an alcoholic, you cannot just claim that you will stop with that one drink.
You should put a stop on all kinds of sugars including artificial sweeteners and flour products. They can slow down your metabolism, increase cravings, and promote storage of fat.
You should not take any foods available in cans, packages and boxes (with labels) for 10 days. Eat only fresh, whole and real foods.
3. No Liquid Calories
According to Dr. Hyman, calories taken in liquid sugar are much more harmful than solid form of sugar and flour. He calls it routing sugar directly to our liver. So you should avoid sports drinks, soda, juice, coffee and sweetened tea because they are the largest source of sugar-based calories in our diets.
A single can of soda taken everyday will increase your child’s risk of obesity by almost 60%. It will increase a lady’s risk of Type II diabetes by almost 80%.
4. Benefits of Proteins
Proteins help in balancing our insulin and blood sugar levels. They are a great alternative source of energy compared to carbs. Take protein shake or whole farm eggs in the morning. Include chicken, eggs, nuts, fish, seeds or grass-fed meat in all the meals.
Protein will help you feel fuller for longer periods. This is because proteins require more time to be digested and for releasing the energy. A single average serving size comes to around 4 to 6 oz.
5. Take Healthy Carbs
There are many vegetables which are full of carbs. You could eat as much as you want. The ones to be avoided are sweet potatoes, potatoes, beets and winter squash. But you should take unlimited amounts of the following veggies for 10 days:
– Broccoli
– Greens
– Cauliflower
– Asparagus
– Kale
– Green beans
– Zucchini
– Pepper
– Artichokes
– Tomatoes
– Mushrooms
6. Use Fat to Fight Sugar
The ironic thing about fat is that it will not make you fat – it will make you feel fuller. It will also help in balancing your blood sugar. It is an essential nutrient for our cellular structure too.
Take good fats in all your meals. This includes seeds, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, avocados, coconut butter and fish. They will help you keep off sugar.
7. Always Carry Your Emergency Pack
The moment you come across those vending machines and fast food joints, it is easy to fall for something scrumptious, especially when your blood sugar levels are low. According to Dr. Hyman, you should always carry your ‘Emergency Life Pak’. His pack comprises of proteins, healthy fats and healthy snacks. This pack will prevent you from falling for those unhealthy foods.
Dr. Hyman’s emergency life pack has:
– Coconut butter
– Artisana nut butters
– Walnuts
– Salmon jerky/turkey jerky
– Almonds
– Pumpkin seeds
– Sardines/Wild salmon
– Wild blueberries (unsweetened)
8. De-Stress (Feel Relaxed)
If you feel stressed all the time, you will have high levels of the stress hormone (cortisol). It will increase your hunger while also increasing fat storage in the belly. It can cause the development of Type II diabetes too.
According to certain studies, when you take deep breaths, it helps in activating your vagus nerve. It will move your metabolism in way that it causes fat burning rather than storage. It will also help you eliminate stress.
Dr. Hyman has created Five Deep Breaths exercise for you. He recommends taking 5 slow and deep breaths. Count to 5 when taking the breath in and similarly when breathing out. You should do this breathing exercise prior to your meals.
9. Curb Inflammation
Inflammation is capable of causing Type II diabetes, imbalance in blood sugar levels, and insulin resistance. Most people suffer from 2 unknown food sensitivities – dairy foods and gluten. The bad thing is that most of us don’t know about our sensitivities and keep craving for these allergens.
It could be almost impossible for you to quit them for 10 days. But if you do successfully fight the cravings, you will notice big boost in energy.
10. Get Plenty of Sleep
In a series of studies, students were asked to cut short their 8-hour sleep by 2 hours. The effects included:
– Increase in hunger hormones
– Fall in appetite-suppressing hormones
– Too much craving for refined carbohydrates and sugar.
So when you sleep less, you crave for more energy and this forces you to take foods containing high amount of sugar. These foods give you boost. Sleep is a great way to keep off cravings.
Source: Healthy Holistic Living