How to do a Sugar Detox

How to Do a Sugar Detox (& Why Everyone Should) Sugar consumption is a huge health issue today. Even a little bit can have negative effects on the body. But quitting sugar can be tough (especially considering that it’s everywhere). That’s where a sugar detox comes in. Click here to read more…

How to Do a Sugar Detox (& Why Everyone Should)

The Harmful Effects of Processed Sugar and Why you should sugar detox

Sugar is present in many foods (like fruit), but on its own, sugar is only a simple carbohydrate. Below is why a sugar detox is recommended.

Sugar provides quickly digested, empty calories but doesn’t offer any nutrients. In fact, sugar actually pulls minerals (like calcium and magnesium) from the rest of the body for digestion. So sugar is, in some ways, an anti-nutrient.

Processed sugar causes these effects on the body:

stresses the liver (excess intake of fructose can cause the liver to create a lot of extra fat, some of which is stored in the liver)
increases bad cholesterol and triglycerides
can contribute to leptin resistance, which can then cause many other issues like sleep problems and weight gain
creates an addictive sugar response in the brain

Sugar doesn’t fill you up and instead encourages you to eat more (often because of a blood sugar crash).

Is Natural Sugar OK?

Sugars that come from foods like fruits and vegetables have minerals as well as fiber, vitamins, and enzymes that help the body cope with the sugar. They are ideal sources of sugar. Natural sweeteners like maple syrup or coconut sugar are better options than refined sugar but they can still cause some of the issues associated with refined sugar (especially when consumed in large amounts).

Getting your sugars from better sources is always a good first step to breaking a sugar habit. In other words, ideally we would eat zero processed sugar and only occasional natural sugars. An example of natural sugars is like maple syrup.