Why You Should Try a Sugar Detox

What is a Sugar Detox?

A sugar detox is when you cut out all sugar from your diet for a set period of time. This sugar includes both sweeteners (natural and artificial), as well as all foods that contain sugar. The more sugar you eat, the more your body craves. A sugar detox is designed to break this cycle, reset your body’s tolerance, reset your palate, and provide your body with health benefits.

Sugar detox can cause unpleasant symptoms, also known as sugar withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, irritability, bloating, and cravings, especially in the first few days as your body adjusts to eliminating added sugar and processed carbs.

Why We Would All Benefit

“Reducing sugar in your diet can help you drop pounds, improve your health and even give you more radiant skin.” – Lisa Drayer, CNN

“There is not one person who wouldn’t benefit by eliminating added sugars from their diets,” says Robert Lustig, professor of paediatrics and member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. Lustig recognizes the dangers of overconsumption when it comes to our sugary diets.

“People don’t realize that seemingly healthy foods are loaded with sugar  and so we’re basically eating sugar all day long, from morning till night,” said Brooke Alpert, a registered dietitian and co-author of The Sugar Detox: Lose the Sugar, Lose the Weight — Look and Feel Great.

The average American consumes a much higher amount of sugar than recommended, which contributes to health issues like high blood sugar, diabetes, heart disease, and cavities.

Sugar is killing us slowly, and this is how we intervene.

Are You Addicted to Sugar?

Why do we crave sugar so intensely? Sometimes the urge for that second cookie, piece of cake, or bubbling beverage feels as real as an addiction. Turns out sugar addicts are no joke. Clinical studies have shown that refined sugar produces addictive patterns in the brain and in the body.

When you eat sugar your body releases opioids and dopamine, which stimulate the brain’s pleasure centers just like addictive drugs. Participating in a sugar detox can actually produce withdrawal symptoms for many individuals. Although withdrawals don’t sound pleasant, if you’re having them, the detox may prove to be even more necessary.

Sugar, including table sugar and artificial sweeteners, can act like other addictive substances by reinforcing dependency and cravings, making it difficult to break the cycle of a sweet tooth.

Why Should You Try a Sugar Detox?

Refined sugars lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and increased oxidative stress in the body. Sugar causes our cells to degrade faster, leading to faster aging, memory loss, and other cognitive effects. Sugar can even increase your risk for certain types of cancer.

Trying a sugar detox can reset your body. Our palates are accustomed to extremely sugary foods. After participating in a sugar detox, fruits and vegetables start to taste more vibrant and delicious on their own. It becomes easier to replace sugar with healthier foods. We crave less sugary condiments and even find our old cravings like donuts and soda, to be less appealing.

Eliminating added sugar can improve metabolic health in children, reduce inflammation, and improve digestion and gut health.

The Benefits of a Sugar Detox

• Weight loss

• Less headaches

• More energy

• Reduced blood pressure

• Reduced triglyceride levels

• Reduced blood glucose

• Reduced LDL cholesterol

• More attuned palate

• Break sugar dependency/ cravings

• Improved digestion

• Reduced inflammation

• Improved mood and energy levels

• Better metabolic health in children

How to Get Started

Meal Preparation

The first step to your sugar detox is to prepare meals ahead of time. Prepping meals can prevent spur of the moment binge eating. When you prep meals ahead of time you can be aware of the ingredients in each meal and ensure there are no hidden sugars.

Tracking your sugar intake can help raise awareness of hidden sugars in processed foods, salad dressings, low fat products, and other foods that may not taste sweet but still contain simple sugars or processed carbs.

Drink Lots of Water

No more soda pop or juice means alternatives. After cutting out sugar you may realize how much sugar you’re actually drinking daily. Even those healthy morning smoothies are loaded with fruits and added sweets. Keep a water bottle handy at all times.

Drinking enough water (2.7 to 3.7 liters per day) helps flush out sugar, manage cravings, and thirst is often mistaken for sugar hunger.

Read Ingredients to Avoid Hidden Sugar

Before you add that dollop of salad dressing to your otherwise sugarless dinner, double check the label. We are so used to consuming sugar daily, we forget that condiments, breads, cereals, crackers, ‘healthy’ granola bars, all contain lots of added sugars.

Check labels for hidden sugars in processed foods, salad dressings, fruit juice, low fat products, and processed carbs. Look for common names like high-fructose corn syrup, agave, and maltose.

Healthy habits are key to a successful sugar detox. Eat regular meals every 3 to 5 hours to keep blood sugar stable and prevent overeating. Get enough sleep, as lack of sleep increases cravings for sugary comfort foods. Stay hydrated, manage stress with activities like yoga or meditation, and practice mindful eating to help manage cravings and support your low sugar diet.

What Can I Eat?

Eating whole foods, whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats, and fresh fruits is important to control blood sugar, reduce cravings, and support digestion. Replacing processed foods and processed carbs with nutrient-dense options helps prevent blood sugar spikes and more cravings, while supporting a healthy gut and energy levels.