10 Steps To Help You Detox Sugar From Your Body

The truth is we are eating way more sugar than we need and there are a lot of hidden added sugars in our diets we are unaware of.
Our sweet tooth could be doing serious damage to our health, leading to weight gain, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and an increased risk for diabetes type 2 (insulin independent), high Triglyceride and cholesterol levels, depression, migraine and gout, to name just a few of the harmful effects of sugar.

According to the American Diet Association, the daily intake of sugar should not be more than 7% of daily caloric intake, that is equivalent to 6 teaspoons for women and about 9 teaspoons for men.

Sugar in excess can be harmful and cause a lot of problems, such as craving, binge eating, weight gain and heart disease.

Eating too much sugar triggers a release of the hormone insulin which might give you a nice jolt of energy, but over time the metabolism becomes inefficient and you begin to feel sluggish.

Steps to help you detox sugar from your body:

1. Don’t go cold turkey: Reduce the sugar added to your diet and make sure it is done gradually to give your buds time to adjust.
2. Eat real food: indulge in complex carbohydrates, including fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains like brown rice and legumes.
3. Don’t use sugar: Add some flavour and not sweetness to your hot and cold drinks, such as cinnamon and vanilla.
4. Eliminate foods containing sugar: all sodas, fruit drinks that aren’t 100% juice, desserts, processed foods, candy and condiments.
5. Balance your carbs and protein intake and add more protein to your food to help you feel full for longer. This will stabilise your blood sugar and prevent cravings.
6. Do not skip meals: Ideally, eat small frequent meals during the day to help your body balance your sugar levels. Make sure you have at least 5 meals a day.
7. Stick to low GI foods in your meals and snack options which include most fruits and vegetables.
8. Avoid low fat and diet foods which contain hidden sugars and avoid artificial sweeteners.
9. Read food labels: sugar, in its various forms, hides in many of the foods that we eat every day.
10. Make the pledge: don’t delay and start feeling your best.

Once you start cutting added sugars from your diet, your energy levels will improve. You will lose weight, sleep better, your bad cholesterol will go down, your skin will improve, your sugar cravings and fatigue will diminish and you will feel better. The ultimate goal is to have a permanent lifestyle change.

Glycemic Index (GI)

According to American Diabetic association, the Glycemic index, or GI, measures how a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose. Foods are ranked based on how they compare to a reference food, either glucose or white bread. A food with a high GI raises blood glucose more than a food with a medium or low GI.

Low GI Foods (55 or less)

• 100% stone-ground whole wheat or pumpernickel bread
• Oatmeal (rolled or steel-cut), oat bran, muesli
• Pasta, converted rice, barley, bulgar
• Sweet potato, corn, yam, lima/butter beans, peas, legumes and lentils
• Most fruits, non-starchy vegetables and carrots

Medium GI (56-69)

• Whole wheat, rye and pita bread
• Quick oats
• Brown, wild or basmati rice, couscous    

High GI (70 or more)

• White bread or bagel
• Corn flakes, puffed rice, bran flakes, instant oatmeal
• Shortgrain white rice, rice pasta, macaroni and cheese from mix
• Russet potato, pumpkin
• Pretzels, rice cakes, popcorn, saltine crackers, melons and pineapple