Nutritionist Dishes On The Benefits Of A Sugar Detox

In people’s everyday lives, sugar has always been present. It’s in your cup of coffee, your cereal, and almost all the other meals that you consume every day, however, experts believe that sugar does have good effects for the body, but then again, just like almost everything in this world, it also has some bad effectsWhich is why there is a latest wellness trend known as the detox diet

A detox diet can either be considered as juicing, cleansing, or fasting, all of these things can lead to weight loss and will also improve your well-being. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to starve yourself because that is just dangerous and extremely unhealthy, it is always best to consult a dietitian or nutritionist if you would like to try detoxing. Strict and extreme detoxing may cause fatigue, low blood sugars, and dizziness. However, there is one detox diet that is actually good for the overall health, and that is sugar detoxing.

SUGAR DETOXING

Experts believe that reducing sugar in someone’s diet will definitely help them lose a few pounds as well as improve their overall health and can even improve the skin. According to the author of ‘The Sugar Detox: Lose the Sugar, Lose the Weight – Look and Feel Great, Brooke Alpert, who is also a registered dietitian, sugar can actually make people look ‘farm ugly and old’.

“What we’ve discovered in the last couple of years is that sugar is keeping us overweight. It’s also the leading cause of heart disease, and it negatively affects the skin, that leads to premature aging,” Alpert explained.

ARE WE ADDICTED TO SUGAR?

According to the recent study, about 10 percent of the population of the United States are actually addicted to sugar. People simply cannot stop consuming sugar. “People have a real dependency, a real sugar addiction. We have sugar, we feel good from it, we get (the feeling of) an upper, and then we crash and need to reach for more,” she added. The professor of pediatrics as well as a member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, Robert Lustig said that sugar induces rewards and cravings that are similar in magnitude just like as if it is induced by addictive drugs.

What most people don’t know if they added sugar that is hidden in foods are the ones that are extremely unhealthy, even when the food itself is not exactly sweet, such as in bread, tomato sauces, salad dressings, and more. Alpert also believes that “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.”

WHAT WOULD SUGAR DETOXING DO?

Professor Lustig also mentioned that those who are not exactly sugar addicts may have the chance to eliminate sugar from their diet so that they could lose weight and feel better about themselves. “There is no one person who wouldn’t benefit by eliminating added sugars from their diets,” he added.

He also said that parents could actually do this to their children as well because his research showed that obesity is caused by too much sugar and it can all be prevented if sugar will be eliminated from their diet in just nine days. “Early on in my practice, when I would notice that people had a real addiction to sugar we’d start to wean them of sugar or limit their intake or eat in moderation,” Lustig explained. He also added that it seems to be ineffective because it’s like asking an alcoholic to drink just two beers.

CAUTION WHEN SLASHING SUGAR FROM YOUR DIET

It has been proven that eliminating sugar from your diet can definitely help someone lose weight so quickly. “We had over 80 testers from all over the country, and they lose anywhere between 5 to 10 pounds during the 31 days, depending on their weight or sugar addiction,” Alpert explained. The participants also noticed that their eyes are brighter, their skin is smoother and clearer. They also explained how they have more energy and fewer mood swings.

It is also important to seek professional advice from a dietitian or a nutritionist if you would like to give the sugar detox diet a try because this is not exactly for everyone.