Want to know a secret?
We all know that giving anything up can sound depressing. And considering sugar affects our dopamine levels, which creates the pleasure sensation in our brain, giving up anything that gives us pleasure really doesn’t sound like fun! But trust me, quitting sugar could be the best thing you ever do – you just need to overcome some simple chemical reactions first!
It’s estimated that at least 10% of Americans are addicted to sugar, and although excess sugar really isn’t good for us, we can’t help eating or drinking the stuff!
Here’s the truth
The pleasure we get from eating something sweet is twofold – by releasing dopamine and by also canceling out insulin craving – but both of these are very short lived. To overcome your sweet tooth you need to swap the ‘immediate’ for the ‘longer term’ and you will soon realize that you aren’t ‘giving anything up’!
News flash
By cutting down on eating excessive amounts of sugar, your gains will far outweigh any perceived losses. You will be healthier. You will have more energy, and with more energy you can do more with your life. Boundless energy will give you so many more options in your work and play, and your life will become more fulfilling.
And that’s not all…
By going on a sugar detox you will most likely lose weight too, and any losses in weight work both mentally and physically. If you are within your ideal bodyweight how good does that make you feel? Does it make you feel better than a bar of chocolate would? The chocolate provides a temporary hit and the fix is fleeting, eventually ending in another crash and an energy slump. Becoming slimmer and fitter with more energy has NO downsides. It’s not a quick fix, but there’s no crash – it just leads to a happier life filled with more energy.
Breaking the back of it
A sugar detox means temporarily cutting out ALL forms of sugar from your diet. Sugar hides in so many places, so you also need to be aware of where it lurks before you begin. Once you go cold turkey, you may feel tired and irritable for a couple of days, but once you come out the other side, you’ll start to feel energized, so it really is worth the effort! Plus you can then slowly reintroduce foods that contain sugar back into your diet!
Make the change
My mother had a saying: “Do what you always did and you’ll get what you always got”. I think that sums up life really well. So many people go around doing the same old thing yet expecting the outcome to be different. To make change, you need to change. By cutting out sugar you will start feeling way more energised, you’ll sleep better and have a clearer head, so suffering for a couple of days on a detox is way better than letting your excessive sugar intake slowly ruin your health
But I love chocolate!
Here’s the thing. Once you break your ADDICTION, you can go back to eating small portions of sugary foods. It’s the addiction that controls your cravings and your eating habits. Once you get back in control, YOU decide what you want to eat and when you want to eat it, plus you will have reset your palate, and your tolerance for sugar will be far lower, meaning you won’t need to eat the WHOLE packet of biscuits anymore!
When you give up sugar, you also give up:
1. An addiction.
2. Cravings driving you to make very bad nutritional choices.
3. A fatty liver.
4. Becoming overweight.
5. Mood swings
6. Energy slumps.
By giving up sugar, you gain:
1. Freedom from an addiction.
2. Freedom to make healthy nutrition choices.
3. More energy.
4. A slimmer you.
So are you really giving anything up? Or are you just becoming a better you?
