While sugary desserts, candy, drinks and other indulgences can be addicting, they can also wreak havoc on your diet, energy, concentration and mood. It's no wonder Sugar Busters became a popular fad diet. However, avoiding sugar, also known as sugar detox, might be harder than you think - it's not just found in the obvious cakes and chocolate bars but it hides in everything from whole grain cereals to yogurt to bread. Still, sugar detox is a diet worth trying if you want to avoid too many carbs, lower your diabetes risk or help manage your energy levels. Here's what you can expect when going through a sugar detox.
Because sugar hides in so many foods, kicking the sugar habit is great for cleansing and detoxification. But that's in part because your diet will probably have to change a lot. Gone will be the days of finishing dinner with a dish of ice cream or indulging in an afternoon sweetened latte. Even condiments are loaded with sugar. Instead, you should opt for proteins and high quality fats like olive oil, nuts seeds and fish. You'll also have to avoid carbs - bagels, breads, sweet cereals, potatoes and sugar filled pasta sauces are all off limits.
What might be worse than cutting the sugar out and changing your diet though, might be how the sugar detox makes you feel during the first few weeks. Expect a challenge as your body goes through withdrawal. The lack of sugar might initially cause headaches, mood swings, irritability and light-headed feelings. The good news, however, is that eventually your body will get used to the lower level of sugar and if you're lucky, you'll lose the taste for sugar, too.
 | Detoxification helps support various systems in your body when you're losing weight. Toxins are stored in body fat and are released into the bloodstream during the fat-burning process unless they're flushed out first. |
 | The hot water of a bath brings toxins to your skin's surface; as the water cools, it can help draw the bad stuff out. Take a detox bath to help your body release buildup both internally and externally. |
The cleansing of the colon using copious amounts of water was a common procedure in the era 1930-1950s. The first instance was recorded in 1500 B.C., in the Ebers Papyrus, a medical instruction book. In the fourth and fifth centuries B.C., colon hydrotherapy was used to treat fever, and Galen in the second century A.D. |
Do you ever wonder why some people are always on the go yet still full of energy, need only a few hours of sleep, and rarely have a cold or the flu? The answer may be body chemistry. |
Your skin is your largest organ, stretching over the entire surface of your body. It is responsible for eliminating waste through sweat every day. Dry skin brushing is considered a valuable part of detoxification efforts, since brushing the skin stimulates so many detoxification processes. |
