[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Sugar is in about every modern convenience food known to man—not just sweet treats but all refined carbohydrates, sauces, condiments (ketchup is loaded with it), crackers, bread, frozen dinners, yogurts, cereals, and Asian food of all kinds (Duck sauce and teriyaki are loaded with sugar, as is Kung Pao Chicken).
Not to mention the sugar we consume knowingly.
But if you can summon your willpower to get sugar out of the diet completely for just two months, the benefits you’ll notice will make you want to keep going.
It won’t be as hard as you think. You’ll stick to a whole foods diet, eating as clean as you can, replacing refined carbs, packaged foods, sugar laden cereals, and convenience foods of all kinds with healthy whole foods, filtered water, sugar free almond milk, organic, non-GMO produce, and good quality pasture fed eggs and proteins.
In fact, a sugar-free diet is good for you in all kinds of ways, getting you away from all the bad for you fillers, preservatives, and artificial colorings which happen to be death to us and our energy in countless ways.
Here are some great benefits to going completely sugar free for your health and appearance too!
- You’ll have mahveeellllous skin!
Sugar is the enemy of skin in all kinds of ways causing acne, flushing, and a dull and saggy appearance to the skin. This is because sugar destroys collagen and elastin, thus aging us at a cellular level. This happens because sugars attach to proteins, like collagen, in a process called glycation. Glycation destroys collagen and other proteins, like your precious elastin (think elas-tic) in the skin cells. If you give up sugar, you can enjoy more youthful, plump, and bouncy skin than you’ve had since youth.
- You’ll finally lose that belly fat
Studies have proven that giving up sugar helps you get rid of visceral (belly and organ) fat. This is because insulin is the enemy of fat burning, so if you’re constantly spiking insulin, you cannot burn fat, especially with the kind of insulin spikes you get from sugar. Also, visceral fat is thought to play a major role in insulin resistance – which leads to type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and the whole cascade of dominoes that follow.
In a 2016 study conducted by the American Heart Association, among 1,000 individuals, those who drank the most sugar-sweetened beverages had the most visceral fat.
- You’ll be more energetic and your energy will last longer
Sugar is a simple carbohydrate, meaning it enters the bloodstream quickly and leaves it just as fast, meaning you’ll enjoy energy for a little while, but when it flags, you feel really depleted. Try nutrient dense snacks instead, like almonds, all-natural nut butter spoons, or pumpkin and flax seeds. When you give the body the nutrients it craves, your cravings for sugar will greatly diminish. Sugar cravings are really nutrient cravings in disguise.
- You’ll avoid type II diabetes and become more insulin sensitive
Constantly spiking insulin leads to insulin resistance, a condition where the cells stop “listening” to insulin and won’t take insulin into the cell to lower blood sugar. Therefore, your blood sugars stay up for dangerously long times, all of which leads to type II diabetes. Getting all sugars out of the diet is the surest way to avoid both IR and diabetes (and to even reverse insulin resistance).
- You’ll lose weight and finally bust past plateaus
If that scale has been stuck for so long you’ve given up, you’re likely insulin resistant or close to it. With insulin resistance, you’ll often begin a diet and lose all the water weight in your body, and then hit a plateau, because you’re not tapping into fat for fuel. You’re running on glucose fuel. Going sugar free and watching your carbohydrate intake can help you finally whittle the fat right off your body. Going sugar free also helps you cut down your calorie intake which also equals weight loss.
- You’ll have a healthier heart and avoid cardiovascular disease
Your risk of heart attack and heart disease drops by 3 times when you give up sugar. That’s because sugar raises insulin which activates the sympathetic nervous system (your fight or flight system), and this increases both heart rate and blood sugar. When you give up sugar for just three weeks as you can expect lower bad LDL cholesterol, lowered triglycerides, and lower blood sugar as well.[iii]
Conclusion
Giving up sugar is not easy, but the payoffs are immense. The best way to go off sugar without experiencing mood swings or withdrawals is to think nutrient dense. Nutrients are what your body is really craving when it cries out for sugar, so try using mineral-rich green superfoods drink, will help you get all the nutrients, phytochemicals, minerals, trace minerals, and vitamins that your body really wants, and you’ll come to love the feeling nutrients give your body—such as lasting energy, enhanced mood, and better sleep as well.
For more insight on what to eat on a no sugar diet or sugar detox plan, visit following link!
http://go.realmealrevolution.com/rhythmoptinthankyou[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]About Gerry[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”6944″ img_size=”full” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Gerry Morton is the CEO of EnergyFirst, holds an MS in Nutrition and is an experienced athlete who has competed in 30+ marathons and 4 Ironman triathlons. Gerry is an excellent source of information on nutrition, supplementation and exercise. http://www.energyfirst.com is known for offering the world’s best tasting, highest quality, all natural, premium nutrition products such as pure whey protein isolate powder, energy bar, green drinks etc. Read his blog at http://blog.energyfirst.com. Twitter: @EnergyFirst[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Source / References:
Dr. Perricone. Sugar, Starch, and Glycation: The Not-So-Sweet Science of Aging
http://pals2u.tripod.com/id24.html
American Heart Assoc. (2016). Sugar-sweetened drinks linked to increased visceral fat
http://newsroom.heart.org/news/sugar-sweetened-drinks-linked-to-increased-visceral-fat?preview=750d
DiNicolantonio, J. J. The wrong white crystals: not salt but sugar as aetiological in hypertension and cardiometabolic disease. BMJ Journal.
http://openheart.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000167.full[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
