Anthony Suarez - The Art of the Sugar Detox: How to Beat Sugar Addiction

Whenit comes to health, small changes make big differences. One small change youcan make today is to eliminate sugar from your diet. A diet free of processedsugar can help to stabilize blood sugar and detoxify the body of free radicals.Not to mention, a diet free of sugar can also help to maintain a healthy bodyweight. Read on to learn how committing to a sugar detox can drasticallyimprove your health.

TheU.S Department of Agriculture states that, The United States is the world'slargest consumer of sweeteners, including high-fructose corn syrup. This posesnumerous health concerns for a variety of reasons. To make matters worse, sugarhas become easily accessible within nearly every nook and cranny of the UnitedStates. Because of its cheap price, sugar laden sweets have made their way intonearly every American home.

Thetruly disturbing part about Americas obsession with sugar is that the sweetsubstance can be found in almost everything! Not only that, but it can take onmany different forms. For example, high fructose corn syrup is just a pseudonymfor sugar. This toxic ingredient can be found in ketchup, soups, chips, andeven granola bars. Some of these sugar forms can be extremely misleading. Infact, it may surprise you to know that foods that are traditionally marketed asbeing healthy, contain high amounts of sugar.

Takea look at your own beliefs about what is healthy for a second. Do you think thatwhole wheat bread is healthier than white bread? If so, you may want to thinkagain. Often times, wheat bread can taste rather dull and unappetizing. Thatswhere sugar comes in. In order to keep consumers buying their products, somewheat bread manufacturers will add in tons of sugar! The sweet taste makes forrepeat customers who believe what they are eating is healthy. What consumersmay not realize is that with all the added sugars, wheat bread can be just asbad as white bread! This is just one way in which clever marketers trickconsumers into buying their healthy products.

Victimsof todays false advertising are everyday consumers that trust in corporatemarketing. However, the cost of naivety can be reflected in Americas obesityepidemic. Millions of Americans are being sold on the idea that certain foodsare incredibly nutritious when in fact, they are not. One need not look furtherthan one of Americas favorite healthful snacks; Greek yogurt. Greek yogurttends to be highly touted about for its numerous health benefits.

Fromthe probiotic bacteria it contains to its healthy serving of protein, Greekyogurt continues to be a staple amongst the fitness industry. But did you knowthat even the healthiest brands of Greek yogurt contain high levels of sugar?Many consumers may not know this because sugar is carefully disguised withinthe ingredient evaporated cane juice. Sneaky labeling such as this leadsconsumers to believe that they are purchasing is natural, organic, and healthy.However, evaporated cane juice is just a fancy way of saying sugar. All that itmeans is that the juice from sugar cane has been extracted and put into theproduct. Its literally a liquid form of sugar cane.

Sowhy exactly is sugar bad? For starters, over consumption of sugar has beenlinked to fatal diseases such as diabetes. It also causes rapid spikes ininsulin which can result in energy highs and lows. This is why many consumersexperience a sudden increase in energy after consuming sugar followed by acrash shortly thereafter.

Ifthats not bad enough, excess sugar intake has also been linked to weight gain.The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that, Increasedconsumption of added sugars, which are sweeteners added to processed andprepared foods, has been linked to a decrease in intake of essentialmicronutrients and an increase in body weight. Some risks associated withbeing overweight include: heart disease and stroke, cancer, gout, cancer, andhigh blood pressure. The time to take your health seriously is now. Dont waitanother day to make better choices.

Nowthe question remains; how can consumers begin to cut sugar from their diet? Ofcourse, the number one recommendation is to start small. Rarely, if ever, doesquitting cold turkey ever work; thats why taking small steps is so importantwhen it comes to making a lifestyle change. So why not start with somethinglike with cereal? Instead of purchasing Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, or CaptainCrunch, make the switch to a high fiber, low sugar cereal. An example of ahealthy cereal would be Fiber Ones original recipe which contains 57% of yourdaily fiber and zero grams of sugar. If you cant stand the whole grain taste,try adding in a cup of blueberries for a more nutritious breakfast.

Ifyou tend to struggle more with snacking on sweets throughout the day, try andsubstitute your usual snack for a more nutritious alternative. For example, ifyou enjoy a candy bar or brownie during your day, try eating an orange instead.The natural sugars present within fruit can still satisfy your sweet toothwithout sacrificing your health.

Itsimportant to know that partaking upon a sugar detox is a process. During thisprocess, you may experience intense sugar cravings. This is a perfectly normalpart of the detox. Think of it like an addiction; you will experienceunpleasant side effects as your body gets rid of the toxic waste. In fact,recent studies have shown that sugar can be just as addictive as cocaine!According to a CBS News 60 Minutes interview, neuroscientist Eric Sticestates that, Sugar activates our brain in a special way. That's veryreminiscent of, you know, drugs like cocaine.

Anotherkey element to the process involves being patient. Dont get frustrated if youfind that you have cheated. Recognize the mistake and move forward. By beatingyourself up over a slip up, the negativity may cause even more of a relapse.Just remember; nobodys perfect and change takes time.