Take the Yahoo Life x Woman of Today 5-Day Sugar Detox Challenge to cut your daily sugar. Follow us as Camila Alves McConaughey and top experts show us how to save sugar this week and form new habits. This is day one of the 5-day sugar detox.
If it’s going hard, it’s going hard … to the gym, to the running track or to the meditation pillow. But for many of us, it is normal to respond to stress by turning to quick fixes that we can not serve in the long run. If you are sitting at home during a pandemic, you can eat no less than eating sugar-filled foods and beverages, which you crave. It’s time to give your body a break for refined sugars.
Today is Day 1 of a 5-Day Challenge in Partnership with Lifestyle Guru Camila Alves McConaughey – wife of the iconic actor Matthew McConaughey – and her website, Woman of Today, for the Yahoo Life x Woman of Today 5-Day Sugar Detox Challenge. This is a guided program that almost anyone can do at home. Over the next five days, we will provide the encouragement and knowledge you need to adopt healthier habits and become a “quit”.
‘[A sugar detox] no matter what, but especially now in these times in which we live. Your immune system needs to be very, very strong. So it is very, very important to kick that sugar out of your daily routine, ”says McConaughey.
The mother of three, along with licensed nutritionist Maya Feller, challenged readers on Day 1 to take the first bold step: commit to quitting sugar. Of course, the journey is a winding road, but once you think about it, you are well on your way.
Why should you cut out sugar? Disease prevention, increased energy and better skin, to name a few …
“A lot of us feel tired, bloated and stressed with everything that’s going on around us,” McConaughey says. Sugar is a temporary solution as it activates the pleasure pathways of your brain. After a while, however, you feel that the accident is even greater. Feller adds, “It’s this very complicated cycle that happens because our bodies similarly say, ‘Hey, give me more.'”
Like any drug, sugar becomes addictive – and it’s something of an epidemic in our country. How much sugar do Americans consume? ‘The numbers are through the roof. This is something like more than 34 percent of our total energy intake [for teens]. I think adults are over 40 percent. It’s just a part of us day-to-day, and it’s so ordinary, ‘says Feller.
Here’s the good news: giving up the sweet stuff is absolutely feasible and becomes easier over time. Take it from Alexandra Sowa, MD, who is a certified internal medicine physician specializing in metabolic health (and an outside expert not affiliated with Woman of Today). “In fact, it will really change your relationship with sugar,” Sowa told Yahoo Life. ‘There really is a light at the end of the tunnel where you just do not want the same [sugar-y] food again. ”
If you eliminate sugar, you can combat these short-term short-term feelings, such as bloating and cracking, fairly quickly – and permanently, if you actually commit – but the long-term effects of a sugar detox are even deeper.
‘If you consume excess amounts of added sugar, it increases your risk for all non-communicable diseases, [such as] diabetes, cardiovascular disease, [and] hypertension, ”says Feller.
Sugar is also a major cause of inflammation. “We all know that when you have a high level of inflammation in your body, your immune system starts to drop. Then you will be more likely not to feel good and get sick, ”says McConaughey.
Feller agrees. ‘This is a moment where we really want our immune systems to be as strong as they can be. And we know that if you contain a lot of sugar, it changes the diversity of the bacteria in your gut, ”says Feller. “What you really want is all the beneficial bacteria, rather than having the bacteria that do not allow your body to give its best health.”
Feller adds that giving sugar to the trunk can balance the microbiome of the gut, which can also work wonders for your energy levels and complexion. “You can expect to see brighter skin if you remove sugar from your daily eating pattern,” she says.
Another benefit? You will not have those moments when you are so hungry that you can bite off someone’s head! “You’ll feel less of the ‘up and down’ hungry feeling,” Feller puts it when she describes the vicious hunger combo you feel after a sugar crash. “So you can expect a little less of the will have highs and lows. ‘
You will also be better able to listen to your hunger if you do not fill a gap with sweets such as sugary drinks, which mislead you into thinking you are full. ‘You do not really know when you are hungry or full and when you remove it [sugar]then you are like, ‘Oh woe. I feel really great after this meal, ‘or’ Oh, I feel like I can have a little more, ” she says.
How should you commit – gradual or cold turkey?
Once you have committed to a sugar detox, the question becomes: how? Should you take a little bit of this highly addictive remedy, or should you stop using cold turkey? There is no one who answers: ‘It depends a lot on the person and the situation’, says Sowa.
“If your life is incredibly hectic and you say, ‘I’m going to do a 180 the way I eat,’ you might be having a hard time, and you might not succeed, ‘” Sowa adds. instead of cutting everything at the same time, you might start with one meal or by cutting one thing like a sugary soft drink or a sweet snack. ‘
The purpose here is to teach you how to [adopt] lifelong good habits. One thing at a time, slowly but surely, so … you can move on in the long run. Camila Alves McConaughey
Sowa says others find it easier to make a big difference at the same time. “They will say, ‘You know what? I really feel like I have an addiction. “If I do not even surround myself with the sugar choice, I will not opt for it, ” Sowa points out. “So I really emphasize a survey of your living conditions and what your goals are, and start there before you decide whether to dip your toes in or do a drastic sugar detoxification.”
So we talked about how we were going to do this detox: cold turkey or slow transition. Choose what works for you, ”says McConaughey. “But what should we get out of our diet on the first day?”
Practical ways to start your sugar detoxification – and some temporary disadvantages that you can expect first
“See where the added sugars come from in your individual daily routine,” says Feller. It can be processed foods, soft drinks, energy drinks, sweetened yogurt, sauces or even salad dressings. ‘Also read the label on nutrition facts, [which shows] added sugar. “Anything that is almost 20 percent is considered high,” she says.
While you are busy, look for sodium, says Sowa. “You’ll see that most packaged foods, even if they’re just a snack bar or a pre-packaged cookie, will have more salt than you need throughout the day.” She says the same goes for most sweet electrolyte drinks. For this reason, dehydration is a surprising side effect of cutting out sugar. So if it’s in your sugar detoxification plan, Sowa should at most drink at least 64 grams of water a day.
Other side effects of sugar detoxification will also vary per person, as well as the amount of time it takes to hit you – this is no challenge that suits everyone. “For most people who really consume a lot of sugar, it can take up to 24 hours,” says Feller. “You may feel … a decrease in your mood. You may have headaches such as a caffeine withdrawal. In terms of starting to swing up and feeling good, some people say that even within 72 hours, they feel a little better. ‘
Is a sugar detox right for you?
No matter how gung-ho your sugar detox should start, remember to be smart. Sugar detoxification is not for everyone.
“People with a history of disordered eating or active eating disorder should stay away 100 percent,” says Feller. “Even people with a diagnosed medical condition should talk to their primary care provider or their dietitian” before detoxing with sugar.
Sowa adds that if you are insulin resistant (or think you may be) (frequent sugar accidents may indicate this), you should also consult a doctor before starting sugar detoxification. “If you start to feel dizzy, if you start to feel nauseous, if you have a fever or chills due to the detoxification, this is when you call your primary care provider and you stop what you are doing,” adds Feller.
Above all, be kind to yourself and be patient with the process. “It’s day by day, one step at a time and very deep breathing,” Feller encourages. ‘The purpose here is to teach you how to [adopt] lifelong good habits, ”McConaughey agrees. “One thing at a time, slowly but surely, so … you can move on in the long run.”
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