Having a sweet tooth is not good news anymore? You wonder why? The sugar that you pick off supermarket aisles are mostly refined and processed sugars which do a lot of harm to your body in the long run. When you cut down sugar from your diet, you will automatically feel energetic with improved concentration levels. It will also give your body a chance to heal inflammation and repair. Have you ever wondered the sugar that you cannot imagine even a day without, if you decide to cut it out of your system for at least 15 days, it’s gonna bring about tremendous positive changes in your body. Though sugar tastes sweet and appetizing, what it does to your body is completely opposite.
Excess sugar triggers a lot of undesirable chemical effects which can cause headache, hormonal changes, insulin resistance, diabetes, and above all, fat storage and eventual weight gain. Good alternatives or should we say better alternatives to refined sugars are found in fruits, jaggery, and honey and if you have a really sweet tooth, chuck refined sugars and switch to natural sugars. However, moderation should be the key because even though our body metabolizes natural sugar (through fruits and natural sources) and refined sugar differently, once the sugar reaches the small intestine, if there is an excess amount of sugar in your blood, your body will automatically convert excess sugar into glycogen or fat, without taking into consideration what the actual source of that excess sugar is (whether junk or fruit). Refined sugar that comes packaged as pristine white crystals is obtained through a chemical process, extracted from sugarcane. Refined sugar is insanely high in calories with zero nutritional benefit to the body. These calories are called “empty calories” because they hardly provide any nourishment in terms of vitamins or minerals to the cells. Processed/refined sugars are added with various names such as sucrose, disaccharide, glucose, and fructose in jams, coals, aerated beverages, muffins, biscuits, cookies, bread, cakes, etc, just to name a few. Refined sugars can quickly spike up blood sugar in the body and that’s when the “feel good” factor sets in, but then the drop in blood sugar levels after the initial spike will drain out your energy. The biggest issue is when the body converts the excess sugar into fat which it can use later in case of a crisis. This is exactly what leads to weight gain and that’s where the importance of cutting down sugar comes into play if you want to seriously lose weight. So, what exactly happens when you take yourself off of sugar – you will feel terrible initially with really bad side effects like headaches, dizziness, brain fog, and mood swings. However, once that phase is over and your body adjusts to zero refined sugar, you will feel energetic with improved stamina and concentration. So, let’s find out what would happen if you stop eating sugar for 15 days:
1. No more mood swings!: When you consume sugar, the brain releases hormones like dopamine and serotonin which would make you feel good (albeit temporarily). So, when you decide to give up on exogenous sugar, for a few days, your body will revolt and make you feel grumpy and irritable because of the lack of sugar. When you cut back on exogenous sugar which your body gets through candies, cookies, cakes, processed and canned food items, packaged food, you will be doing yourself and your body a huge favour because it would mean low insulin spikes, less inflammation in the body, and almost nadir mood swings and depression.
2. Your Skin Would Glow and look Younger: Cutting down sugar will have an amazing reaction on your skin because insulin spikes caused by high refined sugar in the body causes inflammation of skin which leads to premature ageing, wrinkles, acne, and uneven skin tone. If you want to look 10 years younger, then the first thing you should do is eliminate sugar from your system. Sugar in the bloodstream leads to a process called “glycation,” in which sugar molecules damage the collagen and elastin (responsible for suppleness and firmness) in our skin. Cutting down glucose will eliminate insulin spikes which will eventually lower down inflammation of the skin and you can get your youthful glow back within two weeks. So, when you cut back on sugar, you can say bye bye to acne and wrinkles for as long as you want.
3. Get a Goodnight’s Sleep Every Night: Haven’t we all heard about “sugar rush” in kids, to the point that parents dread giving children sugary treats to their kids close to their bedtime. And that’s because it’s hard to fall asleep and have a goodnight’s sleep when there is a high amount of sugar running in your bloodstream. So, cut down the sugar and sleep tight guys.
4. Shed Pounds and Lose Weight: The biggest benefit of cutting down refined sugar is weight loss! If one consumes more sugar, the body will convert the glucose from sugar source to fat and store it for later use. By cutting down sugar, you will not be providing the body fuel for fat storage (glucose) and with strict exercise and diet routine, you would be able to shed weight really well and get your dream body and goal weight quickly.
5. Keep PCOD under check: As we all know, PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease) is a lifestyle disease as much as it is a hormonal disorder. High sugar levels is the major reason for PCOD. High sugar levels means high insulin release which is needed to store glucose in the cells. Constant rise in sugar levels in the body would eventually make cells resistant to insulin and they would stop responding to the hormone insulin and one would end up getting PCOD and diabetes. So, the solution is saying bye to sugar and processed food, instead switch to whole, unprocessed and unrefined foods without preservatives.
6. Prevent Life-threatening Diseases: Cutting off sugar completely from the diet will automatically reduce your risk for life-threatening diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, hormonal disorders, etc. When you eat sugary goodies, the insulin level rises in the body and it eventually leads to high blood pressure, inflammation. High blood pressure can lead to diabetes, heart attack, stroke, etc. Sugar also raises triglyceride levels (bad fats) in the blood which are also responsible for heart attack and stroke.
7. No more frequent colds: The chronic inflammation that sugar causes in the body lowers the body’s natural defence mechanism and immunity level and that’s why one catches frequent colds. Once the inflammation is taken care of by cutting down sugar, your immunity level goes up, and there will be lesser cold bouts through the year.
8. Reverse Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetic Situation: Low sugar means the constant state of insulin spikes in your body will decrease and your body will be able to regulate and utilize glucose better. Insulin resistance is a condition where the body produces insulin but the cells do not use it properly and there’s an excess of glucose always in your bloodstream. With zero refined sugar, you can reverse insulin resistance and the pre-diabetic situation effectively.
9. Reversing Diabetes is now possible: No need to gulp down bitter concoctions suggested by quacks promising reversal of diabetes. The only thing that you have to do is throw out refined sugar and switch to intermittent fasting to what people call this “chronic” condition in check.
10. No more cavities: Every toothpaste advertisement out there claims to fight cavities “caused by sugary treats.” Now, that’s the key, when you go without sugar, there’s no more cavities, right, it’s that simple!
11. No more Belly Fat: Do you guys know that though insulin is needed to regulate blood sugar levels in the body, it is also a fat-storage hormone which helps the body to store fat predominantly in the belly region. Once you go without sugar for 15 days, along with regular exercise and dieting, slim waist is in store for you 😛
