It is certainly no exaggeration that all of us have heard a thing or two about how detrimental artificial sugars are to the body. However, the treats that refined sugars come in are just too enticing to resist, so some of us still struggle to let them go. Hopefully, seeing what happens to your body when you stop eating sugar will give you the encouragement you need to let go.
First off, sugar is really addictive and you can probably testify to that fact. The more sugar you consume, the more sugar you want to consume; and sugar is sweet, making it easy for us to eat more and more of. Secondly, sugar is everywhere; sweet and sugary foods are not only easily accessible, they are also quite affordable compared to the healthy kind, once again making it easier for us to reach for them. So yeah, to stop eating sugar is difficult but it is doable, and here’s how your body will change as you stop eating sugar.
One of the first things that will happen is that you’ll start to feel lighter and more energized. This is because, while consuming too much sugar can get you pumped up, the crash is usually quite draining and could leave you feeling heavy and lethargic. Cutting out refined sugars from your diet allows your body to get energy from more sustainable sources.
In addition to feeling lighter, you’ll also find yourself feeling more mentally alert and aware. It might not be immediately obvious but some research has shown that there is a link between high sugar consumption and memory deficit and even reduced cognitive abilities. The implication of this is that reducing or cutting out refined sugars from your diet should not only stop the decline in your memory and cognitive abilities, but also improve it; you should notice yourself becoming more focused and generally having a clearer mind.
That said, quitting sugar also comes with attendant negative effects; basically, it might get better, get worse and then get better again. And the reason here is that quitting sugar is basically breaking an addiction; your body is used to the junk you’ve been feeding it and will fight you when you try to stop. Which is why, while you’ll start out experiencing the positive effects that we’ve already talked about, a couple of days after, you might also start to experience some withdrawal symptoms like sugar cravings, headaches, exhaustion and even anxiety.
Aside from the fact that your body is fighting an addiction, it is also trying to get used to the reduced amounts of glucose, and that is why you might start to feel exhausted and down. Some people might decide to give up at this point and, seriously, no one can blame them because the symptoms could be quite draining. However, if you are able to hold on and push through, you will be better for it. This period typically lasts for about a week.
That said, for you to get through this period, it is important for you to stock up on replacements for your refined sugars. If you just cut out refined sugars from your diet without replacing them with something else, it would be difficult to push through. So, stock up on fruits as replacement for sugary snacks and homemade fruit juice as replacement for sodas, and you should be able to push through with some determination. As you come out of that slump, you’ll notice your energy come back and your mood get better.
You’ll also notice that your skin will start to glow. Now, the reason for this is that a diet high in refined sugars typically triggers inflammation because of the spikes in insulin that it causes. This inflammation will cause your skin to sag, wrinkle prematurely and possibly break out. So, cutting off refined sugars from your diet should reverse that and get your skin popping and glowing.
Furthermore, it goes without saying that cutting off refined sugars could reduce your chances of getting diabetes. Now, I know that diabetes is a hereditary disease, which means that it can be passed down from parent(s) to child. However, even if neither parent has it, one can still develop diabetes, especially type II, from consuming too much refined sugars. The reason is that when you consume too much sugar, you force your pancreas into overdrive to make enough insulin to act on all those sugars, and that could trigger diabetes. Refraining from taking too much refined sugars should give your pancreas a much needed break and pull you out of the diabetes risk zone.
Now of course, as you stop eating refined sugars, chances are you’ll start to lose weight. For one, fewer refined sugars typically means less empty calories. And anyone who is trying to lose weight knows that you absolutely have to watch your calories. But losing weight by cutting out refined sugars is more than just about cutting out empty calories; it also has to do with the fact that sugar has a way of awakening the appetite such that the more sugars you consume, the more you want to eat. That is, you almost always feel hungry, even though your body doesn’t necessarily need all that food. And what happens when your body gets more food than it needs? It stores it in the form of fat. But when you cut out the refined sugars, you start to only get hungry when your body actually needs the nourishment, which means that it would be easier for you to only eat what is necessary, causing you to lose weight and/or maintain a healthy weight.
Cutting down your sugar consumption can also be linked to a healthier heart, and that is because your chances of obesity and high blood pressure are reduced, and those two are primary risk factors of heart disease.
In addition to all that has been said, cutting off sugar from your food is also great for your teeth and your breath in general. Aside from infrequent brushing and flossing, eating too many sweets and sugary treats are part of the causes of tooth decay and cavities, and possibly also bad breath.
Furthermore, when you stop eating too much refined sugars, your immune system actually improves. You will remember that I earlier talked about how consuming too much refined sugars causes inflammation. Now, in addition to making your skin look dull and possibly wrinkly, inflammation also weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to the cold and flu. What this then means is that when you stop consuming those unnecessary sugars, your immune system is able to bounce back and do a better job of protecting you, making you all around a healthier person.
And finally, if you want to have better sleep, you should consider cutting out refined sugars. If you eat sugars right before bed, you might find it difficult to fall asleep or sleep through the night when you do fall asleep, and that is because the sugars you just consumed have put your hormones, especially the ones responsible for restful sleep, out of whack. Doing without sugars will help you get quality sleep throughout the night, leaving you very well rested the next morning.
So, give yourself a challenge; try doing without sugars for 2 weeks. I say two weeks so that you have enough time to go through the slump and come out better, and I can promise that you will be amazed at the awesome changes you will notice in your physical and mental health.
