Adding several pounds to your weight is mostly caused by carbohydrates and fats, but you may not know that sugar is a great culprit, too.
You are not at risk if you consume sugar in moderate amounts, but people consume plenty of sugar without even knowing it. Nowadays, sugar is added in many foods and drinks, such as sodas, breakfast cereals, pouch juices, salad dressings, yogurts and candy.
Sugar is part of some foods, such as honey, pure fruit juice, raisins, mangos, and bananas, which are classified as simple carbohydrates.
Many symptoms occur when your body has a sugar overdose: hyperactivity, consequent fatigue, yeast infections, depression, headaches, colds or sinus problems, mental disorientation and sleepiness.
Another problems sugar can trigger are higher diabetes risk, heart disease, cancer development, especially breast cancer.
How sugar consumption and weight gain are related?
When we consume too much sugar, our body uses as much as it needs to boost energy, while the rest that is not needed is stored as fat.
Added sugar is not like natural sugar. It gets inside the intestines and our body reacts to it as intestinal bacteria and increases the levels of blood sugar. At the end, this becomes fat which is visible in the waist, hips and thighs.
Say NO to Sugar
Although it seems impossible, you can quit sugar. If you do so, you will go through classic withdrawal symptoms of any addiction, such as sadness, headaches, queasiness, fatigue and cravings.
Sugar cravings occur after a meal is digested and your body sends signals to the brain that it is hungry again. This is when you reach for that sweet dessert.
You need to stay away from it and don’t consume any added sugar. Try a little at the beginning, not all at once because you will want it more. Cut out one added sugar product at time.
At first you will feel bad and experience cravings, but you will feel better and improve your health after some period.
Breakfast: 1 cup of oats with berries and almonds/seeds/or 3 eggs (scrambled or boiled).
Morning snack: 1 bowl of nuts.
Lunch: Chicken breast with cooked butternut squash, carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, beans and almonds.
Dinner: Broiled fish with a bowl of green beans or salmon with fried broccoli and mushrooms.
Breakfast: A cup of steel cut oats with berries and seeds or almonds/3 scrambled eggs with spinach.
Mid-morning snack: a small bowl of nuts.
Lunch: Grilled zucchini with red and yellow peppers and a lemon, vinegar and thyme dressing/a shredded green and red cabbage salad tossed with shredded carrots with olive oil, lemon, salt dressing, garnished with chopped parsley.
Dinner: steamed green vegetables with a vegetable casserole and bean soup/baked cod with stir-fried bok choy and roasted Brussels sprouts and turnips.
Breakfast: A cup of steel cut oats with berries and seeds or almonds/a 3 egg omelette with shrimp and a sautéed kale, radish and walnut salad.
Mid-morning snack: 1 small bowl of nuts.
Lunch: Roasted chicken thighs with rosemary, sage and lemon/oven roasted chicken with onion, black olives, and thyme.
Dinner: mushrooms with garlic broth, onion, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaves/penne pasta (with brown rice) with a mushroom, basil, and tomato meat sauce.
Sugar Detox Drinks
There are many detox waters and hot drink alternatives that you can use instead of sugary drinks. They will help you boost your metabolism.
Detox water: chop one of these: grapefruits, blueberries, strawberries, or oranges, including some fresh rosemary or mint. Add them to a jar with water. Store and drink it every day.
Tea: consume unsweetened herbal or green tea 3 times on a daily basis.
Coffee: you should not consume more than 1 cup of unsweetened black coffee daily.
This diet plan is proved to calm sugar cravings, so don’t hesitate to try it and enjoy its benefits!