Around Valentine’s day, one of the “sweetest” days of the year, I finished a 30 day sugar detox. Even thought weight loss wasn’t the goal, I lost 7 pounds during these 30 days! I was really surprised because I really thought as a healthy, mainly whole-foods eater, that I did not eat a lot of sugar to begin with.
Why did I do it?
Almost every January, after indulging (and over indulging) over the holidays, I do some sort of detox; usually it is a dandelion detox. However this year between Halloween, traveling to Hong Kong, and then the holidays following shortly after, I had been over indulging on “all things delicious” for quite a few weeks.
As a rule I do not buy candy or sweets, and rarely eat dessert (unless it is special occasion). If I buy chocolate it is usually dark chocolate, and a bar will last a week, if not longer. When I drink alcohol it is almost always a very dry red or white wine, and only once or twice a month.
However I started to notice I was literally starting to crave sugar, which is not the norm for me, and I was giving in to those cravings. I was starting to buy chocolate and sweets almost daily. I realized that, in part, this is due to Candida overgrowth in the stomach which can lead to a slew of other problems, so I knew I had to put a stop to this quickly. That is when I decided to do a 30 day sugar detox.
How did I do it?
I decided to start my detox mid-January. I am not big on New Year resolutions, and prefer other ways to make and achieve goals, which you can read more in my posts No Resolution New Year, and Seize the Day.
What I did, was planned to not have anything that had over 5g of sugar in it (excluding fruit). I also told my husband, friends, and co-workers what I was doing, so they would not tempt me and would encourage me to stay accountable to my goals.
I was amazed on how much sugar is in everything. I have heard people say this before, but never really having any problems with sugar, I never gave it too much thought. I usually read labels to make sure that ingredients are as close to their natural state as possible, but rarely felt the need to look at sugar content if it wasn’t obvious. I found that from the Kombucha I bought, to the blueberry “super fruit” herbal tea I like, to the “dry wine” I like, they all had much more than 5 g of added sugar! I did find substitutes for all these products with much less sugar, and was easily able to stay under my 5 g rule.
When I went out for a Starbucks date with a friend after work I thought I wouldn’t be able to find a thing to drink there that wasn’t loaded with sugar, as their products are notorious for containing tons of added sugar, and definitely should be considered a treat. I did however find that a unsweetened Americano made with unsweetened almond milk was in my limits. The only problem was, not being a coffee drinker, I was quite wired and super chatty for the rest of the evening!
When I went for a movie date with another friend she laughed at my fiber rich, stevia-sweetened gummy bears, but hey – the were actually really good!
So I was able to stick to my 30 day goal and watched pound after pound melt off my small frame, without changing anything else to my diet or exercise routine.
I can also say my cravings have now dissipated as well. Will I ever eat sweets again? Of course! I actually had a mile high mud pie for dessert on Valentine’s day when my detox was finished. I will however limit my sugar intake to treats that are meant to be sweet, continue to be more mindful about every day food choices, and try to keep the sugar under 5g.
If this isn’t enough motivation for you I also noticed a lovely, healthy change in my dull winter complexion! Sugar is one of the worst things for your skin, and can definitely contribute to skin problems and premature aging.
So – even if you don’t do a full sugar detox, I hope my successful sugar detox journey will help motivate you to be more mindful of your own sugar intake.
Peace and One Love.
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