The ‘Pause Life 10 Day Sugar Detox

The struggle to reduce your sugar consumption is REAL, so I created this challenge to get you started on your journey to breaking up with excess sugar! Breaking the hold that sugar has over you does not mean you can never eat another cupcake! It WILL, however, give you control over your cravings and your health. 

Our bodies get used to a certain amount of sugar. The more sugar we eat, the more sugar we crave, and I’m talking about “added sugar”—the type that is added during the processing of foods, as well as table sugar, honey, syrups, or any sugars that we add to our food, not the natural sugar found in fruits, vegetables and dairy. 

The good news is that it’s possible to reverse this trend and significantly reduce or eliminate your sweet tooth. This means that after you wean yourself off sugar, it loses its addictive grip on you. 

You can do this!  To get you started, try my 10-day sugar detox and repeat as necessary.

Day 1 

In your journal, write down your goals for breaking your sugar addiction. 

For example:

• Curb my intake of added sugar.
• Educate myself on the health consequences of eating too much sugar.
• Take action each day to break my addiction, such as focusing on whole, unprocessed foods, swapping sodas, juices, sweet tea, and other sugary drinks with water or unsweetened seltzer, drinking coffee black as a part of intermittent fasting, sweetening plain Greek yogurt with fresh or frozen berries instead of buying flavored, sugar-loaded yogurt, consuming whole fruits instead of sugar-sweetened foods or desserts and/or replacing candy with a homemade trail mix of fruit and nuts.
  
  

Day 2 

American adults consume an average of 77 grams of added sugar per day, more than 3-times the American Heart Association's recommendation for women. This adds up to around 60 pounds of added sugar annually. 

Starting today, track your added sugar intake in a nutrition tracking app. My personal favorite is CRONOMETER.  (They offer a free version that displays Added Sugars, or you can upgrade to Gold level if you wish.)

You may be really surprised by the total amounts you start to see. For women, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugars per day. Seeing how much more than that you are regularly consuming can be shocking—and motivating!

Day 3

Day 4

Stress affects your food choices and amplifies your cravings for sweets, so you’ll want to do stress-relieving activities like yoga and medi- tation. Also, reach for high-magnesium foods, since magnesium helps calm the body. Examples are apples, avocados, or almonds. Have those with an egg or two (rich in brain-friendly vitamins) or fatty fish (packed with depression-lifting omega-3 fatty acids).

Day 5 

Foods high in added sugar, such as packaged foods loaded with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), feed your addiction and fuel your hunger and cravings for more. Today, start creating satiating meals and snacks by pairing a healthy carb with protein or a healthy fat. Instead of a cookie or handful of crackers or chips, for example, try pairing an apple with a small handful of almonds or yellow squash or cucumbers and hummus.

Day 6 

Reduced, low fat or no fat versions of foods, especially yogurts, tend to be loaded with sugars to make up for the natural fat that was removed.  If you haven’t already, start a label-reading habit. Packaged foods and condiments are sneaky sources of processed carbs and added sugar. Check the labels of products like yogurts, salad dressings, condiments, sauces, and other foods to scan for sneaky carbs.  

Day 7

Can’t yet ditch your usual sugary dessert? Ask yourself: Are you actually hungry or is your nightly sugar fix a hard-to-break habit? If you’re truly hungry, prepare something high in protein with a healthy fat, like a handful of walnuts or unsweetened Greek yogurt with berries and unsweetened coconut. This kind of combo can replace your nightly dessert in a very delicious, very satisfying way.

Day 8

Little-known fact: Drinking plenty of water each day can help you manage sugar cravings. How much is enough? Aim for at least 64 fluid ounces a day; that’s 8 cups a day. Add some citrus or fresh herbs to your water to make it more interesting.

Day 9

Time to ease off artificial sweeteners, too. They may seem like a good idea while you’re getting off the added sugar, but they can mess up your efforts. Research suggests that artificial sweeteners may promote metabolic changes that actually increase cravings, food intake, and weight gain. Start easing off these sweeteners by using half the amount you’ve been accustomed to and halve that amount again every couple of days. If you still need some sweetness, switch to stevia or monk fruit, or consider substituting sugar with apple sauce, mashed banana or dates.

Day 10 

Congratulations! You’re really on your way! You’re likely already craving sweets a whole lot less, and maybe you’ve weaned yourself off added sugars entirely. If you’re not quite there yet, don’t give up! Continue halving the amount of artificial sweeteners you’ve been using and drinking lots of water. 

Continue to reflect on the goals you set out at the beginning of this 10-day process. Record your successes in your journal and write down how you feel, now that you’ve cut back on or eliminated added sugars.

The Hard Truth

The hard truth is that sugar isn’t required in any diet. You must consume protein. You must consume quality carbs. You must consume healthy fat. You don’t need to consume any sugar. The Galveston Diet online program was developed with these facts in mind. And following the program will help you break your sugar addiction. 

I promise you can do it! Once you do, your love affair with added sugar will be a thing of the past!

Sign up here for daily emails chock full of more information. You are also welcome to sign up for our Sugar Detox Community and join others on their journey.

Sources:

• Menopause Diet: How What You Eat Affects Your Symptoms (healthline.com)
• Effects of a dietary intervention and weight change on vasomotor symptoms in the Women’s Health Initiative – PMC (nih.gov)
• Whole grain consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause and cause specific mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies – PubMed (nih.gov)
• Changes in muscle mass and strength after menopause – PubMed (nih.gov)
• Flaxseed reduces total and LDL cholesterol concentrations in Native American postmenopausal women – PubMed (nih.gov)