Excess sugar is the enemy! How to Stop Sugar Cravings and Balance Hormones

Giving up anything that makes us feel good is always challenging at first. Sugar is marketed under many different names, so a certain amount of vigilance is necessary. Other names for sugar include sucrose, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, barley malt, and high-fructose corn syrup. Reading food labels carefully and learning to recognize all the sneaky ways sugars are inserted into what we eat is of utmost importance.

When you remove sugar from your diet, you may initially feel depressed as an immediate result. But as you progress to completely removing sugar (of any type) from your diet, you will reap the benefits long term.

It is common to feel depressed and easily irritable once sugar is removed. This happens because the body is used to receiving a certain amount of sugar to burn for fuel and energy. When that mainline supply is cut off, it knows it has to conserve the little sugar it’s getting (from other sources like fruits and carbs) to ensure all the essential body processes can keep working.

You Lower Your Risk Of DiabetesIt’s common knowledge that a diet high in sugar dramatically increases the odds of developing diabetes. But what you may not realize is these odds drop almost immediately when you quit sugar. The pancreas doesn’t have to produce as much insulin to handle all the sugars coming in, and the liver will begin to process the toxins it stored up instead of focusing on processing sugar.

You Won’t Catch As Many Colds

Quitting sugar boosts your immune function. Sugar appears to have a direct impact on the white blood cells’ ability to kill harmful bacteria. Removing sugar from your diet helps white blood cells do their job more efficiently, strengthening the immune system and protecting the body from colds and other illnesses.

You Might Notice Fewer Wrinkles

Within 72 to 96 hours of calling it quits on sugar, the first visible advantages of your sacrifice may present themselves in a surprising place: your skin. Sugar dehydrates the skin, without this, the skin immediately starts to rehydrate and replenish. The color of your complexion will become healthier and heartier, oily skin will begin to clear up, dry skin will improve, and you may even notice fewer wrinkles.

Energy Levels Will Increase And Remain More Consistent

As the body starts to balance out its reduced intake of sugar, your energy levels will likely go up and remain more consistent. In other words, fewer sugar crashes and more sustained energy throughout the day.

Your Mood May Improve

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a hormone produced in the brain that is responsible for mood and mental balance. People with mental health issues like depression already have a low amount of BDNF, and sugar only impairs its production further. When sugar is removed, the brain can start to manufacture more of this critical chemical, often resulting in more stable moods and a general sense of well-being.

Your Sleep Will Get Better

Consuming sugar inhibits the release of melatonin in the brain, and melatonin is a key player in getting healthy amounts of sleep and maintaining normal sleep patterns. Sugar also institutes a vicious cycle. When you don’t get enough sleep, blood glucose levels can become unstable, which makes you want to eat more sugar.

Are you ready to make a change into a no-sugar diet? It won’t be easy but will be worth it!