10 reasons to do a sugar detox:

1. You’ll shed some weight – and maybe a lot of it.

Sugar makes you gain weight by adding empty calories to your diet and jacking up your blood sugar – two processes that form excess body fat. It also screws with your appetite. According to Dr. Mark Hyman, sugar is different from other calories, “It scrambles all your normal appetite controls…driving your metabolism to convert it into lethal belly fat.” Ditching sugar is one of the fastest and most effective ways to lose weight!
2. You’ll look years younger.

Sugar destroys your skin and makes your skin wrinkle. In a process called glycation, sugar molecules attach to collagen and elastin, two proteins that keep skin looking young, and create Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs). AGEs weaken your skin’s support structure and lead to lines and wrinkles.
3. You’ll stop harmful inflammation in your body.

An influx of sugar in the diet increases levels of inflammatory messengers called cytokines. Refined sugars processed from cane, corn, or beets, such as table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are the baddest of the bad. These sugars have been chemically stripped of their minerals, so when you indulge in these sugars, you get no nutrition and your body becomes more acidic. As these sugars are devoid of minerals, they are acid-forming causing more inflammation. When your body stays in a state of inflammation, you are at a greater risk of developing various chronic diseases ranging from cancer, to heart disease, to digestive disorders.
4. You’ll protect your liver from disease.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease now affects approximately 90 million Americans (17% are children!) and sugar is to blame. Excessive sugar intake causes the liver to produce fat in a process called lipogenesis. This can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (in which your liver fills with fat), putting you at risk for chronic diseases.
5. You’ll spend less time in the dentist chair.

Continually exposing your teeth to sugary foods and drinks erodes away your teeth. The bacteria that is naturally in your mouth feeds off of sugars in your diet, producing acids that attack the enamel on your teeth and demineralizes them, eventually leading to cavities and tooth loss.
6. Your energy will soar.

After you break the cycle of endless sugar consumption, you will no longer feel like you are living on an energy-sucking rollercoaster. Added sugar makes your blood sugar go sky-high – a reaction followed immediately by plummeting blood sugar. That crash and burn triggers feelings of irritability, depression, and leaves you exhausted until you get your next sugar fix.
7. You’ll protect your brain power.

A study conducted by the University of New South Wales concluded chronic sugar intake triggers changes to hippocampus the area of the brain, which is important for both memory and stress. Another UCLA study found a high sugar diet sabotages learning and memory ability. A 2012 Mayo Clinic study found that people who eat a lot of sugar have a much higher chance of cognitive decline as they age.
8. You’ll get sick less often.

Sugar intake weakens your immune system, so you’re at a greater risk of coming down with something. Increased insulin levels from consuming sugar also tells the body to release cortisol – a hormone that further weakens your immunity.
9. You’ll be less likely to have a heart attack.
A 2015 scientific review in Mayo Clinic Proceedings warns that refined sugar in the diet is a principal driver of heart disease. It’s been shown that those who eat high sugar diets are up to 400% more likely to have a heart attack! It’s now come to light that back in the 1960’s the sugar industry paid leading scientists to discredit claims about sugar and heart disease and to paint fat as the enemy instead. That is when the low-fat craze began, causing most people to correlate heart disease with excessive fat consumption. This belief perpetuated on for decades and unfortunately continues today. These dirty tactics played by the industry have literally destroyed the health of millions, and I’m so thankful that the truth about sugar and its role in heart disease is getting out!
10. You’ll develop a distaste for sugar – making cravings disappear.