BEYOND SUGAR – How To Stay Sugar Free After The Initial Sugar-Detox

Many people think that going on a sugar detox is hard. Actually, it's not.

Once someone gets over the fear, and lets go of the false idea that sweet means happiness, it's absolutely doable. Especially if it's done with professional guidance and the right preparation.

After about a week or 10 days off sugar, you start to feel so good that the detox becomes easy. For some, this is an amazing experience that they never had around food – or haven't had for many years. After about a week or so off sugar you feel less bloated, more alert, digestive problems go away, and the best part is you don't feel hungry. Eating Real Food makes you pleasantly satisfied from meal to meal, and the release from craving sugar and crappy carbs makes the detox easier than many people think.

The challenging part actually comes later, after the "pink cloud" or what some call the "honeymoon phase" blows over. Today's nutritional environment is very hostile to healthy eating in general, and living Sugar Free specifically. Sweet is equated with happiness and celebration and the food industry works very hard to make sure our food culture stays that way. There isn't much support or understanding out there for people who quit sugar, as opposed to those who quit smoking or alcohol. People will say it's unsustainable.

That's not so.

It is sustainable. Living Sugar Free is absolutely possible for the long term, BUT only if there is a real change in mindset. One needs to change their relationship with food when going for the long-term solution, especially if one is quitting because they feel they are addicted to sugar. This is critical for one who wants to actually live Sugar Free beyond the initial detox.

For example, I work with my clients to get free of the diet mentality. A slip does not mean you "broke" anything. It means that you are an imperfect human and that you have more to learn about yourself and your sugar free journey. There are no foods that are "allowed" or "not allowed", it is about choosing to give up certain foods for in order to gain quality of life and peace of mind. It's about changing the inner dialogue with food and what it means to have a "treat". It means finding non-food solutions to deal with stress and emotional overwhelm. It means finding the support in a community, a program or a mentor for long term. These changes are critical for people who want to recover from sugar addiction. It's a marathon and not a sprint.

As sugar addict living in recovery for the last 25 years and a professional food/sugar addiction counselor, I can honestly say that it takes work and commitment but the return on your investment is huge. There is no food that beats the feeling of freedom from food obsession, sustaining a healthy body weight and beating metabolic disease. Yes, it takes work, but living Sugar Free makes it all worthwhile.