Some people find that their symptoms last from a few days to a couple of weeks. As your body adapts to a low added sugar diet over time and your added sugar intake becomes less frequent , the less intense your symptoms and cravings for sugar are likely to be.
Drop your sugar intake at once. The Ohio University Medical Center determined that a sugar detox will take between 3-10 days. The more sugar you are normally taking in, the longer the detox will take.
Many who experience sugar withdrawal feel intense cravings for the sweet foods they're avoiding. Others may feel fatigued, irritable, nauseated, or have difficulty concentrating. Disrupted sleep patterns may also result.
So if you've made the decision to cut down your sugar intake, you might find your body responding with withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms vary, but you experience moodiness, headaches, anxiety or difficulty concentrating.
It's during this early "sugar withdrawal" stage that both mental and physical symptoms have been reported – including depression, anxiety, brain fog and cravings, alongside headaches, fatigue and dizziness.
If you've built up a dependence, you'll probably have some withdrawal symptoms, and that can make for a rough couple of weeks. Strong cravings are the most common symptom. You might also get headaches or feel fatigued and irritable.
But if you do two weeks without sugar, you're going to find that you're not going as tired as before after you eat. This means you will no longer have high sugar levels which make the brain tired. You can achieve normal sugar levels easier, which makes your brain awake.
Don't Go Cold Turkey
"It's better to ease yourself off it slowly by taking one step at a time, so your body has time to adjust," Kohn said. Another reason to not be in a rush: slower changes tend to last, said Avena, especially when it comes to quitting sugar.
Cut added sugar and you could lower calories and body weight, which could improve your cholesterol. But it's not just the weight loss. Even at the same weight as others, people who got less than 20% of their calories from added sugars tended to have lower triglycerides.
Stage 4: Although this stage doesn't happen for everyone, sometimes people will experience aches and pains that are similar to the flu when trying to cut sugar out of their diet. Again, because the body is technically going through withdrawals, withdrawal symptoms such as muscle and joint pain can occur.
There are massive health benefits from cutting back on your sugar intake, one of which is losing stubborn belly fat, says Brenda Rea, MD, DrPH, PT, RD, a family and preventive medicine physician at Loma Linda University Health.
CHARACTERISTICS Lines and wrinkles on the forehead, sagging under the eyes, gaunt look to the face, painful pustular pimples all over the face, thinning of the skin, a grey/pasty white hue to the skin, thinner eyebrows.
Detoxing from sugar can help you lose weight quickly. “We had over 80 testers from all over the country, and they lost anywhere between 5 to 20 pounds during the 31 days, depending on their weight or sugar addiction,” Alpert said. “Many also noticed that a lot of the weight was lost from their midsection.
To curb sugar cravings, stock up on protein-rich whole foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, full-fat dairy products, avocados, and nuts.
Reducing your sugar intake may support a healthy weight, decrease your risk of depression, and reduce your risk of heart disease, among other health benefits. The good news is that you don't necessarily have to quit sugar completely.
"Reducing your sugar intake can help improve your complexion by strengthening elastin and collagen and reducing the level of inflammation present in your skin," Glatter said.
After 14 days of quitting added sugars, you will notice that your skin is firmer, more elastic, is incredibly radiant and wrinkles are reduced considerably. At the same time, your weight is slowly decreasing and your body is also much healthier.
With bread being such a staple of many diets I often get asked “Can I eat bread when I quit sugar?” Well the short answer is yes.
You'll feel lighter. A big plus of quitting sugar is reduced bloating. You'll also be consuming fewer calories and have much less food cravings. You will be able to taste the sweetness in natural foods.
Within a week you can expect lower blood pressure as well as healthier levels of fat and insulin levels in the bloodstream, he says. Of course, how your body reacts to the absence of sugar depends on how much of the white stuff you eat in the first place–and whether you're eating carbs.
You'll Age Slower
Stop eating sugar. This is especially true when it comes to your looks. If you want to look younger than your age, eat a nutrient-dense diet. Consuming a diet high in sugar makes your skin wrinkle faster.