One challenge that we all are facing today is that of reducing or eliminating the amount of sugar in your systems. With less sugar in our systems, we are guaranteed to see and feel improvements such as boost immune function, improvement in mood and overall wellness. Reducing sugar levels specially help children at school. Here are five sugar detox recipes that you can follow so your kids are guaranteed optimum nutrition sans sugar.
Demystifying Sugar
A person who eats large quantities of food items that are saturated with sugar will experience negative symptoms. Sugar molecules trigger an insulin response by the body among children and adults alike. At some point, the cells will stop in responding to high levels of insulin, thus resulting in a condition called insulin resistance. The pancreas then stops in its production of insulin resulting in type 2 diabetes mellitus. When sugar is unable to enter your cells, the body then converts the excess into body fats thus leading to weight gain. Excessive sugar may also attach to tissues in different parts of the body resulting in temporary or even permanent damage to the eyes, kidneys, and blood vessels. Lastly, the high concentrations of sugar cause extreme stress on the liver due to its storage of excessive fats.
These negative health effects are extremely harmful among growing children. High intake of sugar can result in weight gain, sudden mood swings, reduced sense of focus, and susceptibility to colds and other types of infection, as well as increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes at an early age.
Sugar Detoxification
In order to successfully implement sugar detoxification, it is recommended to avoid sugar at all cost. If you can totally avoid sugar intake, the better. Lead by example. if you desire your children to eliminate eating sugar-rich foods, you may as well follow these sugar detox rules as well.
For sugar detox among kids, the best way to do it is by limiting their consumption of sugar one item per day. Try taking out sweets for snacks and by supplementing it with a healthier option.
1. Understand where sugars are hiding
The first step to avoiding sugar is identifying where it is hiding. When you read a product’s nutrition facts, you will most commonly see carbohydrates, fibers, and sugar. Examples of carbohydrates are starchy veggies, grains, fruits, nuts, and some seeds. Although carbs are easily broken down during digestion into sugar molecules, it should not necessitate for you to cut out carbs from the diet altogether. Ideally, you want to keep the carbs intake at a minimum and in perfect balance with protein content. Make sure to consume not more than 15 grams of carbs per meal. Always remember to balance the carbs as it should always be equal to the amount of protein you consume.
When you see sugar on the label, that clearly indicates the presence of actual sugar. This is what you should try to avoid under a sugar detox program. Look at where the sugar is coming from. It may come in the form of another chemical name, so be sure to watch out for the following:
– beet sugar
– cane sugar
– cane juice
-dextrose
– sucrose brown rice syrup
– maltose – glucose
– evaporated cane juice
– dried cane sugar
– malt sugar
Fructose, which is commonly found in fruits and veggies can be extremely harmful when consumed in large doses. Examples of its sources are agave, honey, and maple syrup. High concentrated corn syrup for instance slow down natural insulin production and may even cause issues for the digestive system. Liver function and metabolism are affected when sugar is consumed in high concentrations. Watch out for fructose in the following forms:
– corn syrup
-agave
– honey
– maple syrup
– molasses
– high fructose corn syrup
2.Reduce or eliminate the intake of sugar-filled drinks
Many beverages sold in supermarkets contain high amounts of sugar. Even those that are marketed as healthy drinks are saturated with sugar too. Soda, juices, and electrolytes or vitamin drinks also contain sugar or high fructose corn syrup. The result of regular intake of these beverages is significant spike in blood sugar levels that is then followed by a sudden rebound of low blood sugar level. When left ignored, drinking sugar-filled beverages as a habit can result n weight gain, mood swings, and decreased focus. It is then idea to avoid drinking these beverages to improve health. Instead, have your kids drink water, seltzer water, and water infused with fruits instead.
3. Outsmart Sugar Addiction
Sugar is an extremely addictive substance. The reason why children love sugary treats is that such food items contain compounds that release “feel good” hormones such as dopamine. Then as blood sugar rises, children experience an increase in energy, focus, and mood. But such positive effects are temporary and last for a few hours only. As insulin removes the glucose from your bloodstream and into cells, the blood sugar levels fall as evidenced by less energy, irritability, and sudden mood change. At this point, children can only think of eating sugary treats again so they can return to their previous sugar high condition. With this in mind, you have to remember that it is completely natural to experience intense sugar cravings at the onset of sugar detox. These cravings will go away overtime, once you have made it a habit to avoid sugar in the long term.
4.Don’t Be Fooled by Foods Labeled as Healthy
Packaged, processed foods especially those marketed towards children such as condiments, cereals, and crackers are most often labeled fat free or have reduced calories. These products may seem healthy at first, but when you look at the ingredients closely, they are actually packed with high doses of sugar. Don’t’ let the healthy labels fool you. Be sure to check how many grams of sugar are in the products you buy for the family. Look at the list of ingredients and make sure there are low levels of sugar or no sugar to ensure you are not giving your kids unhealthy food items for school.
Replace processed sugars with small amounts of healthier sweeteners that do not cause extremely strong insulin response. For instance, coconut sugar, palm sugar, raw honey, and stevia are great natural sweeteners that do not trigger insulin at all.
5. Whole Foods Diet
Visit your local health food store and replace all of your sugar-filled food items with ones that are actually free of sugars. Look for unprocessed foods items to store in your pantry such as whole fruits, veggies, meat/fish/chicken meat, and whole grains such as millet, quinoa, and brown rice. Foods rich in fiber are also excellent options as dietary fibers effectively slow down the digestive process and the absorption of carbs, thus delaying insulin response.
