Think if you don’t have a sweet tooth then you don’t need to worry about how much sugar you’re consuming? Think again. Sugar consumption is at an all time high, with Americans consuming 32 teaspoons of added sugar per day – and it’s not just from the corn syrup in packaged food and soda.
If it's not real sugar and has no calories then it's ok to eat, right? Think again. New evidence has shown that those pretty colored packets have almost the same effect on the body as the real stuff does.
Don't beat yourself up over breaking your diet—it turns out eating smart isn't about willpower, but managing hunger hormones that, when overstimulated, can cause the feeling of being a bottomless, insatiable pit. Take these six easy steps to regain balance.
You're on the path to health, you proudly tell yourself. You're walking more, making an effort to eat right and hoping to make this the year that you finally lose those excess pounds. And yet...something's missing. What's missing, say experts Brooke Alpert and Patricia Farris, may be your recognition that you have an addiction you need to kick: A sugar addiction. They explain how to find the hidden sugar in your diet and to kick the habit in their easy-to-follow book "The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Look Years Younger."
So you’ve decided to dump sugar. Just like with any break-up, you’ll need a plan to get through those first lonely days. One key to survival? Keep the extreme detox short, says Brooke Alpert, registered dietitian and co-author of The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great and Look Years Younger. Her plan recommends a three-day “cold turkey” approach to quitting sugar, followed by a gradual phasing back in of fruits, dairy and other whole foods with naturally occurring sugars.
Don’t just blame the sun. Brooke Alpert, author of The Sugar Detox, tells Ali Wentworth about the link between sugar and aging skin. Plus: her plan to bust sugar cravings for good.
Sugar is the new controlled substance, it seems, and the average American consumes up to 31 whopping pounds per year, according to The Sugar Detox (Da Capo Press 2013) written by Brooke Alpert, MS, RD, CDN and Dr. Patricia Farris, FAAD, a renowned New York dermatologist.
Much of the book packs in fascinating research on the significant chemical impact of sugar on your skin, along with and other systems of your body. Designed to boost your overall nutrition, activate fat loss and clear up your complexion all over, the authors offer smart-but-simple food recipes (frittatas and grilled halibut, for example) plus practical advice on instigating a slow sugar wean from some of your favorite foods, including dried fruit and diet soda.
5 Ways to Survive a Sugar Detox
