6 facts to know if you’re thinking about doing a sugar detox

If you are interested in having more energy, sleeping better, improving your general health and losing weight (especially from the stomach area), reducing your sugar intake can have a dramatic impact.

Too much sugar can increase your chance of health issues and diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dental cavities, so it’s a no-brainer that reducing your daily intake will help you have a healthier lifestyle.

Here are 6 facts about sugar that everyone needs to know…

Why a sugar detox?

Understanding these key sugar facts will help you to make better choices to help you reach your weight loss goals:

1. Sugars can be simple or complex

Sugars belong to one of two groups – simple or complex sugars. Simple sugars, including glucose and fructose, cause a fast spike in our blood sugar levels, and these are the ones we should try to reduce to improve our health.

2. Complex sugars take longer to break down

Complex sugars, like sucrose, maltose and lactose, take longer for the body to break down, therefore keeping blood sugar levels more stable, without the sugar “high” followed by an energy “crash.”When including sugar in your diet, complex sugars are a
better choice.

3. Sugars can be sorted into two categories

These are free sugars and bound sugars.

4. Free sugars are any sugar that is added to a food, i.e. it isn’t part of the food’s natural state

Free sugars contain ‘empty calories’ as the calories or energy they provide contain only very low, if any, nutritional benefit. Free sugars include processed fruit juices, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, glucose, brown sugar, white sugar etc.

5. Bound sugars are nutritionally better for you

Foods that contain ‘bound sugars’ are complex carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables. Fruits are a great way to add sweetness to your meals as they also provide nutritional benefits.

6. ‘Bound sugars’ often also contain fibre

This helps to slow down blood sugar absorption, making the energy you receive from these types of foods last longer.

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