Exactly what happens days, weeks, months and years after you stop eating sugar
WHETHER it's to satisfy our post-dinner sweet tooth or to give ourselves an afternoon pick-me-up, we all enjoy a sweet treat from time to time.
But many of us are feeling a little sugared-out after the festive season.
For others, cleaning up our diet for the New Year might be a goal.
Whatever the reason, you might not be reaching for a chocolate biscuit or chocolate bar as you normally would.
When you think of sugar, foods like sweets, cakes, chocolates and biscuits probably come to mind.
That's correct, but the term is actually much broader than you might think.
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Jess Hillard, sports nutritionist at Warrior, told Sun Health: "Carbohydrates are counted as a sugar. This includes anything from brown bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, bananas as well as cakes and biscuits."
So, it would be 'dangerous' - not to mention hard - to stop eating sugar altogether, she said.
But most of us do need to think about reducing our intake of refined and added sugars, Jess went on.
"This includes sweets, cakes, chocolates, biscuits, fizzy drinks, jams, breakfast cereals - the list goes on," she added.
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According to the nutritionist, eating too much refined sugar can be detrimental to our health.
"The number one hospital admissions for children is due to rotting teeth," she stated, "largely down to high sugar diets."
Aside from tooth decay, refined sugar can also cause "difficulties concentrating, headaches and weight gain, ultimately leading to obesity, which can lead to further health concerns with heart disease, diabetes, increased stroke risk", Jess went on.
So, cutting back on the sweet treats you eat can definitely benefit your health.
But Jess had a word of warning for those embarking on this dreaded journey.
"When your body is so used to eating a high sugar diet on a regular daily basis, it will cause withdrawals when you stop consuming it as frequently," she said.
"Sugar addiction as such, is still undergoing research. However, the brains chemicals do change while consuming a high refined sugar diet, so eliminating it will lead to feeling unwell in the first stages."
Here's exactly what will happen to your body in the days, weeks, months and years after you eliminate refined sugars.
One to eight hours
In the first few hours after swearing off refined sugars, you might notice you're lethargic.
You body will definitely be craving sweet stuff at this stage, Jess told Sun Health.
"After about five hours, you’ll begin to feel tired and lacking energy," Jess added.
"The body is used to relying on refined sugar as an energy source and until time has gone by and you’re eating balanced meals with whole meal carbohydrates and healthy fats, the body will be reliant on the sugar that it isn’t getting."
12 to 24 hours
Within 12 to 24 hours of denying yourself sweets, you might go through what's known as the 'withdrawal stage'.
This brings with it some pretty unpleasant symptoms, like headaches, nausea, irritability and fatigue. You might also find it harder to concentrate.
Jess said: "Your mind is so focused on the high sugar foods that you may find it hard to concentrate on tasks and feel irritable."
Two to five days
After a few days with no sugar, you might be surprised that your breath is fresher.
"Sugar interacts with the bacteria in your mouth," Jess explained.
"Assuming you’re staying hydrated, breath smell should improve in two to five days."
You might also see some improvements to your mood.
"In these days the body is adapting, and you should be experiencing fewer mood swings," the sports nutritionist added.
One week
Now a week in, another pleasant side effect of swearing off refined sugars could be clearer skin.
"Sugar binds to protein and lipids - in a process called glycation - which can be seen to effect collagen and elastin within the skin," Jess warned.
"Increased sugar also causes inflammation and oil build up within the skin, which is commonly seen through diet-related acne.
"After a week with a lower refined sugar diet, there should be a slight improved skin complexion."
One to three months
As the months tick by, you might notice some changes to your energy levels throughout the day, as well as your mood and your appearance.
"This is now a considerable amount of time," Jess explained.
"The body has started to adapt to its new way of fuelling and hopefully your overall diet has also improved.
"This should see better memory, feeling energetic for the day at hand and you may see some fat loss over these months too."
Aside from increased long lasting energy, you might also notice you're feeling fuller for longer after meals and having fewer mood swings.
Your might also see improvements to your memory, Jess added.
Six months to a year plus
If you make it six months to a year without eating refined sugar, that's quite the feat.
By this time you should be able to see some visible weight loss.
As cutting down on sugar is "a huge diet change", the sports nutritionist said that, "dependent on several factors, there can be visible weight loss and reduced bloating at this stage".
And in the long term, you'll also have a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes, Jess said.
"You may find you haven’t caught as many colds and your joints ache less!"
How can I cut down on refined sugar?
It can be harder than you think to not eat sugar.
"Refined sugar is added to so many products now, even pasta sauces," Lisa told Sun Health.
The key is to look at the label on foods, the nutritionist advised.
"It is best to look at the ingredients, choose things like pasta sauces with no added sugar," she said.
Making "informed choices about snacks" can also help bring down your sugar intake.
The nutritionist suggested snacking on fruit, veggies, hummus or boiled eggs, rather than high sugar cereal bars and chocolates.
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"Ensure you start the day off well with a low sugar breakfast such as bran flakes with fresh or frozen berries and banana," Jess suggested.
Wholemeal bread with peanut butter and banana is also an alternative, as well as Greek yoghurt with berries and no-added-sugar granola.