There's an element that almost every single obese, overweight, and unhealthy person has in common. That single element is directly linked to deteriorating health, weight gain, obesity, belly fat, poor dental health, and physical/mental disease. That element is sugar. White sugar, brown sugar, refined sugar, & fake sugar have all been scientifically proven to be more addictive then the illicit drug cocaine; no, that's not fake news. Sugar also erodes your body from the inside out, much like cocaine. The more sugar we consume, the more we crave it.

Food and beverage companies have been all over this addictive legal drug for years. They target our children with colorful packaging, and drop a surprise toy inside of their sugary cereal boxes to focus our children's attention onto their nutrition-less products. They slap a label on soda and snack products that tell us to purchase their product because it's "sugar-free," or “all natural,” yet they don't advertise how toxic and deadly sugar substitutes are. They also don't tell you that fake sugar, just like real sugar, creates a reaction in our bodies and brains that cause us to actually crave more sugary, nutrition-less, chemical products.

That's great for the pockets of food and beverage companies, but it's toxic and deadly to the consumer. We are tricked into purchasing these products because they are cheap, quick, tasty, portable, convenient, and they have a long shelf life (which gives us even more reason to be concerned). Our bodies were not created to ingest science experiments that have the capability to outlast time sitting on a store or pantry shelf for 2 to 4 years. *All pre-packaged foods are laden with sugar, toxic chemicals, preservatives, and sodium.

Refined sugar is a nutrition-less carbohydrate that digests very quickly. It floods the blood with glucose, which directly results in a huge output of insulin. The larger volume of glucose that flows through your blood, the more insulin your body requires. The pancreas releases insulin to help move glucose through the blood stream and into cells that utilize insulin. Our brain and muscles need and rely on glucose for energy in order to function. Sugar is not the only carb that is digested quickly; refined carbs, white flour/white flour products, and processed whole grain products are culprits as well.

Over a period of time, these sudden spikes in insulin (caused by glucose flooding in the blood) will cause a plethora of health problems. Large amounts of glucose will damage nerves and blood vessels, resulting in "insulin resistance," because the pancreas just keeps over-functioning and creating even more insulin to make up for the overflow of glucose in the blood.

This is how that ugly, nagging belly fat (visceral fat) develops, as well as Diabetes and other diseases. Massive amounts of insulin moving through the blood and body causes your body to store much more fat then it normally would. Insulin keeps your body from utilizing fat for energy in between snacks and meals, and it's no longer used as fuel, causing you to be hungry more often. It's a vicious cycle, which only allows us to gain more and more weight, leading to obesity and many other health problems and diseases.

Sugar/fructose directly contributes to belly fat. Some specific names of sugar can be found under the "nicknames" of table sugar, brown sugar, fructose, HFCS, sucralose, cane sugar, dextrose, honey, agave, barley malt, carob syrup, fruit juice concentrate, lactose, sorghum syrup, maltose, & rice bran syrup, to name a few. Even powdery sugar substitutes have dextrose in them~ stay away from these! There are many more alternate names for sugar, but these are the primary ones used in prepackaged and convenient 'non-nutritional' foods.

How you go about ridding or decreasing sugar from your daily diet is a matter of individual preference. When I was faced with quitting sugar, I had an extremely difficult time "detoxing" from the white stuff. I was left with a migraine that lasted 3 days, along with chills and sweats, horrible acne, stomach pain, body aches, severe anxiety, emotional & overly-sensitive, and I was very unpleasant to be around. These symptoms can be normal for some, but unbearable for others. If you have any medical issues such as (but not limited to) diabetes, Fibromyalgia, cancer, intestinal condition, eating disorder or an issue with binge eating, please do not cut sugar out of your diet cold turkey! I advise you to seek medical advice from your doctor, dietitian, or nutritionist regarding sugar elimination from your diet

If you feel that this form of "detox" may be too much for you to handle, then I would advise detoxing slowly over a longer period of time if sugar is something that you need to cut back on. Start small, like staying away from bakery goods and pre-packaged sugary-laden sweet snacks such as cake, pie, donuts, cookies, cupcakes, etc., and replace them with apples, peaches, bananas, and berries, all of which are natural (and needed) sugars. For your first week of sugar detoxing, only eat whole foods with natural sugars. If you are accustomed to drinking coffee every morning with sugary flavored coffee cream, then cut back slowly to the amount you are consuming. Start measuring your coffee cream daily to make sure you are only getting 1 serving.

Week two of detoxing could be focused on cleaning out sugary refrigerator/pantry items, such as sugary salad dressings, marinades, condiments, sauces, sugary barbecue sauces, and packaged/canned fruits. Learn how to make your own low or no-sugar dressings and marinades. Purchase applesauce that is all-natural with no added sugar. Get rid of white bread and flour, and replace them with whole wheat/grain alternatives if you are not gluten sensitive and do not have Celiac Disease. What's the healthiest form of sugar for you to use, you ask? Pure, raw, organic honey! The best place to purchase it is at your local farmers market or health super market.

With each passing week, go through your kitchen and read labels, making sure to get rid of refined products and replacing them with healthy alternatives. Add more produce to your meals and snacks, as well as healthy and lean proteins. Eat more complex carbohydrates in the form of whole foods. Get used to drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day, if not more. You can also purchase a sugar detox book as a guide to rid sugar from your life, but if you detox slowly over a month's time, you won't really need another expensive book.

Removing white sugar and refined products out of your diet is one of the best things you can do to deter obesity, and is a great place to start improving your poor health. White sugar is meant to be enjoyed occasionally, and not consumed in large amounts daily. Once all white sugar is out of your body, you'll see improved health, skin, sleeping habits, increased energy, clearer thinking, less (or no) cravings; you'll even lose some weight! You can slowly incorporate sugar back into your healthy diet as a well balanced treat. Be sure to add 30 minutes of brisk walking or other exercise to your lifestyle daily for full benefits of better health. You'll be on track with better overall wellness in no time!