30 Day Detox – My Experience

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I recently completed a 30 day sugar-free detox challenge.

The decision was triggered by pure spontaneity after over-indulging during the holiday season. On January 2nd I simply decided to try a full month of NO sugar, NO alcohol, and NO carbs.

The point of this detox had nothing to do with weight-loss, but rather, to see how my body would feel without these three components in my diet.

Before I can share my experience, I need you to understand what my diet consisted of prior to the challenge.

I was always a clean eater, and tried to stick to whole foods and minimize intake of processed foods. Prior to the challenge I would consume a lot of the following: fruits, vegetables, legumes, quinoa, fish, almond butter, dark chocolate (not sugar free), variety of nuts, eggs, fermented foods, and meat (not on a regular basis).

It may sound to you like a healthy diet, and it probably was – but my body simply needed a change and I wanted to give it the opportunity to explore a different kind and lifestyle.

During the 30-day challenge I eliminated a lot of foods including quinoa, legumes, nuts, fruits, and of course, anything with ‘sugar’ in it.

Let’s start with the ‘SUGAR’ component:

Although I hate to admit it, I have a sweet tooth. I love a good slice of cake or some chocolate (here’s a secret: I used to be addicted to Werther’s Originals!!). I always have this urge to have something sweet after a meal. Anyone else experiences the same cravings?

During the challenge, I eliminated all fruits and anything that has sugar listed as an ingredient in it, and you would be surprised to find out how many products out there have added sugar when it is completely unnecessary! (For instance: salad dressings, nut butters, sausages, and even bacon!). So my recommendation: Read the list of ingredients very carefully and disregard labels such as “all-natural” because they really don’t mean a thing!

To kill some of the sugar cravings, I would consume some sugar-free, dairy-free hot chocolate (recipe will be posted!), a piece of dark chocolate or a scoop of almond or coconut butter. With time, the cravings subsided.

Next are the ‘CARBS’:

Let’s clarify what I mean by eliminating carbs. In my opinion it is impossible to completely eliminate carbs from one’s diet, because carbs are in almost anything – even vegetables. So I really just tried to minimize my carb intake and ensure that if there are carbs, that they are the complex and low glycemic index ones. So: NO potatoes (not even sweet potatoes), minimal amount of carrots, beets or bell pepper as they are known to be higher in carbs/sugars. And of course, no bread, pastries, etc.

This category wasn’t bad because I normally don’t consume a lot of carbs. The only thing I really missed were beets and sweet potatoes 🙂

Finally, no ALCOHOL:

This one is pretty straightforward – no consumption of alcohol during the 30 day challenge. Although I am not a big drinker, I do enjoy my occasional cocktail or glass (or two!) of wine. For me personally, this was the easiest part of the challenge, as I didn’t miss alcohol at all and didn’t feel like I had any cravings for it.

And here is the verdict:  I LOVED how the detox made me feel; both physically and emotionally. Although it was tough at times, and there were ups and downs, I truly appreciated the outcome and am very happy that I did it.

Beyond the physical aspect, the detox helped me be more focused and clear minded, I had less mood swings, and barely any cramps during “that time of the month”. I’m not kidding, it was one of the least painful and barely noticeable menstrual cycles I ever had! This is mainly because hormone fluctuation was minimized due to the lack of sugar, which results in less cramps or PMS symptoms.

I strongly believe that the consumption of sugar and alcohol should be minimized in all diets, and I am certainly going to continue with that habit (i.e. consume it only on occasion). As for carbs, these are a bit more complex (pun not intended!), as they could be harmless for some individuals, yet very harmful for others. Here is where bio-individuality comes to play, and one should simply listen to their body regardless of what their friend or partner is doing. Your body will tell you what’s right for you.

I will be posting some of the recipes I created during the detox, and I am very excited for you to try them regardless if you are on any kind of detox or not.

If you would like to learn more about the detox, and some easy ways that you can implement it in your daily lives to experience some of the benefits I experiences, please email me or leave a comment below. I love connecting with my readers!

Purely yours,

Lena