Whether its Diwali or Holi, Indian festivals are incomplete without sweets. While it is called the festival of lights, Diwali celebration is also the time to indulge in sweet delicacies like laddus, barfis, gulab jamun and dry fruits. If you can go sugar free this year, that’s great, but most of us usually struggle to maintain a healthy level of indulgence—especially when it comes to sweets. No matter how well we plan, we tend to overdo it on sweet treats during this time of the year. That’s why you need a post Diwali detox

Sugar is as addictive as cocaine, say researchers. Overindulgence in sugar can cause many short-term and long-term health effects including obesity and diabetes. A post Diwali detox can help break the sugar addiction or reverse the damage done to your body. Here are some tips to quickly and easily detox your body from all those sweet treats you had just stuffed yourself with during the Diwali celebration.

Clean out your Pantry

This is the first thing you should do when you decide to go cold turkey and eliminate all types of sugars (added, refined, artificial, or natural) from your diet. Make sure you’re not storing any sweet delicacies in your fridge. Toss sources of added sugars like soda, bread, pasta, and other packaged foods too.

Drink lots of Fluids

Hydration is important throughout the year, but it’s especially important after you have overindulged on sugar. Water helps flush toxins out of the body through urination and bowel movements. For extra benefits and taste, you can add lemon slices, cucumber slices to water, or have unsweetened herbal tea.

Eat lots of leafy greens

Add more leafy greens like kale, collard greens, and spinach to your diet. Not only they will help alkalize your body (reduce inflammation), but also provide you nutrients like Vitamins K, C, and A, and filling fibre.

Increase intake of Healthy Fat

Healthy fats will help reduce your cravings for sugary foods. Best sources of healthy fats include avocado, unsweetened coconut products, butter or ghee and nuts and seeds. Make sure you include 1-2 tablespoons of healthy fat with each meal.

Replace deserts with Fresh Fruits

If you have a habit of having sweets after a meal, try replacing them with fresh fruits. Fruit too contain natural sugars, but they are absorbed slowly into your bloodstream, thanks to the other nutrients and fibre in them. Antioxidant-rich, low-sugar fruit like berries are best alternatives to deserts.

If you can, avoid even fruits during your sugar detox period. But normally one should consume at least 1-2 servings of fresh fruit a day as part of a balanced diet.

Eat enough protein

Protein is especially important when you’re doing a sugar detox. Aim for 30 grams of protein at breakfast to keep yourself satiated and reduce sugar craving. When you’re detoxing from sugar, you should also eat more complex carbs like sweet potato and butternut squash.

Don’t Skip Meals

Your body is already under stress as you retrain it to stop craving sugar, fasting can increase the stress. In addition, skipping meals will make your blood sugar to drop, which in turn can increase craving for sweets and carbohydrates.

When you’re on a sugar detox diet, focus on whole foods, protein and anti-inflammatory fats and drink plenty of fluids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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