“Cleanses” have become super popular but not everyone understands what it is and why it is important. No, I’m not talking about cleansing something off the outside of your body. I’m talking about doing an inside job. So let’s explore what cleanses are all about.
... to rid of impurities; to remove toxins from the body. Body cleanses have been around for centuries. From the Egyptians to the Romans, people have always tried to rid their bodies of toxin build up. And today we live in a toxic soup from exposures to toxic cleaning products, toxic fabrics that touch our bodies all day long and even at night, toxic mattresses, toxic air, toxic "new car smells" (yes that is called off-gassing from chemicals used). And then there are all the toxins on food we eat, whether fresh or packaged.
But what does that have to do with doing a sugar cleanse?
Did you know that sugar is toxic to the body? Maybe it wouldn't be if we ate less of it, but presently we consume on average, 200# of sugar per person per year. Our ancestors consumed about 22 teaspoons per year which was fine for the body to deal with, but today we are overloaded with it to the point that our bodies respond to as a toxic substance. And therefore sets us up for "inflammation" which is now the root cause of nearly all chronic disease.
So how did we get so overloaded with sugar?
Back in the 60's the sugar industry was studying the effects of sugar on the body and noticed a link with heart disease, so of course stopped the study and pivoted over to high cholesterol and high fat being the culprit.
Because of this most major health organizations got on board promoting low fat diets including the healthcare system. And to help out the cause, the food industry then created a myriad of low-fat food options, which coincidently were also high carb which translates into high sugar once it breaks down in the body. So we started a grand experiment of the worst diet for health (high carb, low fat) which has led to skyrocketing rates of obesity, Diabetes, and many other chronic diseases, which we know today are related to inflammation.
So back to sugar as the culprit
We now recognize the link between sugar and heart disease but also to cancer as well. Here is one journal article about this. And yet another.
This is serious! And it is not getting any better since the food industry has upped their game with more sugary snacks on the market that are even bigger than ever. You see it every day - giant sized candy bars, giant muffins, giant bagels, giant bags of chips, etc. In addition if you are a label reader of food packages, you will see sugar has been added to 75% of all packaged foods. A very subtle way to get us to like the taste of a product and so we want more and more.
Yes, most of us are addicted to sugar and can't seem to stop. Why can't you stop eating sugar easily? Because it is 8 times more addicting than cocaine. It actually "hits" the brain at the same location as drugs which causes the release of "feel good" hormones and of course the addiction cycle continues.
So what is a person to do?
It is not easy to just stop or just cut back because of the addictive property of sugar overload. That is where a sugar cleanse becomes useful. It is a process that allows your body to release the hold that sugar has on you by bringing your blood sugar back into control which in turn stops those incessant "carb cravings". It changes your chemistry and gives you back the control you need to resist sugar and appreciate the taste of whole natural foods. And they taste really good once you re-educate your palate.
Here's what a quality sugar cleanse can do for you
reduces the load of toxins going into your body
helps speed the process of removing toxins from your body using cleansing foods. removes most inflammatory foods and helps you identify foods that you don't tolerate
helps heal your gut which is one of the greatest locations for inflammation in the body.
gives you tools that you can use in your everyday life after the cleanse.
supplies optimal foods that fuel your body.
supplies pharmaceutical grade micro-nutrients to combat free-radical buildup
gives you support and holds you accountable.
What I find interesting is that the healthcare system probably won't recommend this strategy for clearing your body from sugar addiction, probably because it doesn't require using any drugs. So if sugar is an issue for you, why not give a sugar cleanse a try. Of course, beware of any sugar cleanse that is loaded with sugar! So read the labels and make an informed choice, and then go for it. How might this help you with your New Year's Resolutions?
Why the meal replacement shakes? Way back in the days of the Slim Fast commercial, the idea of a 200+ calorie meal replacement shake made no sense. Why not take a good MVI and eat 200 calories' worth of FOOD?
For me personally, drinking anything doesn't provide much satiety. I could drink a mammoth flavored latte with all of the fat and protein and vitamins that are present in a pint of whole milk -- which is nutritionally dense enough to grow a CALF into a massive bovine adult I might add... so don't try to tell me a shake would feel any different. It is not food, and if I am *hungry* that 600+ calorie drink would then be augmented by whatever food I end up eating.
Well not exactly true... I do make some amazing "green," "orange," and "purple" fruit&veggie smoothies. Nothing but whole fruit and veggies, plus a bit of water to aid in blending. If I drink a Venti Starbucks cup of that I do feel full for a bit... but those are quite high glycemic from all of that fruit.
I have done the low glycemic thing, and I did feel amazing. I plan on getting back on it after New Year's. See I am of the opinion that a holiday season without Christmas cookies (my mom's -- not some sugar free almond flour ones, although I enjoy those other times of year), homemade white rolls, stuffing, and LEFSE with butter and SUGAR would be pretty sad.
There are some sacrifices that I am willing to make and some I am not. I am perfectly willing to shave a few years off my life for lefse and cookies at Christmas.
But anyway, I do wonder why you are recommending meal replacement shakes vs meals. It seems counter-productive for someone who is -- especially if it's true that sugar is "addictive" -- likely experiencing cravings to be advised to drink their meal instead of eat it.
Things like meal replacement shakes and special supplements smack of money making schemes of overpriced items, marketed as a special '30 day sugar detox' program.
Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
Things like meal replacement shakes and special supplements smack of money making schemes of overpriced items, marketed as a special '30 day sugar detox' program.
My thoughts exactly. Those who push/sell these products are not in it for altruistic reasons. But somehow it's okay. It's not okay when it's big pharma/providers.
Ahh, the Sanoviv Medical Institute rears its ugly head again. Wasn't there a thread about that place just recently? That's the place in Mexico that offers colon therapy, "detoxification," and all kinds of hinky treatments. The website says they offer "holistic, alternative" treatments for lung cancer, breast cancer, and Parkinson's disease.
Specializes in Wellness and Coaching for Women in their Third Act.
The American Holistic Nurses Association thinks highly enough of this facility to grant continuing education credit for nurses to go there to experience a toxin-free healing environment and receive training on holistic nutrition.
Specializes in Wellness and Coaching for Women in their Third Act.
The toxin I am referring to is too much sugar in our diet.
The toxin residue I speak of is the overload of sugar in our diet.
I define the cleanse as a means to reduce the overload of sugar (as a toxin) in our diet by replacing our high-glycemic standard american diet (SAD) with a short-term fix. For example: 5 days of low-glycemic meal replacement shakes, high quality supplements, whole food snacks which reduces calorie load, levels out blood sugar, reduces carb/sugar cravings, followed by education and implementation of low-glycemic eating, shopping, cooking. It is a lifestyle change, not a diet.
Here is a study that showed health benefits of this type of process that was used over 12 weeks.
In hindsight, I probably should have used different terminology than the word cleanse. The general public is probably more familiar with this term as marketers use it in the framework of weight loss and reducing sugar in the diet. However, healthcare professionals probably relate to the word "cleanse" as a reference to enemas, which was not my intent.
You don't "Detox" from "sugar", a healthy diet contains a certain ratio of carbohydrates to fats to proteins, carbohydrates are naturally metabolized and excreted by the body, the idea of a "cleanse" is a nothing more than quackery.
First, "sugar" is not a toxin. The general rule of toxicology is "the dose makes the poison". Water for instance when consumed in the proper quantity is a necessity for life, when consumed in larger amounts it becomes toxic to the body. The same is true for carbohydrates, when consumed in the appropriate amount and ratio to other dietary components, they are actually an important part of a healthy diet. But when consumed excessively, particularly simpler carbohydrates, they can be detrimental.
"Sugar" is a non-scientifically defined term and generally refers to carbohydrates that have a sweet taste. This isn't a particularly useful way to define less healthy carbohydrates since it's actually simple starches (ie French fries, white flour) that are mainly responsible for the diet-induced inflammatory processes that increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.
It's certainly beneficial to minimize or even eliminate bad carbohydrates from your diet, but there is no purpose or really any way to actively "cleanse" bad carbohydrates that someone has eaten in the past, they get metabolized and excreted the same way with or without a "cleanse".
Specializes in Wellness and Coaching for Women in their Third Act.
for #105
In hindsight, I probably should have used different terminology than the word cleanse. The general public is probably more familiar with the terms cleanse and detox which are used interchangeably by marketers as a reference to weight loss and reducing sugar in the diet. However, healthcare professionals probably relate to the word "cleanse" as a reference to enemas.
The "cleanse" I refer to is a means to reduce the overload of sugar in our diet by replacing our high-glycemic standard american diet (SAD) with a short-term fix. For example: 5 days of low-glycemic meal replacement shakes, high quality supplements, whole food snacks which reduces calorie load, levels out blood sugar, reduces carb/sugar cravings, followed by education and implementation of low-glycemic eating, shopping, cooking. It is a lifestyle change, not a diet.
Here is a study that showed health benefits of this type of process that was used over 12 weeks.
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klone, MSN, RN
14,857 Posts
Meal replacement shakes? Really? Have you looked at the ingredients in meal replacement shakes? Let's take a look, shall we?
Glucerna: Water, Milk Protein Concentrate, Canola Oil, Glycerin, Corn Maltodextrin, Fructose, Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Soy Protein Isolate. Less than 1% of: Corn Oil, Short-Chain Fructooligosaccharides, Potassium Citrate, Magnesium Phosphate, Cellulose Gel, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Salt, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Monoglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Sodium Citrate, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Sucralose, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Hydroxide, Turmeric Color, Acesulfame Potassium, Calcium Phosphate, Ferrous Sulfate, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Gellan Gum, Zinc Sulfate, Niacinamide, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Red 3, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Chromium Chloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Sodium Molybdate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenate, Phylloquinone, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin B12.