The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet: Activate Your Body's Natural Ability to Burn Fat and Lose Weight Fast (11 page)

If the idea of giving up sugar makes you feel panicky, you’re not alone—but don’t worry. I’m going to get you through this much more easily than you think. As one 10-Day Detox participant said on the final day of the program (and hundreds more echoed in agreement), “Ten days ago, I couldn’t eat enough sugar. Now I don’t even want to look at it!” Again and again they were amazed at how quickly and completely their cravings subsided. The 10-Day Detox is specifically designed to curb even the most stubborn sugar addictions and cravings. People often see a change in their cravings in as few as twenty-four hours after beginning the program.

The two most common and harmful food sensitivities are gluten and dairy, which is why they are eliminated from your diet during the 10-Day Detox. Many people do not realize that they have hidden food sensitivities. These are not true allergies, like a peanut or shellfish allergy that makes your tongue swell, closes off your throat, creates hives, and can kill you in minutes. These are more subtle reactions to everyday foods. They occur because of small changes in the intestinal tract from multiple insults (such as too many antibiotics, aspirin, acid-blocking drugs, ibuprofen, stress, infections, or even toxins) that allow food particles to enter our bloodstream and get exposed to our immune system. This condition is called a
leaky gut
. We then create low-grade inflammation in reaction to these foreign food particles, which can in
turn create many problems—fatigue, brain fog, headaches, depression, allergies, sinus problems, irritable bowel, reflux, joint pain, skin diseases such as acne and eczema, autoimmune diseases, and more. But this inflammation also causes weight gain by triggering insulin resistance.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats. It has been around since we began cultivating grains 10,000 years ago (still relatively new in the human diet). But fifty years ago the type of gluten changed as we created new strains of wheat (genetically altered dwarf strains I call Frankenwheat), and this has created a veritable epidemic of problems, including a 400 percent increase in celiac disease and a dramatic rise in gluten sensitivity, affecting about 8 percent of the population.

This new “improved” wheat triggers much higher blood sugar levels because of the amount it contains of the super-starch called amylopectin A. Today, two slices of whole-wheat bread can raise your blood sugar more than two tablespoons of table sugar can. And the increased number and nature of the gluten proteins trigger more inflammation, which increases your risk of obesity and diabetes. We all love bread, but the stuff we are eating today is a far cry from the more wholesome stuff our ancestors ate, and it is making us inflamed, sick, and fat.

All grains (including breads, cereals, and snacks)—even gluten-free ones—can spike blood sugar and insulin. To break the addiction cycle, we need to shut down insulin production as much as possible.

Dairy is also a problem. It not only causes inflammation, allergies, congestion, postnasal drip, sinus problems, eczema, asthma, acne, and irritable bowel for many, it also causes weight gain by spiking insulin levels. It has been linked to type 1 diabetes and is the number one cause of constipation and intestinal blood loss and anemia in kids. It may be “nature’s perfect food,” but only if you are a calf and want to grow into a cow. For these ten days, you won’t be eating any dairy of any kind.

Getting rid of gluten, grains, and dairy for ten days can have profound effects not just on weight but also on many inflammatory, digestive, mood, and other health problems. Think of it as an experiment. You have nothing to lose but your suffering! You can always
reintroduce them carefully after the ten days, and in the Transition Phase, I’ll walk you through how to do that. But with this short trial, you will have the opportunity to see how they truly affect you—something you probably have never done before.

Don’t be surprised if you not only easily drop weight, but also find that many other chronic health problems and symptoms disappear. Pay close attention; this is the most important thing you may do for your health and well-being.

These are not necessarily “bad,” but the carbohydrates in beans can trigger blood sugar spikes in some, and the lectins (small proteins) in these foods can potentially trigger inflammation and weight gain. After the ten days, some of you may choose to reintroduce beans to see how your body responds, but we’re going to leave them out of your diet while you detox.

As you already know, if you want to turn off the genes that lead to disease and fat and turn on the ones that lead to healthy weight loss, the key is the quality and type of food you eat. So for these ten days, you’re going to eat a whole-food, plant-rich diet and eliminate foods that are manufactured or produced anyplace other than the earth and your own kitchen.

That means no chemicals, preservatives, additives, artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, or monosodium glutamate. (MSG, often called by other names and hidden in almost every processed food, causes spikes in insulin leading to uncontrollable hunger, cravings, and overeating; see the box on the next page to learn
how to identify MSG on labels.) You’ll eat only the best-quality foods, rich in vitamins and minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, good proteins, good fats, and good, low-glycemic carbs.