Do any of these sound familiar? At 3pm you crash hard and need sugar/caffeine to get you through the rest of your day. You slump on the couch after dinner with a tub of ice cream because you need something sweet after dinner. You look in the mirror and see a face that is 5 years older than what it says on your passport and you’ve got stubborn belly fat that is hanging around like an unwanted houseguest.

Now, let me be clear – these things are not your fault, but they are ways that your body is telling you to quit it with the sugar. In today’s email, I’ll break down the five biggest signs you could benefit from a sugar detox—and how a sugar detox can help you feel like yourself again.

1. Constant Cravings for Sweets or Carbs

Sugar cravings can feel impossible to resist, and they’re driven by a complex interaction between your brain and body. When you eat sugar, it rapidly elevates your blood glucose levels. This spike triggers the release of insulin, a hormone that helps move glucose into your cells. However, when sugar intake is high, these spikes and crashes become frequent, leaving you stuck in a cycle of craving more sugar to restore energy levels.

Sugar also affects the brain by releasing dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Over time, regular sugar consumption rewires your brain’s reward pathways, making cravings feel almost uncontrollable.

Rewiring your body’s response to sugar and recalibrating your brain’s reward system with a science based sugar detox can give you lasting control over your cravings.

2. Energy Highs and Lows

Feeling energized after a sugary snack might seem harmless, but that quick burst of energy is followed by a crash. This is caused by reactive hypoglycemia—when insulin lowers blood sugar levels too quickly after a spike. The result? You’re left feeling sluggish, shaky, and craving more sugar.

Over time, this constant fluctuation stresses your adrenal glands, which produce cortisol to help stabilize blood sugar levels. Chronic sugar-induced cortisol production can lead to fatigue and burnout. Research has linked high sugar consumption to mitochondrial dysfunction, which impairs the body’s ability to produce steady, sustained energy at the cellular level

A sugar detox stabilizes blood sugar, allowing your body to rely on consistent energy sources like healthy fats and proteins. This reduces the stress on your adrenal glands, reduces inflammation and improves overall energy levels.

3. Brain Fog

Struggling to focus, feeling forgetful, or experiencing mental sluggishness can be a direct result of sugar’s impact on the brain. Excess sugar contributes to inflammation, which disrupts brain function by impairing the communication between neurons. Additionally, the highs and lows of blood sugar levels can leave your brain starved for glucose—the primary energy source for brain cells. Long-term sugar consumption can even lead to insulin resistance in the brain, a condition linked to cognitive decline and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Reducing sugar and focussing on lean protein, healthy fats and antioxidant rich fruits and veggies lowers inflammation and supports better glucose regulation in the brain, improving focus, memory, and mental clarity. This is the basis of the my Sugar Supporting Food Formula in my 7 Day Sugar Detox program.

4. Stubborn Weight Gain

If you’re struggling to lose weight despite eating a “healthy” diet, sugar might be the culprit. When consumed in excess, sugar is converted into fat through a process called de novo lipogenesis. This is especially true of fructose, which is metabolized in the liver and stored as fat when intake exceeds the body’s energy needs. High sugar consumption also leads to insulin resistance, where cells become less responsive to insulin. This not only promotes fat storage but also makes it harder for your body to burn stored fat for energy. And that excess weight will get stored on as belly fat, in your face or around the back of your bra strap.

Eliminating added sugars via a sugar detox quickly improves your insulin sensitivity, making it easier for your body to access fat stores for energy and promote healthy weight loss.

5. Skin Breakouts or Dull Complexion

Sugar’s impact on the skin is twofold: it increases inflammation and accelerates glycation. Glycation occurs when excess sugar binds to proteins like collagen and elastin, forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These AGEs damage the structure and function of skin proteins, leading to wrinkles, sagging, and a loss of elasticity.

Sugar-induced inflammation can also worsen conditions like acne, rosacea, and eczema. Spikes in insulin trigger the production of androgen hormones, which stimulate oil production and clog pores.

Cutting back on sugar during a sugar detox reduces inflammation, supports collagen integrity, and helps your skin appear clearer, brighter, and more youthful.

Want an easy guide to the sugar free versions of your favorite foods? Download my FREE Sugar-Free Swaps guide here.