Nana Meriwether, former Miss USA, volleyball champion and philanthropist, talks about the sugar-free diet she followed for a month and the multiple health benefits it brought her.
Nana Meriwheter decided to give up sugar to regain radiance in her skin and get rid of acne. She shared her experience and the results of her sugar-free diet with the American magazine Newsweek.
She says she cut out sugar and sweets, including sweet fruits and honey, from her diet. “My skin had started to break out, a sign that I needed to pay attention to my diet.” Studies show that too much sugar can lead to premature aging by breaking down collagen, a protein that helps make your skin soft, supple and smooth.
To begin with, the former Miss first stopped consuming overly sweet products, even though it may seem complicated to avoid them completely: “Once you quit sugar, you start to notice how pervasive the substance is. It’s almost everywhere and in almost everything“.
To hold on to the first days of the diet, the volleyball champion opted for a varied diet with very colorful plates : “My lunches and dinners included eggs and vegetables, including fermented cabbage andlawyer for breakfast, celery and hummus for a snack, and sautéed ground turkey with vegetables for dinner.”
It must be taken into account that when you begin a sugar-free dietyou may lack energy. This is mainly due to the reduction in carbohydrate intake. To avoid this, Nana advises getting plenty of sleep, as sleep has a lot to do with blood sugar management, whether you consume sugar or not. Studies show that if you don’t get enough sleep, your body will have trouble processing glucose. “After the first week without sugar, I noticed that my energy levels improved. Cutting out sugar actually helped me feel more energetic. I didn’t feel like I needed a nap after eating. I just felt more balanced and had the energy to continue.”
After 15 days, the former Miss USA began to feel the benefits: “ My skin was brighter. I felt full of energy. My digestion had improved, my inflammation was down. And I had lost a lot of weight around my waist“.
Nana would like to point out that this treatment did not hinder her social life: “I still had to go out and be with my friends, but I just cut out things like sweet cocktails and opted for dry wine instead“.
At the end of her diet, Nana also stopped consuming foods based on simple refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, white bread, white rice, pastries, etc. After her detox treatment, the former Miss USA claims to have adopted new eating habits in her daily life: ” My 30 days without sugar helped me get used to choosing less sugary foods. For example, now I no longer systematically eat dessert, whereas before I thought it was normal and that I deserved it. “.
Why stopping overconsumption of sugar is important for our health?
Sugar consumption is the cause of many chronic diseases such as diabetes, and promotes obesity and hypertension. It is therefore necessary to reduce consumption. We find some sugar added everywhere: 80% of industrial products contain iteven those relating to savory preparations such as cold meats, prepared meals, industrial bread, industrial soups, sauces, etc.
What are the effects of sugar on our body?
Sugar can be addictive, the more you eat, the more you want it. It causes our energy to fluctuate wildly as well as our hormones. You should know that excess sugar turns into fat in our body.
What are the effects on the body of stopping sugar?
Stopping sugar can create side effects, as with withdrawal from any addictive substance.. The effects appear between 5 and 20 days and the main symptoms are headaches or migraines, drop in blood pressure and severe irritability. These ailments are due to lack of sugar and it is very important to hold on at this time, because after this period we will be weaned from sugar. Most people who quit sugar go through these ailments.
Sources: