TL;DR: I did a sugar detox a few months ago and actually didn’t hate it. I’m doing it again because I didn’t hate it, and you can sign up for free right now, and add supplemental collagen products here so you can have mermaid hair like me…read on!
A few months ago, my husband and I visited his family up in Wyoming. My sister-in-law has always had the prettiest red hair, but this time, wow – I was walking behind her and had to do a double take at how long it was, well past the middle of her back.
The mermaid hair we all dream about! 🧜♀️
And it looked so healthy, too. I immediately complimented her, and then asked her what she was doing for it. She said thanks, she was happy with it too, and the only thing she could think of that she had added or changed in the last year was collagen.
Ah ha!
We talked for a little while longer about how we had always heard about taking collagen, but who really knows with supplements. Plus, it can be really expensive. I said I had thought about it a while back, but never went ahead and tried anything. She said the same until it was recommended by her naturopath. It got me thinking about it again, and honestly, the hair sold me.
And thus started my journey with Further Foods.
And…a 10-day sugar detox.
This was in September. And I spent all of 2021 authentically, finally, practicing Intuitive Eating. Not intuitive eating, like, oh yeah, I totally eat what I want! But I just really love salads! Not the kind of intuitive eating a bunch of health and wellness gurus talk about, don’t even know what they’re saying, and actually end up confusing the issue and just giving people more diet pressure and rules.
No, I’m talking full-on, learn your body, listen to your body, eat what it needs – and wants. So, basically, there were many bags of Cherry Nibs, plenty of PB pretzel bites, so many cookies and cakes, and zero guilt or weird feelings about that. It was actually a wonderful experience of fully letting go of any kind of restrictive eating, and I’ve never felt better.
But.
Part of that process is – again – listening to your body. And since I had been practicing, I was a bit better attuned to what I would describe as a feeling of coming to my limits. Which is actually something a lot of folks who learn about Intuitive Eating get scared about: won’t I just eat pizza and cake forever? Well, in my experience? No. My body was telling me it was ready to settle down a little bit.
And so, perfect timing for this trip and this conversation about collagen, which led me to Further Foods, which led me to the option to bundle my purchase into the Supreme Bundle.
I rolled my eyes a little bit at the time, because really, I just wanted a little discount on multiple products. But it came with this 10-day Sugar Detox Challenge situation – daily emails, a robust workbook full of info, ideas, the whole 10-day plan, a journal, and recipes – and I just said, fine. I’m not getting this for the detox thing, and I’ll decide if I want to do it or just add a scoop of daily collagen when it arrives.
Honestly, the whole idea gets my hackles up a little bit.
I’ve spent the last five years of my career arguing with people that sugar is not evil. Sugar is not the fucking devil (are you kidding me?). Sugar is not an addiction (this one really gets me). And whatever other bullshit the media, mainstream healthcare (are you still taking nutrition advice from your GP? Stop that.), toxic diet culture, and your mom’s friend who watches Dr. Oz religiously have to say about it. The reality is that the research is out there all across the board, and the application of it is super nuanced for every individual body.
For me, sugar isn’t really much of a problem. I’ve become attuned to my body and how it changes and feels when I change things. And I certainly do not believe in demonizing any types or groups of foods. You get to choose. But still, the bundle arrived and I got curious.
We’re allowed to change our minds.
I downloaded the whole booklet and read it from start to finish. And then, like the Elder Millennial dork that I am, I printed and bound it. Because sure enough, I found that I wanted to experiment with this “sugar detox.” Because you know what? The language wasn’t harsh or absolute or unrealistic. And the way this program was structured, it hardly felt like this big, horrible, restrictive, painful thing where you can’t eat anything at all and have to read every detail of every damn label you try to buy, white knuckle it for *ahem* 30 days, then try to figure out what it all means at the end. No, this was basically just…not adding sugar to your food for a mere 10 days.
So, I chose a date to start, and I dove in. I made some of the meals in the recipe book ahead of time. I also made an amazing batch of hummus, which is now a weekly staple for me. I bought extra veggies and fruits for snacks. Pretty simple stuff.
And here’s what happened on my 10-Day Sugar Detox: I didn’t die. And I didn’t hate myself. And I didn’t become an anti-sugar evangelist.
I also didn’t have this huge, incredible, world-changing transformation in mind and body. I just kind of reset a little bit and ate a ton more plants and a little less processed snack food. It was lovely.
I’ll say that I, personally, didn’t have any huge results like more energy or better sleep or a big weight loss or skin changes or whatever else people talk about with this stuff. Probably mostly because I have a good baseline that I started from. I think it can absolutely happen, as again, each individual body responds differently to each stimulus or lack thereof.
But too, the way it was set up, I was also pleasantly surprised I didn’t experience any major cravings either. I mean, I was hungry, but I expected that, and I think it’s good sometimes to physically feel your hunger and mentally decide what to do with it. The only thing I really hated was drinking lemon turmeric water first thing in the morning. Gross. Seriously.
Anyway, the 10 days was up in a flash, and then I went for ice cream with my husband. No big deal, right back into Intuitive Eating mode and Dot’s Pretzels (thanks to my sister-in-law for that habit too *shakes fist*), but with more veggies and plant protein.
Fast forward a few months, and here I am on Day 6 again. Which, I kind of can’t believe I’m already more than halfway through – that’s how easy and smooth this exercise is.
And that’s why I’m doing it again and inviting you into it too.
Listen, you know I don’t sell snake oil, never have. And I never, ever suggest something I don’t back myself, haven’t thoroughly checked out from all angles. I’ve done all that, from the idea to the process to the brand (woman owned!), and this is a great option, if you happen to be looking for one. Just a general, whew, I need a reset, but I don’t want it to totally suck or last forever. This is the jam.
Further Foods is offering the 10-Day Sugar Detox Challenge for free if you sign up by the end of the day today. So you can at least get access to the fancy plan and recipe book if you sign up, and it’s a pretty solid resource to have around. If you want to get mermaid hair, you do have to purchase the collagen or a bundle (they even have vegan!) separately, and you can do that here. Don’t forget to use code KTCOACH15 for 15% off! (And if you can’t sign up by 1/8, you can still get the program if you purchase the bundle.)
🧜♀️ On the mermaid front: I’ve kept up my daily collagen since September, and I’m happy to report that indeed, I am impressed with my hair growth and health. Sometimes, small changes can go a long way.
That said, hey, please remember that small changes are always the way to go. We’re one week into a new year, and it’s possible you’ve set yourself a lofty goal, committed to an aggressive challenge, something of the like. Keep in mind that that’s not the kind of stuff that’ll change your life. It’s the small, gradual, accumulative steps that really make it happen.
One thing, one day at a time, OK?
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