Simulation shows exactly what happens to your body when you stop eating sugar for two weeks
Think you can stay off the chocolate, pastries and fizzy drinks for an entire fortnight? If so, you'll quickly notice major changes in your body as it's forced to start breaking down fat for energy.
Overindulging in the sweet stuff can cause weight gain, which in turn can lead to cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It also has negative impacts on our teeth - dentists are not conniving liars, after all.
But not all sugars are bad for us. The organic sugars found within milk, fruit and vegetables cannot be conflated with the 'free sugars' most people can't get enough of, the ones literally added to food and drink.
The NHS strictly encourages the nation not to 'cut down on these sugars' consumed through natural sources.
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But what if you stuck to a fortnight of pure sugarless hell? Here's what would happen to your body:
Days one and two
A simulation from GrowFit Health (not a professional medical outlet, we should point out) breaks down the changes in the body over time without sugar.
And in the first two days it says your 'blood sugars starts to stabilise', and making you experience 'lesser energy crashes or sudden spikes'.
"Your body starts tapping into stored fat for energy," it adds.
Days three to six
You might find yourself craving sugar the longer you go, but experts say that if you manage to resist, then those cravings will get weaker and eventually disappear.
Healthline writes that you could experience low mood due to reduced dopamine release, anxiety, changes in sleep patterns, difficulty concentrating and cravings for carbs on top of sugary foods.
You could also be hit with headaches, lightheadedness, nausea and fatigue - that's why it can be helpful for some people to gradually cut sugar out rather than going cold turkey.
"[These symptoms are] because your body is detoxifying and adjusting and these symptoms will pass," the simulation reveals.
Days seven to nine
By this point, your taste buds undergo 'a reset'.
"Your palate becomes sensitive to subtle flavours," the narrator continues, "and you'll find fruits tasting extra sweet."
Journalist Kimberly Holland wrote for Eating Well that after cutting out sugar, she found wine 'tasted closer to cotton candy than pinot noir', while a chocolate chip cookie was so 'cloying' she couldn't even eat half of it.
Days 10 to 14
Approaching the end of the two weeks, the simulation claims your energy 'shoots up' and you'll notice there won't be any 'sugar crashes'.
"Just steady, clean fuel as your body becomes more efficient at burning fats for your fuel," it concludes.
How much sugar is too much for adults?
If you want to go about actioning dietary changes like this one, it's recommended to check out professional health advice first.
The UK government says that free sugars shouldn't make up more than five percent of the energy you get from food and drink each day.
So, the NHS says adults shouldn't have more than 30g of free sugars a day, which is roughly equivalent to seven sugar cubes.
If you do plan to cut out those 'free sugars', it might be smarter to take things slow and have lower amounts of sugar before a complete wipe.
Topics: Food And Drink, Health, Science
Dan Seddon