Posted By Discussion Topic: Sugar   oCanada 05-17-2010 @ 11:28 AM                           reply Member Joined: Jan 2010 My post about Percy Pigs from Marks and Spencers reminded me of something I read yesterday about sugar being a real evil enemy when it comes to ageing. Sugar speeds up the degradation of collagen and elastin, the things that make skin look plump and unlined. So chocolate gives you wrinkles. But then I also read that a little dark chocolate is good for you?!? But if we ditch sugar from our diet completely, in our 20s and 30s, in our 40s we'll have the same young body and glowing complexion. No need for a facelift. I dont put sugar in my tea, and only occasionally give in to percy pigs (and tangfastics!) and i never really eat cake. But I love fruit! And thats sugar! And apparently caramelising food too - like roasting a chicken, bbquing or griddling meat - that's a no no too! But drinking white tea and green tea helps neutralise the damage. (urgh - I hate green tea!! Why does it have to be good for you?!?) And I think I might try this Master Cleanse that I found... For 30 days you should cut out all sugars, including honey, maple syrup, fructose and artificial sweeteners because they'll keep your cravings going. You also need to eliminate wheat, which releases sugar during digestion, all dairy, most fruit, grains with gluten, yeast and any foods high on the glycemic index - that indicates they're full of sugar or that it is a by-product of breaking them down in the stomach. Really, you just have to cut out any food or drinks that contain sugar, including hidden ones, such as those in alcohol. You can eat almost all types of protein, such as chicken, fish and shellfish; non-roasted nuts and seeds; non-gluten grains such as millet and spelt; nonstarchy vegetables, such as broccoli; and gluten- free bread and cereals. Brown rice, rice milk, blueberries and green apples have low glycemic indexes, so they're fine. I just had crunchy nut corn flakes and a banana for breakfast, so the cleanse will have to start from this afternoon! Isabella1@ 05-19-2010 @ 10:51 AM                           reply Member Joined: Oct 2009 I think that 30 days is a really difficult amount of time to 'cut stuff out' it takes really strong control to not give in. I have to say i did a 5 day detox where i had nothing but different juices (have had a juicer for over 10 years) and i drank nothing but this all week and my stomach was the flattest i had seen it in years!  Every morning I woke up feeling amazing, the whites of my eyes were so white, my energy levels really increased! I would recommend this to anyone! Issy x    daisy52 05-20-2010 @ 1:14 PM                           reply Member Joined: Jan 2010 juicing things is sooo gd for you. i know someone whogot cancer to go into remmision by lving on a really healthy diet with lots of juicing and no sugar. i think i remember ihm saying that sugar really feeds cancer. he wasnt expected to live,s o i think his eating and drinking plan made a massiv difference. WhittleAway 05-22-2010 @ 10:57 PM                           reply Member Joined: Jan 2010 Since I've been on such a low fat diet, I've also been keeping my sugar intake low. And I must say I do have a brighter complexion because of it. But this could also have something to do with all the vegetables that I'm feeding myself to stay full! Isabella1@ 05-24-2010 @ 8:23 AM                           reply Member Joined: Oct 2009 Also if you up your intake of water/with some lemon it purifies too so your skin will glow and you will clense from the inside out! xx    WhittleAway 05-24-2010 @ 11:22 AM                           reply Member Joined: Jan 2010 Funnily enough, there was a piece in the paper at the weekend that said a suntan won’t make you as popular with the opposite sex, as a healthy glow which a fruit and vegetable diet gives you. When people were asked who looked healthier they said the pictures of those without a suntan, who ate lots of healthy fruit and veg. It said the top fruits for skin care include melons, apricots, and grapefruit while the best veggies are peppers, chillies and spinach. As I said before, I've definitely noticed my skin looking better in recent months, and friends have commented on it too!