14-Day Sugar Control Detox -Introduction

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Congratulations!

Congratulations on taking this important step in reclaiming your relationship with your weight, your food, and most

importantly – yourself!

The 14-Day Sugar Control Detox is a great way to kick your bad habits, flush out your system, and quickly reset your

body to a new tempo. Don’t worry… you’ll still be able to eat. In fact, you’ll be eating loads of delicious, nourishing foods.

They just might be different foods than what you’re eating now.

And it’s only two weeks. You can do anything for two weeks, right?

Why start here? The two week sugar cleanse is an excellent way to re-calibrate your body’s blood sugar handling system, giving you

sustained energy, eliminating cravings, and kick-starting your new relationship with food. And did I forget to mention

weight loss? It’s one of the most effective ways to shed those unwanted pounds and set you on the right track for

continued weight loss.

Consider the following:

Do you have a few (or more) extra pounds you simply can’t seem to shed?

Do you have energy spikes and crashes at regular intervals throughout the day?

Do you feel sleepy after eating?

Do you crave sweets after a meal?

Do you reach for that mid-morning or mid-afternoon coffee, soda, or chocolate bar to help you through the day?

Do any of these factors contribute to unhealthy eating habits you have?

If you answered yes to any of these questions (and most of us do), then you’ll love the results of this two-week sugar

detox.

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 1

What’s happening in my blood and how does it affect my waistline? Blood sugar regulation is one of your body’s topmost priorities. Your body will go to great lengths to ensure there isn’t too

much or too little sugar in your blood at any one time.

This is what healthy blood sugar handling looks like:

Insulin!

Excess blood glucose stored "in muscles/liver as glycogen!

Glucagon!Stored glycogen mobilized back "into blood as glucose!

Upper "limit!

Lower"limit!

Blo

od

Glu

co

se!

This first scenario occurs when you eat a nice, balanced meal. Your blood sugar levels (or blood glucose, as it’s officially

called) start to rise gradually. As they approach the upper limit, your pancreas secretes insulin, a hormone that tells your

body to store any extra blood sugar (glucose) as glycogen in your muscles and liver. As you go through your day and use

energy, your blood sugar levels start to drop. When they approach the lower limit, your pancreas secretes glucagon, a

hormone that tells your body to release those glycogen stores back into your blood as glucose. This keeps you going

with some good energy until you have your next meal, and the cycle repeats.

This cycle is very smooth and even. You store excess glucose as glycogen, then you mobilize it back into your blood

when you need it. Your blood sugar levels never stray outside of the optimal range, which means this is very gentle on

your body.

In this scenario you don’t notice much change in your energy levels or mood. You just feel good. You have nice

consistent energy, it’s not an emergency situation if a meal is a little delayed, and you don’t experience any crazy highs or

lows. You just feel good.

Unfortunately, not a lot of people feel this way. Poor blood sugar handling is much more common, and looks like this:

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 2

Insulin!

Excess blood glucose stored in muscles"& liver as glycogen, the rest as fat!

Glucagon can’t mobilize glycogen quickly enough!= state of emergency for your body !

Upper "limit!

Lower"limit!

Blo

od

Glu

co

se!

-! Crave sugar (spike back up) "- Adrenals fire (cortisol)!

-! Caffeine!

= storing fat!

= not mobilizing fat & !putting body in biochemical!

state to store more fat !

This second scenario is far more common and occurs when you consume a meal dominated by starch or sugar. In this

case, your blood sugar levels spike too quickly, putting your glucose levels well above your body’s upper limit. Your

pancreas now needs to secrete significant amounts of the hormone insulin to get all that extra sugar out of your blood.

Some of this is stored as glycogen, but much of it is stored as fat. Furthermore, with all that insulin in your blood, now

blood sugar levels drop too quickly and send the body into an opposite state of emergency: low blood sugar.

When your blood sugar levels get too low, the hormone glucagon simply can’t mobilize glycogen back into your blood as

glucose quickly enough to get you out of the state of emergency. As a result, one or more of the following happens:

1. You crave sugar. This is a natural and fully appropriate response by the body in its attempt to quickly raise blood

sugar levels. Unfortunately, eating more sugar will send you right back into another sugar spike, and the cycle

repeats.

2. Your adrenal glands fire. Your body is in a state of emergency and your adrenals secrete the stress hormone

cortisol to get you through this emergency. Cortisol isn’t mobilizing any of that fat, though. In fact, cortisol is a fat

storage hormone.

3. You reach for some caffeine. Our adrenal glands get used constantly, and rarely get time to recover. When we

constantly use our adrenals without enough recovery time in between, they get tired, which leads to a condition

called adrenal fatigue. Ingesting some caffeine essentially forces these tired adrenals to fire, giving us an energy

boost in the short term, but exacerbating the problem in the long term.

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 3

Often, we’ll reach for both something sweet and something caffeinated - the mid-afternoon coffee with a sweet treat is a

classic example of this. And of course, it just sends us right back into the same cycle all over again. We’re all familiar with

what this feels like: it’s the sugar high and sugar crash that can so easily dominate our entire energy pattern. In this

scenario, we have short bursts of energy followed by intense lows that are terribly difficult to move through without help.

We’ll crave a sweet at the end of a meal, or need to eat every couple of hours to prevent another emergency low blood

sugar situation.

Clearly this scenario is very stressful for the body as it’s constantly far out of the optimal range. Furthermore, it’s in a

constant state of fat storage: the excess glucose is stored as fat, and then not only is that fat not mobilized to get you

through the energy crash, but your body is in a further state of fat storage with the release of cortisol. The longer this

cycle continues, the more fat your body will store.

Sugar Control Detox to the Rescue!The 14-Day Sugar Control Detox is an incredibly effective way to break this cycle quickly and powerfully. For 14 days, we

take anything and everything that could possibly lead to a sugar spike out of your diet. Yes, even those things that have

nutritional benefit. This eliminates the sugar spike, which eliminates the sugar crash and essentially forces your body into

the nice, even sugar handling pattern we see in the first scenario above. Think of it as a chiropractic adjustment for your

blood sugar handling.

By eliminating the sugar spike and crash, we’ve stopped that endless fat storage cycle and evened out your energy

highs and lows. We’ve also reminded your body that fat is an important source of fuel. We have two main energy

sources: carbohydrates and fats. If you think of your metabolism as the equivalent of burning a fire, the carbohydrates

are like the kindling, and the fats are like the logs. You’d never stoke a fire all day long using only kindling because it

would burn hot, then die out, burn hot, then die out, and you’d need to be constantly fueling it all day long. Sound

familiar? This is the very same energy pattern that so many are experiencing due to poor sugar handling. In these two

weeks, we’re removing the fastest burning kindling - the sugars and starches - and thus forcing the body to burn that fat

as fuel, rather than just endlessly storing it. This is what gives us that nice, long-burning, consistent energy we all want so

badly.

To do this, we remove anything and everything that could possibly lead to a sugar or insulin spike.

What’s OUT for the 14-days? • All sugar, sweeteners, and sugar substitutes, even the ‘natural’ ones.

Let’s face it: sugar is sugar. Whether it’s raw honey loaded with enzymes or high fructose corn syrup, it’s still creating

this pattern of sugar spike and crash in our blood. For these two weeks, all of it is out. Even the non-caloric sugar

substitutes, no matter how natural they may be. Why? Because having the taste of something sweet on your tongue is

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 4

not helping us to re-calibrate your taste buds. Also, there is some evidence that even the taste of sweet, no matter

how non-caloric or low-glycemic, causes a spike in insulin even in the absence of a spike in blood sugar. Let’s not take

any chances and keep it out.

• All grains, even whole, gluten-free grains.

This means no bread, cereals, pasta, rice, crackers, or even quinoa. Grains are a starch, and starches break down

very quickly into blood glucose, creating that very same sugar spike we are avoiding in these two weeks. Yes, even

whole grains with all that fiber break down into blood sugar quickly.

• Most fruit, with some minor exceptions.

Fruit, no matter how nutritious, is loaded with fructose and breaks down into sugar in your blood very quickly. For

these two weeks, you’re going to eliminate all fruit except one small serving of low-glycemic fruit such as a handful of

berries or half a green apple. If you do enjoy one of these low-glycemic fruits, you’ll enjoy it with something fatty such

as raw nuts or nut butter. The fat slows down the absorption of sugar into your blood, preventing that spike we’re

trying to avoid. A squeeze of lemon or lime into your water is fine, but all other fruits are off limits for these two weeks.

Also, while produce such as avocados and tomatoes are technically fruit, they are fine to eat in abundance.

• Starchy vegetables such as potatoes (all types), and cooked carrots and beets.

Vegetables will form a large part of what you’re eating over the next two weeks with a few notable exceptions: starchy

vegetables such as potatoes (including sweet potatoes and yams) and cooked carrots and beets (eaten raw, these are

fine). You’ll also want to be careful with some vegetables that are borderline starchy: winter squash and corn for

example. These are fine eaten whole and in moderation (i.e., no corn tamales or tortillas), but do make sure to keep

portion sizes small.

• Alcohol.

Yup, these are going to be a dry two weeks. Alcohol (all alcohol) is just another form of sugar. Enough said.

• Dairy.

Dairy doesn’t create a spike in blood sugar (especially full-fat dairy), but it is “insulinemic”, which essentially means that

it causes a spike in insulin even in the absence of a spike in glucose. We want to avoid any spikes of sugar and/or

insulin, so we’ll cut it out for these two weeks. Furthermore, dairy (especially pasteurized, unfermented dairy) is one of

the top food sensitivities, so by cutting it out, we can use these two weeks as an elimination diet and see if you’re

sensitive to it when we reintegrate back after the cleanse.

• Unfermented soy.

Of all beans, soy is the most difficult to digest, and is essentially undigestible unless it’s consumed in one of its

fermented forms: as miso, tamari or shoyu soy sauce (ideally gluten-free), tempeh, and natto. Any other form of soy -

including soy milks, tofu, and any soy components found in so many processed food items - are extremely hard on the

digestive system. Other than very small servings of fermented soy, it’s out for these two weeks.

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 5

What’s IN for the 14 days? You might be wondering with all that we’ve taken out of the diet, what on earth is left to eat? Lots. You’ll be enjoying:

• Loads of fresh vegetables.

Vegetables will make up a significant portion of what you eat over the 14 days. They are the cleansing element of this

program. With the exception of the starchy vegetables noted above, you can go crazy here. Eat as many vegetables

as you like prepared in any way other than deep-fried or juiced (juicing removes the fiber and leaves you with too many

easily-digested sugars that can lead to a spike in blood glucose). You can eat them raw, lightly steamed, lightly

sautéed, or even roasted. It’s hard to overdo it. Mix it up! Take the opportunity to experiment with veggies you might

not have tried or even heard of. Our meal plan recommends some interesting uses of vegetables to give you a little

inspiration.

• Healthy proteins.

Protein forms a vital part of this cleanse and you’ll want to make sure you have at least some protein with every meal.

When we say “healthy” proteins, we’re talking about both quality and the source of the protein. For example: eggs and

meat from chickens that were pastured (or, at the very least, organic and free range); beef from cows raised on grass

(or, at the very least, organic); wild fish; and so on. Not only is this protein you can feel good about eating from an

ethical and environmental perspective, it’s nutritionally far superior. You don’t need to eat a lot of it - but you do need to

eat some at each main meal.

• Healthy fats.

Fat is a vitally important nutrient that you’ll want to incorporate into every meal and snack during these two weeks. It

has been falsely demonized by so much of the health and wellness industry. Fat is in every cell membrane, it allows for

the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), it’s required for the proper digestion of protein, it’s

a precursor for our hormones, it helps regulate inflammation, and very importantly, it provides that steady, slow-burning

fuel that keeps us going between meals. Eating fat does not lead to the bodily condition of being fat. It is critical that

you understand this, so I’ll repeat it: eating fat does not lead to the bodily condition of being fat. Eating sugar leads to

the bodily condition of being fat for the reasons explained above. Interestingly, consuming fat also triggers the body’s

satiation mechanism, meaning it’s the thing that makes you feel full, and feeling full helps you avoid overeating. Now,

not all fat is created equal, and so let’s define what is a “healthy fat”.

This is an enormous topic and one that could easily (and has) take up its own book. (I recommend reading the “Naked

Fats” chapter in my book Eat Naked if this topic interests you.) The health of a fat is not about its molecular structure.

In other words, it’s not whether that a fat is saturated or unsaturated that makes it healthy or not. Both types of fat are

equally important and play different roles in your body. The health of a fat is in its quality and how you use it. Toxins

tend to accumulate in fat, so you want to make sure that the fats you eat are organic and if they come from an animal,

that animal was raised in a healthy, appropriate environment (e.g., butter from grass-fed cows raised on pasture is

nutritionally far superior to butter from feedlot-raised cows fed genetically modified corn and soy).

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 6

How you use the fat is important, too: saturated fats such as coconut oil, butter, and ghee are far more stable and thus

appropriate for cooking. Unsaturated fats such as extra virgin olive oil or nut/seed oils are much less stable, and thus

are appropriate for use on food after it’s been cooked. We have included a list of fats that are in and out, and how best

to use them over the 14 days in the food list below.

• Beans, nuts, and seeds.

You can supplement your meals with some cooked beans and raw nuts and seeds. Beans are a little starchy, but they

don’t convert to glucose in your blood as quickly as the other things we’ve removed. They make a nice filler as they

provide that starchy feeling without the corresponding sugar spike. Raw nuts and seeds are also a great supplement

to meals providing a little extra fat and protein, and they make an excellent snack especially when accompanying some

low glycemic fruit.

• Lots of water and herbal teas.

For beverages over the course of these two weeks, you’re going to be drinking primarily water and herbal teas.

Hydration is vitally important and we recommend you drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily. For

example, if you weigh 180lbs, you’ll want to drink at least 90oz of water every day. That’s probably a lot more water

than you’re currently drinking. Proper hydration is required for the function of every cell in your body and to flush out

any toxins that are mobilized during this cleanse, and you’ll feel loads better if you stay hydrated during these two

weeks.

If this sounds overwhelming, never fear. We have a comprehensive food list on the following page, and we’ve included a

full two-week meal plan in a separate document along with its own grocery list to make things easier for you. Eating

without starch takes a little getting used to, but you’ll find that it’s different, but not overly difficult. And we’ve given you

lots of tools to take out as much of the thinking as possible.

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 7

Sugar Control Foods List

What’s In What’s Out

High Quality Protein – Your foundationEach meal should include a minimum of 4 to 6 ounces of

high quality protein. Eat as much as you desire. Meat,

poultry, fish, and eggs are unlimited. Here are some

guidelines for how to pick quality proteins:

Beef or other red meats (lamb, buffalo, etc):

Best: organic, grass-fed (aka “pastured”), free range

meats. These are naturally leaner, higher quality and much

more nutritional.

Good: organic, grain-fed meats. Slightly fattier, but still

organic.

Avoid: Conventional meats.

Poultry:

Best: Organic, free range poultry. As with beef, these are

naturally leaner, higher quality and much more nutritional.

Good: Organic grain-fed poultry. Slightly fattier because

of lack of access to outdoors and activity, but still organic.

Avoid: Conventional poultry.

Fish:

Best: Wild caught fish. “Wild caught” is the Aquarian

equivalent to “free range”

Good: Wild caught seafood

Avoid: Farmed fish and seafood.

Eggs:

Best: Organic, pastured eggs. These naturally have the

right balance of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, and are far

superior nutritionally to conventional eggs.

Good: Organic eggs. These are next best, as the

chickens have typically a more balanced diet and thus

produce eggs that are nutritionally strong.

Avoid: Conventionally produced eggs

Over-processed, Low Quality Protein Over-processed protein is meat, eggs or fish that have

been modified from their original state. For example liquid

egg products (especially the egg white only versions) and

processed deli meats are both over-processed proteins.

Choose the real thing. Eat whole eggs (yes, even the

yolks), and cook your own meat, slicing it for later use. If

that’s not feasible, then freshly-sliced meat from the deli

counter is your next best bet.

I also recommend you steer clear of protein powders and

bars. First off, it’s almost impossible to find these without

any added sugar or sweetener of some kind. Also, most

are made with either whey (dairy) or unfermented soy

protein and so are on the no-no list. Choose whole, real

foods. The results are worth the extra effort.

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 8

What’s In What’s Out

Vegetables – Go crazy!Eat as many vegetables as you want; you simply can’t eat

too many veggies. Focus on dark leafy greens, as well as

veggies of a variety of bright and rich colors.

Vegetables bring the cleansing element to this two-week

program. Eat some vegetables raw or lightly cooked with

every meal. They should make up 50-75% of your plate

(yes, even at breakfast).

Buying guidelines for produce:

Best: organic, fresh, local, seasonal produce. Your local

farmer’s market is an excellent source.

Next best: local & fresh

Good: organic and fresh or frozen

Worst: canned (one exception: organic canned tomatoes)

Starchy vegetables Starchy vegetables are veggies such as potatoes, yams,

and cooked carrots and beets that convert to sugar faster

and have less fiber than other veggies.

The key with starchy vegetables is the cooking. If you’re

eating them raw, you’re fine (but we don’t normally eat

raw potatoes…) but once you cook them the sugars are

released and more easi ly absorbed into your

bloodstream.

Fats – wholesome, natural fatsBecause you’re not eating starchy carbs, your body is

going to learn how to use fat for energy during this two

week period. That’s a good thing! You need fat to burn

fat, and fat gives you much more sustained energy than

carbohydrates.

Eat plenty of wholesome natural fats with every meal.

You will not increase your results by skipping out on this

piece. In fact, you’ll make the transition harder on your

body and not get the same benefits from the cleanse

without the fats.

Include fats such as:

For cooking: organic butter, coconut oil, ghee, lard

For very low-heat cooking: extra virgin olive oil

For cold dressings and sauces: flax seed oil, hemp

seed oil, sesame seed oil, walnut oil, borage oil

Fats – Artificial fats or oilsNot all fat is created equal. Be sure to avoid all artificial

fats or oils such as margarine, vegetable shortening, and

highly processed vegetable oils such as canola, soy, or

any other hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

Note: most commercially-produced foods such as salad

dressings, sauces, and such, contain overly refined

vegetable oils and/or hydrogenated or partially

hydrogenated oils. Avoid these completely during these

two weeks.

Avoid low-fat and fat-free: while it might seem counter-

intuitive to be consuming fatty foods as you’re looking to

shed pounds, avoid anything low-fat or fat-free. Fats are

actually a very important part of your diet, and it’s the

quality of fat more than the quantity that’s important.

Furthermore, when fat is removed from a food, it doesn’t

taste as good, and sugar is often what’s added in as a

replacement.

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 9

What’s In What’s Out

Fruits – one small daily serving of low-

glycemic fruitOne or two pieces of fruit daily is plenty for normal

physiology; on this diet however, fruit is not

recommended.

That said, one small serving a day of low-glycemic fruits

such as half an apple or a handful of berries can be a

good snack. Make sure to always accompany fruit with

something fatty, such as raw nut butter or raw nuts.

You can always have a squeeze of lemon or lime in water

or on your food. This doesn’t count as ‘fruit’.

Fruit – generally not included for these two

weeksWhile whole fruit is very healthful, it is also high in sugar

(albeit natural sugars) and thus not recommended for this

two-week sugar cleanse.

Any fruit other than those listed in the “What’s In” column

are out. This means no citrus, bananas, melons, papayas,

peaches, dates, plums, etc.

Beans - properly preparedFor the starchy feel you might miss during these two

weeks, we recommend including some properly prepared

beans. While they do contain some starch, they also

contain enough fat and protein to slow down the

absorption of sugar in the blood, and so are a nice option

for these two weeks.

“Properly prepared” means beans that have been properly

soaked and cooked to remove the anti-nutrients which

are responsible for beans’ bad reputation for digestive

disturbance. Canned beans are fine, but do make sure to

rinse them well before using them.

Grains of any kindFor these two weeks, you’ll consume no grains of any

kind. Even the gluten free grains such as quinoa and

millet. For these two weeks, all of them are out.

This means no pasta, bread, rolls, crackers, tortillas, rice,

or any food product with any kind of grain (gluten-free or

not) in it.

Remember: it’s only two weeks!

Nuts – raw, or soaked and dehydrated/

slow roastedRaw nuts and seeds make a nice snack or addition to

meals. They add a nice crunch and a little extra fat.

Raw nuts are fine. Even better are nuts that have been

soaked overnight and either dehydrated or slow roasted.

Here’s an article on the benefits of soaking nuts.

Nuts - Processed or flavoredWhile raw nuts are a delicious and healthful part of this

program, roasted, salted, or otherwise processed or

flavored nuts are not recommended.

14-Day Sugar Control Detox - Introduction 10

What’s In What’s Out

Small serving of fermented soySoy is only digestible to humans in its fermented form:

tempeh, miso, natto, or Tamari or Shoyu soy sauce. Even

edamame is very hard on the digestive system.

For these two weeks, the only form of soy will be

fermented soy, and in very small servings. There is

absolutely no need for soy in these two weeks, so if you

don’t feel compelled to eat it, that’s fine.

Unfermented soy of any typeUnfermented soy is extremely hard on the digestive

system. For this reason, we’re cutting it out completely for

the duration of these two weeks. No soy milk,

conventional soy sauce, tofu, soy protein powders, soy

faux meats or cheese, or any other soy by-products.

Beverages - water & herbal teaFor these two weeks, you’ll only be drinking beverages

without any sugars. Some examples:

Water - Water will form the bulk of what you drink. Strive

to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water

(e.g., if you weigh 150lbs, you want to drink 75oz of

water). To make the water more palatable, add some

fresh squeezed lemon, lime, cucumber, or mint to your

water.

Diluted coconut water - Coconut water is very

hydrating. It also has some sugars in it, so we

recommend you dilute it to a ratio of 50% water, 50%

coconut water, and limit your intake to 8oz of coconut

water daily.

Herbal teas - Herbal teas are very hydrating and can be

considered part of your daily water intake.

Mineral water - Mineral water in moderation (no more

than 8oz per day) is a fine option. Add a squeeze of

lemon or lime.

Coffee and black/green tea - These beverages are

diuretics, so proceed with caution. If you must drink them,

omit all sweeteners and use unsweetened hemp or

almond milk in place of dairy or soy milks.

Beverages - juices, soda, energy drinks,

alcoholAny beverage that isn’t specified in the “What’s In”

column isn’t included in this two-week program. This

includes all juices (even vegetable juices), all soda (even

“diet”), all energy drinks, and all alcohol.

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What’s In What’s Out

You’re sweet enough as it is! :) Sweeteners of any kindNo sweeteners of any kind are allowed for the duration of

these two weeks. Not even the natural ones such as

Stevia, honey, maple syrup, or molasses.

While these sweeteners may not have the same caloric

value as sugar, they have the same negative impact on

your blood sugar handling.

Artificial non-sugar sweeteners are also not included

because they have their own extensive list of health

implications and can actually trigger an insulin response

even in the absence of a blood sugar response.

Overall, we don’t want the taste of sugar on your tongue

at all over these two weeks. This will re-calibrate your

taste buds, one of the important elements to making the

changes on this program sustainable even after you’ve

transitioned back to your new normal.

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