Sugar Detox - Week 2 and Amelia Freer

Actually week 2.5/3? Wow - it gets SO much easier. Seriously. No cravings, no cheating. Any kind of craving - gone.

Since my last update I've (TMI klaxon) had a period, my first without any chocolate or fizzy drinks, probably in 30+ years - and yesterday I had a rogue bug that included vomiting and dehydration - for which I did have a can of coke at tea time - and it settled my stomach perfectly. I could've lied, but I've spoken to so many of you recently that are in your own sugar detoxes and I'd feel like a complete fraud by pretending otherwise. BUT - it tasted really sweet and certainly didn't trigger any 'cravings'. I'm rather chuffed to be honest.
I'm pretty much aware of the sugar content in everything now, and it has stopped me mindlessly picking up food that I would previously have just bought and eaten. I've cut back on fruit - which was my personal addiction, and am now choosing fruits lower in sugar. I will never give up fruit, it's too good. And in the right picks, good for you.

The key for me has been attacking one thing at a time - a tip I picked up from this book.....

Fortunately, I managed to get my hands on Amelia Freer's book before Sam Smith posted his picture on Instagram and sold it out worldwide (it's back now) - but I understand the phenomenon. It's simple, easy to read, sensible and doesn't use the word 'diet'.

If you are at all interested in nutrition, check it out here. It's not faddy, it's sensible nutrition advice.

Those of you doing your own sugar detoxes, how are you getting on?

Sugar Detox - Week 1

How's it going? Have any of you achieved any success on the sugar front?

Personally, I'm going stage by stage. Maybe the word 'detox' isn't entirely appropriate?! 

For my first week I decided to give up sauces. Ketchup, brown sauce, some hot sauces. Not all thank god...and I kept mayo in moderation. I know mayo isn't loaded with sugar but it is overloaded with fat so I didn't want to go crazy and be all 'ooh I can have ALLTHEMAYO.'

It was easy. Much easier than I expected to be honest. I know. This from the northerner. Mind-boggling.

This week its chocolate. Chocolate is out the window. I wouldn't normally worry about this at all but (TMI klaxon) my period is due any second now and this usually brings with it the desire for a Reese's Nutrageous and a can of Coke. I'm not looking forward to it but I'm determined. 

I bought the obvious book - 

but unless you really want to bake alternatives to sugar-laden goods it's not ground-breaking to be honest, although it's on offer from Amazon at the moment for a steal if you are a baker.

 I'm just enjoying trying to avoid it. Treating it as a sport rather than a punishment. :)

Always open to your tips!

The Sarah Wilson book is here for £4.99.

SUGAR. The Devil tempting you in a red velvet dress.

One of my creations, earlier today, whilst intact.

'Oh I don't have a sweet tooth. I'm a savoury girl.' Yeah right. I mean, I am a savoury girl, given the choice at restaurants I'll always go starter over dessert. There's no competition. But I've been working hard and slacking lately and reaching for the quick sugar fix and and and...

Here we are, almost in Spring and I am feeling a tad 'bleurgh'. So my thinking is: would any of you like to join me on a sugar detox? I use the word 'detox' in its correct form, I'm not suggesting my body is not capable of keeping itself 'cleansed', but it stands to reason that it would just have a much easier time of it if I stopped putting crap into it.

Don't worry. I'm not about to start posting pictures of kale and saying 'Ooh scrummy!' (if you ever hear me use the word 'scrummy', please smack me around the head anyway), but I am vowing to steer clear of well, things that my children can eat on occasion that I really have no business eating - at all. Ever. Mindless eating. Isn't it strange that you can be very 'mindful' in your day-to-day lifestyle, business practices, parenting - pretty much anything, but very quickly revert to being brain dead when it comes to just eating nonsense? Or badly, let's call a spade a spade, eating badly.

Like I said, I won't be evangelical and preachy, but I usually find if I say I'm going to do something, I am always more inclined to follow through if people (family - especially the kids) are watching me.

Have any of you given sugar the old heave-ho lately? If not for health, let's do it for our skin. ;)

Who's in?

Cheat Sheet - Anti-ageing

Anti-ageing.

We're all so used to this phrase that we don't even question it. If a product says it is anti-ageing on the box then it must be - right?

WRONG.

If ever a phrase has been overused it is this one. There are few ingredients that are indeed anti-ageing.
Although to be fair some should be called 'ageing prevention' as they don't reverse signs of ageing - they just slow them down or prevent them from getting worse.

Before we get on to the ingredients a reminder from your friendly nag about the 3 worst things you can do for your skin.

Sun, Sugar and Smoking

Sun - get a little - not a lot. Be sensible.

Sugar - probably one of the best (and hardest) things you can do for yourself, your health and your skin is to cut out sugar.
In a nutshell - sugar destroys your collagen - think of collagen as scaffolding for your face. Every time you eat/drink sugar it is like taking a piece of the scaffolding away - saggy baggy and drawn. Enjoy that cola won't you. And I'm not preaching here - I struggle every day with leaving sugar alone!

Smoking - No need to go into detail. I could not possibly be more anti-smoking. I was once able to tell a client how she blew her smoke out of her mouth (straight up her face from her bottom lip) because of the condition of her skin in that area.
Smoking leaches the oxygen out of your face with every puff. Smokers have grey skin. Yes. Grey. If you smoke - get help and stop - as soon as you can.

So - digression over. The next time you pick up a product that claims to be anti-ageing what you need to look out for is one of these:

• SPF      
  SPF is anti-ageing. Proven, undoubtedly, unequivocally. Although if you're younger you could argue that it belongs in the 'prevention' category. It doesn't fix what has been done. That is the job of:
• Vitamin A   
  Vitamin A is the only other ingredient along with SPF that the FDA will legally let you claim to be anti-ageing in the USA. Vitamin A reverses the signs of ageing. Rebuilds collagen, repairs sun damage and is an all round good egg. There are varying degrees of vitamin A - if you have previously used a product with vitamin A in it and reacted badly - it may just be that you haven't found the right one for you yet.
• Glycolic/Lactic/Salicylic Acids   
  Acids used in the right way can be beneficial to the skin - when applied as topical exfoliants they resurface the epidermis allowing better product penetration and in the case of some well formulated AHA's - help rebuild collagen.
  Glycolic and Lactic are better for a dryer skin - Salicylic for oily/combination. Don't go too strong straight away and don't go mad. Less is sometimes more. 
• Vitamins C and E
  These two work well together as vitamin C is traditionally water-based (newer formulas include oil-based vitamin C) and vitamin E is oil based thus protecting both parts of the cell. Both are anti-oxidants and so in the 'prevention' category.
• Niacinamide
  Newer than the others, this is vitamin B3 by another name. When used on the skin it has shown to stimulate the dermis and in turn increase the fatty content of the cells along with aiding in the retention of water. As it is shown to enhance barrier function of the epidermis it has had good results with acne sufferers by protectng against bacterial attack.

Honestly?

That's about it.

Other ingredients may be and are beneficial to the skin in other ways - but if anti-ageing is the aim - you need some of these in your product - not all at once - let's not give the epidermis a heart attack.

And what age to start using anti-ageing?

I'm 'nutshelling' again but here goes:

SPF - from birth - no brainer. But please don't cover your babies in SPF50 until they are white. They need SOME sun.

Vitamin A - 30+ depending on lifestyle - if you're a sun worshipper start earlier.

Glycolic/Lactic/Salicylic - again depends on lifestyle and skin type. If you have acne you can use Salicylic topically from a fairly early age. The other two can be introduced 25+.

Vitamins C and E - from the word go. As soon as you start your skincare routine choose something with these in. Good move.

Niacinamide - 25+ ish again depending on lifestyle and skin. Acne? Crack on.

The basic thing to remember with anti-ageing is that our collagen production is linked directly to our ovaries.
When we are at our most fertile our skin is is usually at its height. As you near menopause and go through peri-menopause you will notice huge changes in your entire system, not just your skin. Hitting menopause has a direct link to your collagen, its a bit like someone takes away a little of the scaffolding that supports your facial structure with each passing year.

So start taking care of your skin when you get your periods - and step it up a notch when you get to 35+ (before if you go into early menopause or have a full hysterectomy).

And when you DO start using these products - all of them but especially the Vitamin A - DO NOT FORGET YOUR SPF.
During winter I get my SPF from my foundation, but I live in the northern hemisphere and work predominantly indoors. Once the sun is out its time for a dedicated SPF on top of your moisturiser and underneath your foundation. More of which here: www.carolinehirons.com/spf-cheat-sheet

And if you DO smoke? Scrap all that advice and use all of the above - now.