Week #3 is a 7 day SUGAR DETOX! Here are the reasons why you NEED this:

Added sugar is a major contributor to obesity, stroke, diabetes, cancer, disease.
It is 8 times more addictive than cocaine
It makes you fat... it alters your metabolism and gets stored as health destroying belly fat
It causes your blood sugar to rise, causing irritability and depression
It ages you, causing wrinkles, decreasing collagen and elastin
It creates brain fog and long term cognitive decline

If you crave sugar on a regular basis, you are addicted. Here are the steps to detoxing:

Simplify your diet for 7 days, by eating fruits (berries are best), vegetables, and lean protein. You can do anything for 7 days!
Watch out for added sugars in all processed foods, condiments, etc. Some of the common ones are: sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, lactose, high-fructose corn syrup, glucose, fructose, brown sugar, corn syrup, caramel, dextrose, etc.
No artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharine, and sucralose). These can be worse than real sugar (because they are carcinogenic), plus they alter your cravings the same way regular sugar does.
Choose healthy alternatives to sweeteners: honey, maple syrup, or stevia. Still use these sparingly, especially during this detox. You can use these alternatives for cooking substitutes as well.

When you need a sugar fix, try this...

PROTEIN BITES:

1 cup dry, old fashion oats

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup nut butter (no sugars)

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together. Chill, covered, for an hour. Remove from the fridge and roll into balls - any size. Store in an airtight container. (After the detox, try adding dark chocolate chips to this recipe!)

Your goal at the end of this week is to kick your constant craving for sugar. You can eat the occasional sugary dessert, but it may be that you can no longer like that super sweet taste.

Good luck!