The sugar-free craze may be well established among the clean-eating crowds, but now celebrities are jumping on board as part of new 3-part series 'Sugar Free Farm'.
The show sees six celebrities living without sugar for two weeks, that means no confectionary, no fizzy drinks and, above all, no alcohol. It may sound simple but it doesn't take long for the detox to take a dramatic turn.
In episode one, medics are called after Jennifer Ellison suffers from dramatic sugar withdrawals. The former West End star complains of a severe headache and has to take a seat in the vegetable garden.
"It’s just hit me like a train," Ellison says, who admits to drinking six to eight cans of Coke per day. "My head feels like a bowling bawl on the end of a matchstick, it's too heavy for my neck."
"Every time I bent down I felt like someone was standing on my eyeballs," Ellison adds. "I felt physically sick. I had the worst headache I've ever, ever felt."
Ellison's co-stars include musical theatre star Jane McDonald, comedian Rory McGrath, quiz mastermind and Chaser Mark Labbett, actress Tupele Dorgu and TOWIE’s James ‘Arg’ Argent.
SEE ALSO: 'Sugar Free Farm' Sees Six Celebs, Including Jane McDonald And TOWIE's Arg Go On Fortnight Detox
Ellison's reaction might seem extreme, but sugar dependence is no laughing matter. Many experts often liken sugar addiction to that of hard drugs.
According to Dr. Frank Lipman, founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center, "over time our brains actually become addicted to the natural opioids that are triggered by sugar consumption".
Basically, it's pretty hard to kick the habit.
And it's not just extreme sugar nuts who should watch their consumption. The British Heart Foundation state that "in a single day the average person in the UK consumes 13 teaspoons of sugar with some people consuming up to 46 teaspoons. Even so-called healthy foods are not immune with muesli containing up to four teaspoons while one cereal bar contains as much as eight teaspoons of sugar".
If you're keen to try giving up, check out these tips...
SEE ALSO:
20 Tips to Curb Sugar Cravings and Kick the Addiction
Addicted to Sugar? Here's How You Can Beat Your Cravings
Sweet Tooth Ruining Your Diet? How I Kicked the Sugar Habit
Tried And Tested: Sugar Ban Was Unbelievably Horrible, But It Changed The Way I Eat Forever
'Sugar Free Farm' begins on Tuesday 26 January on ITV at 8pm.
H/T Digital Spy