Detox challenge
J
accepted
Coastal Life
Story and photos by ANDREW TONRY
One Seaside woman leads others in cutting out sugar
ennifer Visser was dealing
with lower-back pain. On
the advice of a naturopath,
she went on a cleanse, cutting
sugar from her diet. The results
were remarkable.
“Three days later my A.D.D.
cleared up,” Visser says. “I was
amazed. I’ve never, ever been
able to focus like that. It was in-
credible. I was hooked.” And while
it took a little longer, her back pain
subsided as well.
“It changed my life,” Visser
says.
Now she’s spreading the word.
In January, Visser will lead a 10-
day sugar detox challenge. It’s free,
open to discerning eaters and dab-
blers alike.
The event is associated with
Visser’s business — she is a li-
censed massage therapist and pro-
prietor of The Healthy Hub, a mas-
sage and wellness center opening in
Seaside Jan. 2. The effort is too an
extension of Visser’s effervescent,
compassionate and giving person-
ality.
It is also the latest iteration of
a series of food and cooking class-
es Visser has held in Seaside. Last
year, with the aforementioned na-
turopath in tow, Visser presented
“Diet For Disease Prevention,” to
a packed Bob Chisholm Communi-
ty Center. She was inspired by the
turnout.
“I thought the best way to carry
the momentum and help them was
to hold a cooking class,” she says.
“I held three cooking classes on
how to cook without grains or soy
or dairy or legumes to make deli-
cious meals and make believers out
of people.”
Now she’s offering, in a sense,
the graduate class: sugar detox.
“I chose this sugar detox be-
cause people feel the best when
they do it,” Visser says. “Nobody
4 | January 1, 2015 | coastweekend.com
This Sugar-Free Paleo Taco Salad will be featured at the kick-off dinner for a community sugar detox
challenge, set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12 at Seaside Coffee House.
Jennifer Visser serves up a Sugar-Free Paleo Taco Salad. The salad will be featured at the kick-off dinner
for Visser’s 10-day sugar detox challenge, set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12 at Seaside Coffee House.
does this and is like: ‘that was
a waste of time.’ Everyone gets
something from it. Whether it’s
better sleep, lost weight, better
skin, thinking better or decreased
allergies, everything gets better.”
Visser will hold an introducto-
ry meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday,
Jan. 5 at Seaside Coffee House.
‘Nobody does this and is
like: “that was a waste
of time.” Everyone
gets something from
it. Whether it’s better
sleep, lost weight, better
skin, thinking better
or decreased allergies,
everything gets better.’
“I’ll go over how to stock your
pantry, recipes, meal planning, all
that stuff then give folks a week
to prepare,” Visser explains. For
the purposes of this cleanse, she
adds, having time to get ready is
important, as it entails more than
just abstaining from sweets.
“In this detox, sugar is any-
thing that converts into sugar in
your body,” Visser explains. For
example, some seemingly benign
foods — like grains and legumes
— are out. “A baked potato is
just as high in sugar as soda pop,
conversion-wise,” she says. Viss-
er’s version of the sugar-free diet
leans heavily on meats and veg-
etables.
The detox challenge begins
Monday, Jan. 12. It will kick off
with a sugar-free dinner at Sea-
side Coffee House at 6:30 p.m.
Over the course of the 10
days, Visser — who’ll participate
in the detox as well — intends to
stay engaged online and in per-
To help participants prepare for the sugar detox challenge, Jennifer Visser will lead an introductory
meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5 at Seaside Coffee House. She’ll discuss how to stock your pantry,
recipes and meal planning for the 10-day challenge.
son, offering tips and encourage-
ment. As she’s done the cleanse
three times before, she knows it’s
not easy.
“Thirty-three percent of peo-
ple actual do go through sugar
withdrawals,” Visser says. “The
withdrawals aren’t anything ma-
jor — you’re not going to die or
anything. But it can last for two
to five days.” Symptoms include
headaches, fatigue and irritabili-
ty.
“That’s why you need the sup-
port of the community,” she adds.
“It may seem extreme but to get
the extreme results you’ve got to
go all the way.” Visser confident-
ly maintains that the sugar detox
offers much more than run-of-
the-mill dieting.
“People are thinking of the
New Year, and they’re looking
for ways to find the ‘new you,’”
she says. “This is the best way
because it connects you to your
food, and it’s long-lasting.
“It’s not just: ‘I’m going to eat
less,’” Visser continues. “People
are going to walk away having
become more conscious eat-
ers. That is huge because that is
long-lasting. Losing five pounds
is not.”