Reflections on the Sugar Challenge
On Day Seven of the Sugar Challenge (Saturday) I ate:
– Frozen grapes (and non-frozen grapes)
– 1 bowl of oatmeal (mixed with water, a banana, cinnamon, and peanut butter)
– Plain yogurt mixed with 1 chopped apple and cinnamon
– 1 homemade tortilla grilled with hummus, some Laughing Cow Light Cheese, tomato, green pepper, and spinach
– Homemade crackers with hummus and the remainder of the Laughing Cow wedge of cheese
– 1/3 Pecan Pie Larabar
– Steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots topped with Parmesan cheese and black pepper
– 1 apple with Laughing Cow Light Cheese
– Some cherry tomatoes
– 1 1/2 bowls of creamy carrot soup
– 3 slices of homemade apple banana bread with almond butter
– Oil-popped popcorn topped with butter and salt
Reflections: Raising Awareness about Sugar
This was a fantastic week and hugely successful! As my sister observed, it was the ultimate detox. Eating a diet without any added sugars is possibly the healthiest way of eating that I can think of. It really requires you to eat non-processed, whole foods. Compensation for the lack of added sugars is easily managed by eating natural foods with sugar in them. Because there is sugar in nearly everything that we eat, a diet like this forces the participant to closely examine and think about exactly what you put in your mouth. The restrictions involved also mean that we will spend more time cooking our own meals and implies that our diet will be more well-rounded and balanced in terms of the nutrients that we consume.
The way that I eat has evolved in such a way over the past year that this week was not difficult to manage. I had to think a little bit more about planning what I would eat and I had to spend more time in the kitchen (for example, with making the tortillas to stand-in as a substitution for bread), but other than that I ate basically the same way as I eat on a regular basis.
My sister also agreed to take part in the sugar challenge, but her experience was a little different from my own. She isn’t quite as intense as I am about eating healthy 24/7, so she felt the restrictions much more than I did. She started out the week with only one exception to the no-added-sugar rule: alcohol. Other than that, she managed to eat really well for the first few days, and I think she would have lasted longer had a client not generously brought in cookies to work one day when she was working a 10-hour day and had forgotten to bring lunch (danger zone!). That being said, I think that she was surprised at how possible it is to eat a variety of food without added sugars when some time and effort is put in.
Even just a few days of eliminating fruity yogurts and all other foods with added sugars had a positive impact on my sister: she is going to be taking steps to reduce her added-sugars consumption in a few ways. She will no longer be eating those fruity yogurts and instead is going to eat plain yogurt with fresh fruit mixed in, and is interested in eating homemade cereals and crackers rather than the sugar-laden kind from the grocery store. Moreover, she summed up the purpose of this sugar challenge beautifully when she said that if we are going to eat something sugary, it might as well be something we expect to be sugary, like a cookie. Why would we want to eat processed food with the hidden sugars in it- like, for example, store-bought soups- when we don’t even want the sugar to be in there and can’t even properly enjoy it?
At the end of the week, she bought herself a little package of mini eggs, and found that her reaction to them was different from what it would have been before the challenge. She enjoyed them more slowly and her taste buds were more sensitive to the sweetness so that she was more satisfied with eating fewer of them.
Although I went a little extreme this week by refusing any kind of food with added sugar in it, the reason why I went so extreme was to make two very important points:
1) There is unnecessary sugar in nearly everything we eat, but if we put the effort in we can vastly reduce the amount of added sugars in our diet;
2) If we are going to be eating sugar, it should be sugar that we can taste and enjoy: I would way rather eat my sugar via a cookie than from a can of soup, a spoonful of cottage cheese, or a slice of bread. I can’t taste the sugar in the can of corn, so what’s the point in it being in there?
During the week, a few questions that came up in the comments which I would like to address:
– Jolene and Julie both wanted to know if I feel different, lost any weight, or sleep better: A week wasn’t quite long enough for this to have any really prominent physical changes for me, especially because it wasn’t a drastic change from the norm for me, however I did feel really good and energized. I didn’t lose any weight, but that is also because I do not need or want to lose weight (especially not in this cold weather! I need as much insulation on me as I can get). With regards to sleeping, however, I noticed quite a difference! I have had sleeping problems for years now but towards the end of the week I was starting to sleep for longer stretches of time without waking up in the middle of the night, and I was able to fall asleep faster when I first went to bed. I do not know how much of this was because of the Sugar Challenge, though, and how much of it was because I wasn’t at the computer very late at night.
– Tom asked if I started having withdrawal from sugar, and if I could do this for a very long time: I had no sugar withdrawal at all! I think that if I wanted to, I could keep this up for much longer than a week. I might miss bread, but I could make do with eating lots of wraps! I could get by without cookies and other sweets, I believe, and I don’t mind going for long periods of time without alcohol (although it would be nice to be able to drink when others are as well). It’s the restrictive aspect that I think could potentially be unhealthy. Because I’ve had some disordered eating in the past, I wouldn’t want my mindset to become unhealthy from too much restriction. Luckily this week went extraordinarily well in that no disordered eating thoughts or tendencies crept up, which to me was a real victory! It tells me a lot about my progress with improving my mental health and body image.
On Sunday, the first day of coming off the challenge, I enjoyed poached eggs on toast and hash browns for breakfast from my favorite cafe. I ate the homemade cookie that I had saved from Thursday and went out for dinner in the evening and had a few drinks afterward. I enjoyed food without going overboard, and was not in the least wanting to go crazy over sugar (I didn’t even feel a need to binge over PB2!). It was just nice to be able to go out to eat, which isn’t really doable when you’re partaking in a no-added-sugars challenge simply because you can’t trust what kind of ingredients might be in any of that food (remember the list of 100 different names for sugar?).
Will I continue to eat this way, without any added sugars? No. For one thing, I don’t like “restricting” myself this much. I like to have a glass of wine every now and then. I have no intention of depriving myself of sandwiches. And I really enjoy cheesecake.
I know that for me this Sugar Challenge has really re-emphasized the importance of reading labels and ingredients lists, and it has increased my awareness of the presence of sugar. I think that it’s absolutely worth it to spend a short amount of time making my own crackers once every couple of weeks, or to take the time at the grocery store to examine several different brands of the same canned good to find the one without added sugar. I don’t mind paying extra money for a vegetable broth that doesn’t contain sugar in it. In the long run, that time and money that we are spending is being spent for one of the best causes I can think of: our health.
If you took part in the challenge, how did it affect you? Will you continue to do it (or a variation on it)? If you didn’t take part in it, do you think you will in the future? And to all of you: how has this past week’s discussion about sugar impacted your understanding of it? Share your thoughts and ideas and raise the sugar awareness!
Hi Sagan!
Your challenge has definitely raised my awareness about how much un-necessary sugar we consume daily!! And it has also made me think twice about ready-made food at the store 🙂 Thanks!
For now and the foreseeable future, I’m going with ‘limiting’ vs. ‘elminating’. 🙂 It works for me!
I really like your conclusion that if we’re going to have sugar, let it be in something sweet and decadent, not hidden in something!
You did a wonderful job; and that’s great that your sister took part in it too!!
Since I have so many food allergies, I HAVE to read labels religiously – it’s crazy how much stuff is hidden in food. Here’s to wholesome foods!! 😀
I know exactly what you mean about wanting to enjoy sugar when you have it.
I’ll be posting about my experience with sweets in the next few days, but a lot of your experiences are similar to mine.
what a great challenge! I really like your sister’s comment too about hidden sugars–so very true.
thanks for the inspiration!
Good for you for doing this challenge. And for helping the rest of us become more aware of hidden sugars.
I don’t eat things like yogurt with added fruit (much prefer plain yogurt) because of the sweetness. I prefer savoury to sweet. (And yogurt with fruit kinda makes me throw up in my mouth a little – it’s far better with a few spices added and used as a dip for veggies!)
Really enjoyed reading your reflections on the week. Your #2 is so important. If there is sugar in something I want it to be something I am enjoying for the sweet taste, not as an additive. Such a great way to raise awareness!
Rupal & Cammy- glad to hear it!
Hanlie & Lori- might as well properly enjoy our sugar, right? 🙂
VeggieGirl- you must be one of the most savvy label/ingredients list readers out there. So good that you’re taking care of your health like that.
Tricia- can’t wait to hear how it went for you!
Workout Mommy- she’s a wise sister 😉
Bag Lady- I completely agree about the yogurt. Love the plain stuff. It’s the perfect base for tons of options.
Congratulations on an awesome sugar free week! That is amazing. It’s definitely made me more aware of “hidden” sugars in reading the information you posted, and also by reading what “safe” foods you’ve eaten.
I’m making it a point to cut down on the sugar…I would LOVE to go sugar free for a week! I’m scared, but looking at what you ate it’s not TOO far outside what I normally eat. Congrats again! 🙂
what foods were you surprised to find had sugar? i find that diced tomatoes is one of the toughest to find. added sugar and salt seem normal, i don’t understand why!
Sagan
This is such a great summary! I love your point about eating a little bit of sugar in a cookie and enjoying the sweet as opposed to eating a hidden sugar in soup. I also appreciate your ideas regarding deprivation and balance. I think hidden sugars are so important to be aware of but I also love how you ate really whole, good food, frequently as a replacement for no sugars. To me, this is the ideal way to eat. You have great prespective and awareness! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Wow, what a huge impact this has had on your diet! I’m definitely going to try to cut back on the added sugars, although I think I’ll have to work up to drinking my coffee sans sweetener!
Hi Sagan!
It’s been an interesting week! I’ve had a similar experience with salt, as I never add any, and minimize my intake. Have you considered a salt challenge? (Not too drastic, I mean.)
Great job.
I’m with you – if I am going to have sugar I will enjoy it.
Very interesting! I love that you did this:) It sounds like it was a success on all fronts!
Well done on getting through the week! That’s really interesting that you slept better – I will have to pass that on.
Holly- I believe in you! You can do it! 🙂
Rhodeygirltests- definitely foods like that were a surprise to find sugar in. It was difficult finding a sugar-free vegetable broth, too.
Jolene- I hate the idea of eating “fake” food! The real stuff is best. And I’m glad I could find so much variety, too.
Meg- it’s all in the baby steps 😉
Dr. J- I have indeed! I would very much like to do that. The problem is that I don’t add salt to anything anyways, and we really need salt, and salt is present in SO MUCH of what we eat. It would be very problematic. But if I CAN figure out a way to do it, I will definitely be doing that challenge!
POM & Charlotte- it was super successful and satisfying.
Spring Girl- yes, and on Sunday night after drinking I had an AWFUL sleep. Coincidence?
Hey. It was really interesting to read your reflections. Congratulations on your personal victory and your positive body/self-image! 🙂
I personally wish I could sustain such a diet but as you say, it is too restrictive. I know it made me feel really healthy when I did as well. I’ve never eaten so many bananas in one week before. 🙂
Uh-oh, I had to go look at all my canned tomato, broth, condiments, etc. My tomato products don’t have sugar, but my raspberry balsamic vinegar does. Is this common for balsamic? I know when I make dressing I dilute it with non-seasoned (no sugar) rice vinegar. So here’s my sugar situation-most of my ingredients don’t contain it, since I shop at a natural foods store, but I add it to most things. Not eggs, but soups, stir-fries, sauces. It’s not enough to make it taste sweet, just to eliminate any bitterness that some vegetables occasionally have.
“Eating a diet without any added sugars is possibly the healthiest way of eating that I can think of. It really requires you to eat non-processed, whole foods.” This is one of your most interesting observations from this experiment. It could be a good strategy for anyone who wants to “eat more natural food” but doesn’t know where to start. Plus, it turns healthy eating into an educational game!
Congratulations on such a successful experiment. You rocked it – and your menu for today just proves that a sugar-free life is still tasty!
I love how you and your sister did this together and think it’s such a cool idea to do in that you realized you WOULD miss a glass of wine every now & then and *I* when mulling the challenge for myself didnt even THINK ABOUT THAT PART.
lottsa sugars around and many I dont even STOP to think of as such most days…
Very good for you Sagan. I know this is a very tough challenge for many to accomplish. When people start a new diet and reduce the amount of sugars (just about every diet cuts back on this) the body can react differently with sleep, irritability, physical pain such as headaches and muscle pain. This was an excellent review and I’ll be using your site to point this out in future posts.
Juliet- I adore bananas and eat so much more of them than I should in terms of them being an exported good… makes me feel kinda bad about my eco footstep but not quite bad enough to stop eating them, I guess. Heh oh dear.
Julie- I think its much better to add your own sugar than to have foods with hidden sugars. As for balsamic, I think that if it’s just straight vinegar it SHOULD be sugar-free (but won’t necessarily); if it’s mixed with other stuff already its almost guaranteed to have sugar in it.
Monica- thanks! I should totally create my own diet book. Hehe.
MizFit- I realized pretty quick I’d miss a glass of wine when I went out one night and everyone else was drinking and I was not- it was still a good time but I wasn’t quite in the same silly stage as everyone else and I was definitely turning in long before the rest of them!
Tom- thanks so much!
I think this was awesome! I know for me personally, I feel so much better when I eat less sugar. A day with a couple cookies or sugary granola bars leaves me feeling bleh usually.
I had an interesting chat with someone doing their Master’s in nutrition this weekend, remind me to tell you about it!
number 2 is so true- im like that with cheese. if i cant taste it and enjoy it there was no point in using it- it was just extra calories and fat
It’s been fascinating to read about your sugar experiment, Sagan. It’s amazing how our minds and bodies respond when we pay attention to what we’re doing — and how easily we can adapt to changes we didn’t think we could make.
Case in point: I’m a devoted coffee drinker, but I’ve recently given up afternoon coffee. I have my coffee in the morning and that’s it for the day. I thought I’d feel horrific, but I can’t believe how much better I feel without it — and how much more soundly I’m sleeping at night.
I think it’s good to shake things up once in a while by checking in with ourselves and seeing how we feel.
I’ve enjoyed watching you undergo this challenge.
loved this reflection!!
Hi Sagan
I’m now on day 6 of the challenge and have been amazed how quickly it’s going. We’ve eaten some delicious food (especially your recipies hehe) and I haven’t missed the sugar at all. One evening I did eat 8 dates in a fairly mindless way but other than that I haven’t felt any particular cravings and have even had to remind myself to eat my lunch a couple of times, which is so not me! It kind of levels out your mood too, doesn’t it? Like Julie I’m wondering about my balsamic vinegar – it’s extraordinary what foods contain sugar – even water biscuits, would you believe! I’m definitely going to keep added sugars to a minimum from now on. Thanks for having the idea and thanks for doing the hard work of giving a starter list of the kinds of meals you can eat. Off now for a breakfast of pitta stuffed with mashed banana,apple sauce and cinnamon….. By the way everyone the best chocolate bars in the world are sugar-free! My one big worry about the week was what I was going to do for breakfast on working days, when I often took a cereal bar and ate it at my desk – I hate eating soon after I get up. In the health food shop I found Nak*d fruit bars and bought some of those. There’s a cocoa one which is mostly dates, raisins, applejuice, walnut, almond, etc, and a little cocoa powder – it is pure heaven and far more satisfying than an ordinary chocolate bar… and guaranteed no added sugar!
Oh wow! I love it, “Raising Sugar Awareness”….! We do tend to consume tons of added sugars and I agree with you, if we could only stop with all the excess sugar I think we would have much healthier diets overall! High fructose feeding definitely just contributes to triglyceride manufacturing! Blah! Thanks for checking out my guest post on loe of oats too!