CONGRATS ON ACCEPTING THE 10-DAY NO SUGAR CHALLENGE!!
WHAT IS THE 10 DAY NO SUGAR CHALLENGE?
-10 days of choosing to be mindful about what you eat
-Avoiding all forms of sugar/artificial sweeteners in anything you eat
-Focusing on fueling your body with nutritious, delicious foods
-Learning whats in your food so you can make informed choices
-Curbing your sugar addiction (if you have one!)
HERE’S WHAT THIS CHALLENGE IS NOT:
-a detox (your organs do that every day so you’re good on that front!)
a guarantee to lose 100 lbs and inches off your body (major eye roll, that doesn’t happen in 10 days)
-an expectation that you will never eat sugar again (that would be ridiculous.. sometimes you need a little dessert!)
GOAL FOR THE NEXT 10 DAYS:
-Learn how to find natural, sustainable ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. We want to equip ourselves with ideas and tools that will help us kick our daily dependence on added sugars and sweeteners that are mostly found in processed foods.
OUTCOMES:
-We’ll be able to see how our bodies respond – physically and mentally – to a drastic reduction in added sugar.
-We’ll also understand just how much processed food we are eating that we could actually be substituting with natural foods.
FOODS TO AVOID:
-No added sugar of any kind. No sugar substitutes (including honey, molasses, syrup, stevia, xylitol, sweet n’ low, Splenda, equal etc.). This means no dessert, candy, soft drinks, sports drinks, diet drinks. Yes, this may include some protein bars, protein shakes and…some nut butters. (NOOOOOOOOO!!!)
-No processed products that have added sugar or sugar substitutes (pasta sauce, salad dressings, ketchup, yogurts, etc.). You will be doing a lot of label reading!
-No fruit juice (even if it says 100% fruit juice and doesn’t list added sugars).
-You may eat white flours and starches but try to eat them in moderation. You can do it! Also, make sure you look for breads with no added sugar.
-Limit alcohol intake. Definitely no mixed drinks (because you’re not allowed sodas and juices). No alcohol is preferred with this challenge but if you have a glass of red wine, ssshhh…we won’t tell. Just don’t overdo it. If you drink too much, you’re bound to dig into that bag of potato chips or order a pizza.
TIP:
-Do not look at the sugar content of food; rather, check the ingredient list and see if sugar or sweetener has been added.
-Sugar is known by different names, so read the labels and avoid products with names such as:
High fructose corn syrup
Agave
Evaporated cane juice
Aspartame
Hydrogenated starch
Invert sugar maltose
Lactose
Mannitol
Crystalline fructose
Maltose
Sucrose
Dextrose
Brown rice syrup
Maltodextrin
Saccharine
-No artificial sweeteners. That means no to Truvia, Sweet One, Sweet ‘N Low, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, etc.
ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF SUGAR:
Fresh vegetables and fruits. Naturally dried fruit ONLY IF the label does not have any added form of sugar.
MAKE IT EASIER BY DOING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
-Drink 6 (12 ounce) glasses of plain water each day, or 2.2 liters.
-Consider drinking one nutrient-dense smoothie each day.
-Eat Fruit
Fruit contains plenty of natural sugars and is also an important part of any healthy eating plan. The possibilities are only as limited as your local grocery store. Also, fruit is a great way of naturally getting the sugar you might be craving and will help make this challenge successful.
AFTER THE CHALLENGE The goal of this challenge is to your break sugar addiction and lose excess weight and body fat. It is also meant to bring us into a positive mindset in regards to sugar prior to the Holiday season! After the challenge is over, try to switch from refined sugars to unrefined ones that have some nutritional value. For example, raw honey, coconut palm sugar, molasses, sorghum and 100% pure maple syrup. All of these natural sweeteners have nutrients that cannot be found in refined sugar and artificial sweeteners!
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN YOU!!