Microsoft Word - Sugar Free ChallengeAre you ready?! Sunday, February 15 – 22 is the start date of the Forever Fit, Sugar Free Week. I challenge you to eliminate all added sugar from your life.  We can do this together share strategies, ideas, recipe’s.

No refined sugar, natural sweeteners, or artificial sweeteners.  Yes, you can have naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods are acceptable and recommended.

Read all the information below in order to make this a successful challenge.  

There is a sign up sheet in the studio and there is a draw for prizes for those who stick to it for the whole week. However, you must be on the sign up sheet to be entered in the draw. This is on a “good-faith” basis.  Do this challenge for you : )

Here are the guidelines 🙂

  1. Consume only foods that have no added sugar of any kind.  Sugar has many names and is often disguised in the ingredient lists. You may have noticed many foods now advertise as having No High Fructose Corn Syrup. The manufactures are brilliant at finding new ways to sneak overly processed sugars into your food so it will taste better and you will buy more. They do not have your best interest in mind.  Read Your Lables, looking at the fine print is absolutely necessary for this challenge. I know it is time consuming but, it’s only a week  : )   Here is a list of 50 different names used for sugar.
  2. No added natural sugars or sweeteners of any kind, including: honey, molasses, stevia, agave nectar, coconut palm sugar, xylitol, maple syrup, etc..  This is important in order to start to enjoy the real taste of foods.
  3. No added refined sugars (white sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar)
  4. No added artificial sweeteners (Truvia, Splenda, Nutrasweet, etc.)

Note:  While there is no added sugar this week, there will be naturally occurring sugars in milk, plain yogurt, fresh vegetables and fruit, that’s okay. The idea is to give up ADDED sugars that are in most all processed foods. So when you read a nutrition label, look at the actual list of ingredients, NOT the percentage of sugar per serving (unless you must do so for medical reasons).  I want you to become more aware of how much and how often you are adding “sweetener” to your food and what you could live without. Your taste buds will adapt and your cravings will diminish.

To make it easier;

  • WATER: Drink 6 (12 ounce) glasses of plain water each day, or 2.2 liters.
  • CONSIDER: drinking a smoothie or protein shake each day with fruits and veggies you.
  • EAT FRUIT: Fruit contains plenty of natural sugars, water, vitamins & fibre.  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.
  • All whole foods are fair game : )
  • DURATION: The challenge goes for one week.  This gives you a chance to create some awareness without taking on a huge commitment. However… some research suggests that it takes 21 days to change a behaviour.  So … if you can hang in there, try to go for 21 days.  You may notice some health benefits, some weight loss and a huge learning curve.
  • Raisins, dates, figs, are all naturally occurring sweet whole foods so they are permitted but… know that they are a replacement for sugar and may interfere with your sugar addiction. So if you want to break the addiction, eat in moderation, eat them with a protein and call it a meal.
  • I will be asking about this challenge on my Forever Fit Facebook page, so if you are on there, feel free to ask questions and offer support to others.

Considerations;

  • If you slip, learn and keep going, it’s all about you.
  • Sugar is very addictive and you will may experience some side effects. It is possible to experience headaches, weakness and irritability. It should pass in a few days.

AFTER THE CHALLENGE
The goal of this challenge is to your break sugar addiction and create an awareness of what you are putting in your body and what you could replace. If there is a weight loss, that would be a welcomed by product for some of us : )))

After the challenge, try to stick to some of the foods you ate without the added sweeteners. For other foods, switch from refined sugars to unrefined ones that have some nutritional value. Honey, molasses, 100% pure maple syrup, xylitol or succanat are all good options. The latter sweeteners are available at the Community Farm Store.  All of these natural sweeteners have nutrients that cannot be found in refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Remember, even unrefined sweeteners can pack on the pounds if eaten on a regular basis.

Have fun and let me know if you need some support. Remember to “Like” my Forever Fit page and join in on the conversations.  You can do this!