To be or not to be…sugar free?
For 30 days, I tried a sugar-free lifestyle, here’s what I learned.
More than 60% of the American Diet comes from processed foods. Eating a diet that is ultra processed means it is likely there are a lot of added sugars in those foods. Consuming large quanities of added sugar can lead to health risks, such as weight gain, heart diease, or diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends daily sugar consumption to be 6g for women and children, 9g for men, the average Amercan consumes 17-22g per day ! One of the biggest things you can do for your health is to pay attention to the foods you consume and start to swap processed foods with nutrient-dense whole foods.
When I heard about the Sugar-free lifestyle (SFL) method through a colleague who was hosting a local workshop in January, I knew I had to join.. The winter months are a time of solitude, of slowing down, but a great way to ensure you’re staying balanced through the season is to bring in strength training (mentally or physically). This was just the challenge I needed to keep my brain and body motivated during the cold, dark nights of January.
I do love this time of year and feel inspired by so many wanting to make healthy habits and lifestyle changes, but also know how hard it can be to keep those goals you set out to meet, as life, per usual, starts to “get in the way”. And if we make ourselves feel guilty or shameful for not meeting our goals, we’re even less likely to stay motivated. This 31-day challenge was the perfect way to meet any old beliefs and patterns head-on, and incorporate the yoga and breathwork practices I’ve learned to stay balanced and empowered as I explore sugar free!
The rules were simple.
31 days no processed sugars. No added sweetners, no processed snacks and foods like cereals, pastries, cookies, or biscuits. Foods like fruits, vegetables, and dairy have naturally occurring sugars, so I kept those in my diet throughout the month. (Side note: sugar itself, coming from naturally occurring sources like fruits and milk, is actually great for the body in and is the main source of energy as it supports our tissues and organs, metabolic processes, and even our brain!). We were even provided journals that could help us get clear on why we wanted to challenge ourselves,, and to write out our feelings and emotions when things were feeling hard or we had big wins. The workshop also included a weekly yoga class designed to unwind and release the body and mind while we detoxed our bodies.
DAY BY DAY
So, to answer the question “to be or not to be…sugar free?” I’ve compiled my thoughts below of what showed up and how my body and mind changed over the course of the challenge.
Day 1-5 confidence and Curiosity
I felt confident going into this. I have been consistent at cooking meals at home, avoiding processed foods at the grocery store, and not eating out so much. But, I was quickly reminded how easily foods that you think are “healthy” are contibuting to the amount of sugar you’re intaking daily. Some of my favorite snacks (trail mixes, breads!, chocolate, and premade meals for when I didn’t feel like cooking after a long day) contained added sugars. Some were only 1 or 2g, but eating things throughout the day can quickly add up.
I spent the first few days observing with curiosity. I was excited to take a step back and simply look at my food choices through an objective lens. Just a simple question of “does this contain added sugar or no?” I often read food labels, however, I tend to look mostly at the ingredients list and limited the amount of unknowns. I found the first few days fun and I was able to consistenly journal, as well as meditate and do a home yoga practice. I felt like a new student again and it was exciting !
Day 6 - Here they come
It was almost a week into sugar-free living and I started to notice some old negative patterns creeping back in. I was being highly critical of myself and a bit of a perfectionist. I could feel myself almost obsessing over making sure I didn’t consume anything that had added sugars in it. I even started questioning myself with foods I KNEW didn’t have added sugars in them. These were the old beliefs coming up. The feeling of not being good enough, pretty enough, skinny enough. The feeling of failure if I didn’t do this entire challenge. I’ve done loads of self work and study around these limiting beliefs and know they aren’t true and sometimes they still come up. And they sting.
Nadi Shodhana. Also known as alternate nostril breathing, is a great technique I use when these feelings start to come up. Alternating closing off the right and left nostril, you gently breathe in and out, inviting the right and left sides of the body to recalibrate the energy channels and the brain, reducing stress. 9 slow, rounds of breath later and I have released the energy and stress I start to feel when negative food thoughts arise.
Day 7+8 Irritation and anger
I was not happy for a couple of days. I seemed out of sorts, feeling frustrated with simple tasks, not wanting to socialize, my energy felt…off. I told myself it was part of the journey and to lean into it. I kept showing up on my mat, mediating, moving, journaling. The goal here was to stay present and not focus on sugar or food related things constantly. My body was asking for balance. It was used to more sugar, it was CRAVING more sugar. THIS was the detox at work.
Through the up and downs of emotions and cravings going into the second week, I continued to breathe and journal. These practices are some of my tried and true ways of keeping myself grounded when I’m feeling imbalanced and impulsive. There were times were I wanted to reach for the sweet treat to satisfy my mood, but nadi shodhana, or gentle movement would remind me of what I knew-the satisfaction (aka “the sugar high”) would not last and then would come the inevitable crash. So instead, I stayed. Stayed with the emotions and asked myself what I needed. I moved, ate fruits or other natural, sweet snacks, I journaled. I was frustrated AND I was confident.
Day 9-20
Honestly, after those two rough days, my energy shifted. I felt my energy start to retrun. I was pretty sedentary leading up to days 6-8. Reflecting, I recogize by body needed a little more physcial challenge on those days- something like running or lifting weights is what I like to do. So, I went back to the gym. Paired with my morning yoga session, the negative thinking subsided and I was reminded of my ability to do hard things. I was disciplined during this stretch and it felt, almost familiar, natural.
Day 21 I caved
I did it. I ate a cupcake. And you know what, I don’t feel bad about it. Ahomemade chocolate cupcake with a raspberry filling and raspberry frosting. I baked them and I wanted one. Not in a craving way of I neeeddd to have it, but I worked hard on them and I knew they tasted good and I simply wanted one. During a meditation, I heard “I can start over as many times as I want” and for such a simple statement, it was powerful in this moment. I can choose to eat the cupcake and then I can decide i prefer to go back to no sweets (or if moderation can be experienced in an enjoyable way).
I could spiral and see the prior 20 days as a failure because I didn’t make it to day 31, or I can accept that I ate the cupcake and move on. And so, I chose to return to sugar-free for the remaining 11 days. But not before joy, connection, peace with my decision to have it, freedom to eat what I wanted and be satisfied to stop when I was full.
It has taken me a long time to get to such a space of peace with a decision to “sabotage” the challenge. My yoga practice is a constant reminder of the judgment I put on myself with daily decisions, and an invitation to rewire and see myself doing my best, knowing that in itself, is enough. While I can’t always control those pesky intrusive thoughts, I can control how I show up for myself in a compassionate, caring way to help process emotions without responding through food.
Day 22
I felt a bit tired and sluggish upon awakening and I immediately knew it was a sugar crash from the night before. The awareness of just how hard it was for me to get up this morning was enough for me to get through the rest of the challenge without a desire for added sugar LOL!
“I can start over as many times as I want” This came to me during a meditation in beginning few days of going sugar-free. The first few days I was reminded how important it is to remember why I chose to try sugar-free.
Day 27
I didn’t want to go to my yoga practice. We met weekly on Mondays and the first 3 classes were amazing. My body felt lighter and less tense after class. I wanted the feeling after class, but I didn’t want to do the work. Boom. the relationship of body and food popped in my brain. Nothing is separate. All these experiences in our lives can help us grow and evolve, or they can be used as lessons to redirect when we slip up. Back to week 2 of this challenge, I went through, well, my oscar the grouch phase. Journaling helped me to see the withdrawal from the sugar physcially showing up as cravings and mental distress, BUT I also wasn’t doing other things in my life to support my wellbeing. I was moving, but gently. My body had built up energy- it needed something more. It needed exactly what I didn’t want to do.
4 days left and
But, I felt confident, only 4 days left in this challenge and only twice had I consumed added sugars. I was reminded of delayed gratification and knew I would feel more aligned if I went to class. So I did. I was reminded of the connection between food and yoga and how they can support you in different ways as you work to build healthy habits in different areas of your life
Day 31
I completed the 31 days with a couple of slipups including and the intentional sweet treat three weeks in. But, I felt empowered to say no to offerings, I got curious about recipe ideas, and I used my yoga in so many reaffirming ways of the strength of the practice.
Overall thoughts:
Set an intention. I wanted to try this to experience emotions, notice sensations, and connect further with my personal needs from food as fuel towards my best self. I set an intention at the beginning to show up authentically and try my best.
Journaling really is powerful.
“I can start over as many times as I want” I don’t have to be sugar-free every day for the rest of my life to be healthy. I will continue to listen to my body, make informed decisions, and move forward with grace and compassion when old habits (inevitably) creep in.
There are so many factors to be able to go sugar free. And one of them without a doubt is privilege. The privilege to have access to the resources so that I can regularly consume a nutrient dense, wholesome food diet. This was a fun, explorative way to experience my food habits and my tendencies.
I highly recommend this challenge for anyone looking to break old habits and step into a new awareness around the foods you regularly consume, as a means to empowering you to make lifestyle changes. Be cautious if you see changes in your anxiety levels or all-or-nothing thinking. It’s ok if its not done perfectly, progress is what we’re looking for.
Proud of you wherever you are on your healing journey with food, you got this !
Kaitlyn is a Certified Yoga Therapist and Nutritionist. She loves teaching others about the relationship of food to our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. She works 1:1 as well as in small groups to empower individuals to utilize tools and practices of yoga to mindfully connect deeper to food and themselves.
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