What if I told you that in 21 short days, you could drastically change your life by removing two ingredients from your diet? Do you have what it takes to accept this challenge?
In 21 days you can rid your body of addictions to added sugar and artificial sweeteners. I’m not talking about ridding the body of “natural sugars“ that are found in fruits and veggies. In fact, the body needs those healthy sugars to operate optimally. I’m talking about ridding your body of added sugar and artificial sweeteners found in candy bars, cookies, soda, bottled fruit juices, even ketchup, fast foods, pre-packaged boxed foods, and more.
When I accepted this 21 day challenge and removed added sugars and artificial sweeteners from my diet, some interesting things happened to me. I actually had withdrawal symptoms! I was tired, irritable, I had headaches, I felt nauseated, I was dizzy, I was really tired (no energy at all) and I slept a lot.
But once the toxic sugars were cleaned out of my body (in 21 days), I noticed that my taste buds changed and ever since then, instead of craving sugary treats, I now crave healthy fresh, whole, foods. I lost weight in that 21 days too (30 pounds in just 21 days), which ultimately led to weight loss totaling 140 pounds (more than half my body weight)! The texture of my skin greatly improved, I feel the need to move my body more and my entire outlook on exercise changed. I have more energy than I ever imagined possible, and I continue to experience a level of mental clarity that is hard to explain.
What this challenge taught me is that getting healthy and loosing weight is not only about mindset, willpower and determination. It is also about a physiological response in the body to certain foods. In my case, I was without a doubt, addicted to added sugars. Yes, addicted!
Eating foods with added sugar sugary kept me in this unending circle – going back for more of foods with added sugar, and ultimately packed on lots of inches and lots of pounds to my body. For me to cure my addiction, I needed to quit eating added and artificial sugars cold turkey. And that my friends is what prompted me to do this 21 Day No Sugar Challenge!
All of us eat way too much sugar, and most of us don’t even realize it. Of course sugar is found in sweet treats, but it also hides in savoy foods too! The best way to avoid “added” sugar is to eat fresh, whole food (fruits and vegetables). But, if you eat food with a nutrition label, be sure to read that label and avoid foods that contain “added” sugar (meaning it is not sugar from nature).
The FDA recently mandated a change in food labeling in that anything with added sugar must list that added sugar content in foods separately (v.s just as “sugar” which in the past didn’t differentiate sugar from natural sources vs. added sugar). And it does make a difference to your body.
Unfortunately sugar free items with chemical sweetness are not listed separately on labels but can be identified by reading the ingredients.
For more info, you may want to read the blog “Are Artificial Sweeteners Harmful?” HERE. Or “The Many Disguises of Sugar,” HERE. Or even the post about Neurotoxins HERE.
Why do we need to eliminate both added AND artificial sugars? The simple answer is that it’s because they both make you crave more sugar (like any addiction would)!
I offer this 21 day challenge to you so that you become more aware of what you are putting in your mouth and how your body is reacting to it. It’s about fueling your body with healthy fresh, whole, foods that nourish your body and taming maybe even conquering, the sugar beast within you.
Do you accept this challenge?
Drum roll please…here’s THE CHALLENGE!
Day 1: Plan Ahead This step includes three things to do:
1. Rid your pantry of sugar filled, pre-made boxed foods. It means reading the labels on the food in your pantry (and fridge/freezer) and donating any unopened, non perishable foods containing added sugar to your near by food pantry (canned soups, sweet pickle relish, salad dressings, ketchup, cookies, sodas, crackers, chips, and packages of brown and white sugar). Get rid of your artificial sweeteners too if you have them (those little pink, blue and yellow packets gotta go)! If some of your packages are open (or you have sugar filled perishables) give them to your neighbors or just toss it.
2. Do a little meal prep. Make a list of fresh, whole, foods to buy. Hit the grocery store and purchase your favorite fresh fruits and nuts as well as beautiful veggies and salad fix-ins. Even dried fruits are OK although not as good as fresh. But be sure there is NO ADDED SUGAR before you put those dried fruits in your cart, as many have added sugar (and eat them in moderation).
3. Wash and pre-package those items you purchased so that they ready to eat when you are ready to eat them (and so you don’t end up eating the entire bag of nuts in one sitting when you are famished). If you buy bagged salads that include dressing, toss the dressing as I guarantee it has added sugars (I’ve never seen one that doesn’t, but if you find one please write to me and let me know). Olive oil and vinegar is a good alternative. See Day 13 below for other salad dressing ideas.
Day 2: Use Spices Learning how to use spices instead of sugar to make food taste good will change your life. Spices and extracts add a lot of flavor to food (way more flavor than sugar). For example, I add a teaspoon of cinnamon, and sometimes lemon juice or lemon peel to my plain yogurt to amp up the flavor. Also, garlic powder, onion powder and thyme great additions to grilled chicken. Be weary of pre-packaged seasonings (such as pre-packaged taco seasoning) as it’s loaded with sugar. Instead make your own taco seasoning. Click HERE for my home made no sugar version).
Day 3: Choose Plain Yogurt Plain yogurt does have sugar, but it doesn’t have “added” sugar. On the other hand, flavored yogurt and yogurt with fruit on the bottom is tasty but is loaded with sugar. Best to buy plain yogurt and add your own fresh fruit so you have the fruit flavor but no added sugar.
Day 4: Read Labels In order to be better informed about the foods you put in your mouth, you will want to start reading food labels. We go into more detail about reading labels in the “Find Your Sweet Spot,” blog HERE. If you haven’t read that post, make that your “to do” for today. If you have already read that article, the “to do” for you today and going forward, is to read every food label before you put a particular item in your grocery shopping cart. If the item you are looking at has added or artificial sugars, put it back on the shelf.
Day 5: Pay Attention to your Condiments You probably wouldn’t expect condiments to have added or artificial sugar, but they do! We mentioned Ketchup above. Many Ketchups have 4-5 grams of sugar per tablespoon, BBQ Sauce also contains 5-15 grams of sugar depending on the brand. And sweet pickle relish has added sugar too. Hot sauce and mustard are both good condiment choices and neither contain added or artificial sugars, but be sure to read those labels before you buy.
Day 6: Eat Fresh Fruit Every Day Because fruit is sweet, it will help pacify your cravings for sweets. The sugar found in fruit and veggies is different than added sugars, in that that they are natural sugars. Like the name implies, these are the sugars that naturally occur in fruits and veggies, nothing added. These are the “good for you” sugars provided to us by Mother Earth. For more info on Natural Sugars, read our article, ”Find Your Sweet Spot,” dated 12/25/2022.
Day 7: Move Your Body When you get the urge to reach for something sweet, moving your body can be a great distraction! Taking a walk is one of the best ways to take your mind off of food in general and can help you clear your head and make better, healthier choices. And your dog will appreciate the walk too! It also gives you time to figure out if you are really hungry or if you are just reaching for a sweet treat out of habit or boredom. If you are still hungry after your walk, eat an apple and drink 16 oz of water. You’ll be amazed how full you get from just one apple and a glass of water!
Day 8: Brush Your Teeth No one I knows likes to eat right after we’ve brushed our teeth. If you do, it not only makes your food taste weird but it’s also a good distraction and it may help us get over the hump of a sweet craving. And, brushing your teeth a couple extra times a day can’t hurt!
Day 9: Ditch the Soda (and prebottled fruit juices and “flavored” coffee and creamers) Sugary drinks can contain more sugar than you think. A single can of soda can contain up to 40 grams of sugar depending on the brand but even the sugar free versions are no better because of the chemically modified artificial sweeteners found in them. And even when we think we are making healthier choices by selecting fruit juice over soda, that may not necessarily be the healthiest choice because fruit juices contain up to 30 grams of added sugar per serving.
Even your tasty coffee drink is loaded with sugars! Your 16 oz mocha late contains 57grams of sugar! It’s better to choose plain old water or mineral water. Just be sure you are reading the labels. Plain, black coffee is fine, green tea is better. One of my favorite no sugar added teas is Harney & Sons, Hot Cinnamon Spice tea, a delicious black tea. It’s so yummy with no added sugar (and no, I’m not getting a kick back from them [or Target] to mention it, I share with you because it’s delicious). I buy mine online, but you can also find it in a tin in select Target stores.
Day 10: Infuse Your Water We all know that staying hydrated is critical for the body to function properly. Water is so good for the body and aside from the main benefit of hydration, it also improves overall brain health, improves our skin, promotes organs to function properly and helps flush toxins out of our system. It’s also very filling. And it’s said that added sugars can be very dehydrating to our bodies as part of our digestive processes so we probably need more water than we think. But let’s face it, plain water gets boring. For something different, try mineral water instead of plain tap or bottled water. And infuse your water by adding fresh squeezed lemon or lime to your water. Cucumber slices can also be delicious and very refreshing in your water.
Day 11: Make Smarter Snack Choices Go for fresh, whole, food over packaged snacks (chips, crackers) and bars (candy, protein, granola). Choose grapes, apples, oranges, berries, bananas and/or nuts. Raw (unsweetened) almonds or walnuts are a good choice as they have no added sugar and will help keep your belly full for longer periods of time because nuts contain healthy fats. If you followed our advise in Day 1 and purged your pantry of unhealthy snacks and did some meal prep and pre-packaged your clean grapes, and nuts, will be ready for you to grab and go so you’ll automatically reach for the healthy choice.
Day 12: Just Say “No!” to Alcoholic Beverages Some alcoholic beverages contain a lot of added sugar (such as mixed drinks like Pina Colada, white wine, spirits mixed with sodas such as Jack & Coke, even cranberry vodka, etc.). Alcohol also has high calorie content with zero nutritional value (not really contributing to our healthy lifestyle). Most importantly, too much alcohol can contribute to us making poor food and life choices general.
Day 13: Stay Away From Pre-Made Salad Dressings Sure they are convenient, but most store bought/pre-made salad dressings contain a lot of added sugar. Your best bet for salad dressings are home made of olive oil and vinegar. You can also add different spices to punch up the flavor.
One of my favorites is one I created called Balsamic Blue (RECIPE: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh crumbled blue cheese, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1 dash Tapatiio and salt and pepper to taste, whirled up in the blender or food processor). Or you could mash an avocado and add a little garlic powder, fresh squeezed lime, a few cilantro leaves and salt & pepper to taste, and use that as your salad dressing (also good whirled up in the blender or food processor). Hummus is also a good creamy dressing substitute and offers protein too (but if you buy pre-packaged, be sure to read the label to make sure it has no added sugar as even hummus can have more added sugar than you might think). And sometimes I use something called “Bitchin Sauce,” usually available in stores where you’d find Hummus. It is made from almonds and has no added sugar. I know it can be found at Walmart, Winco, Safeway, Natural Grocers and comes in a variety flavors (delicious for dipping carrots, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, etc.)
Day 14: Eat More Nuts Some nuts have sugar in them naturally (such as almonds) but most have no sugar. Even almonds are good as long as there is no “added” sugar. Nuts have an impressive amount of healthy protein and fat and there are a variety of nuts to choose from depending on your tastes. Be sure not to buy the candied versions. And if you are watching your salt intake, best to choose unsalted or lightly salted versions. Both available at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, Sprouts and even Safeway. If you want something sweet to accompany the nuts, grab some dried fruit to accompany the nuts (just be sure the dried fruits you choose contain no added sugars, as many do). Go for the unsweetened dried fruits (yes, again more label reading-and if you are buying your dried fruits from the bulk bins, they have labels so read the label on the bin).
Day 15: Stretch Your Body We talked about taking a walk when your sugar craving strikes as a distraction. But tuning into your body and stretching is a good move to make to take your mind off of food. I turn to yoga sessions on AppleFit because there are a variety of instructors and practices for ever skill level and different durations. But if you don’t have AppleFit, just stand with your feet hip width apart, lift your arms over your head and clasp your hands together then bend slightly to the right and hold for 10 seconds, then to the left for 10 seconds, then bend at the waist and put your hands on the floor (or as close as you can get) and hold for 10 seconds and repeat that 5 times. Then bend your knee with you foot in the air behind you (hold on to the counter if you need to) and grab your ankle with your hand pulling up on your foot hold for 10 seconds then switch legs. Repeat 5 times. Next, put your hands on your hips and bend backwards at the waist looking up at the ceiling and hold for 10 seconds then come back up (if you need to hold on to the counter with one hand, do it!). Repeat 5 times.
Day 16: Don’t Wait To Eat If You Are Hungry As humans, we tend to binge eat when we crave something that we can’t have, or if we have waited too long to eat, especially when we are hungry. This typically happens when our minds get the best of us, or when our brain runs low on glucose (which it needs to survive). That doesn’t mean we need to eat a candy bar or drink a sugar filled glass of store bought orange juice. But when we run low on glucose, we should eat a snack consisting of complex carbs, fats and even protein. An avocado is a great choice because it contains all three (carbs, fats and proteins). Or an apple with no sugar added almond butter is another great choice. It’s best to eat something before you eat everything in sight trying to satisfy your craving/hunger! Then drink a 16 oz water and go brush your teeth.
Day 17: Try Using Fresh Herbs Just like using spices to make food taste good (Day 2), using fresh herbs to make food taste good is a great way to add a lot of flavor and depth to our meals. Most people think of adding spices to savory dishes, such as adding fresh parsley or basil to Italian dishes, or adding Cilantro to Mexican or Asian dishes, or dill to your favorite fish (and I definitely highly recommend all of this) but mint is also a good accompaniment with all types of melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew) as well as papaya, pineapple or berries. Just slice the leaves into strips and sprinkle it on top like a garnish for an extra delicious pop. Mint is also nice muddled (like you would for a cocktail) then added to some mineral water with a squeeze of lemon and ice-so refreshing.
Day 19: Make A Home Made Juice Juicing has been the craze for many health nuts for years. If you haven’t jumped on the juicing band wagon, give it a shot! This is the best way to avoid added sugars in your favorite juices. And there are many other benefits of juicing, including that it more quickly delivers nutrients into you bloodstream, enhances your immune system and more! Of course you will need the right equipment to juice at home. Juicing is not using a blender, it’s done by using a juicer and there is a difference. With a juicer, the juice is separated from the fiber which is considered the waste. Those who follow me know I use an Omega juicer (a good starter juicer is the Omega H3000D Cold Press found on Amazon-no they don’t pay me to tell this, I’ve recommended it to many friends and they love it). If you don’t want to go to the expense, you can make squeeze a whole lemon into your water. It’s not the same as juicing, but it’s something. If you are willing to invest in a juicer there are so many delicious recipes out there.
Some of my favorite “one fruit” juices are: Apple, Orange, Grapefruit, Berry, Lemon and Carrot, but there is even more nutritional power in veggie juices and when combining different fruits and veggies together as well as adding ginger and turmeric root-POW-erful nutrition for your body! I have been juicing for years, and I make up my own recipes, but your juicer will come with a book with a few recipes to get you started. If you really want to get into it, you can juice different fruits for different cures to ailments you may be experiencing. There are books upon books to help guide you.
At minimum, be sure wash your fruits and veggies well before juicing them. And know that there is no need to peel off the skin before throwing it in the machine (no need to take the exterior off of the pineapple or peeling the apple before throwing it down the chute). But (there is always a “but”), I definitely recommend peeling your citrus (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit) before running them through the juicer as they taste much better without the peel! And do remove the seeds from your apples before they go in the chute (they contain amygdalin which can be poisonous when metabolized in the digestive system).
Just follow the directions that come with your machine and you’ll be on your way! A side note about the waste (or fiber) that the juicer produces, depending on what ‘ve juiced, sometimes I throw the fiber into my blender when I’m making smoothies so I get the benefit of the vitamins in the fiber. I also feed the fiber to my dog. She especially likes carrots, spinach and celery mixed into her dinner. You can read more about juicing HERE.
Day 20: Make a Smoothie Smoothies can be like eating super healthy ice cream. I always start with the liquid in blender (water, coconut water, almond milk), followed by a plain no sugar yogurt then my plant based no sugar protein powder (High Impact by Tony Horton, again not a paid ad).
Next comes my fruit – it can be anything blueberries, dragon fruit, pineapple or my personal favorite: 1 banana, 1 cup frozen raspberries and 1 cup frozen peaches. And to make it thicker, I add ice (hence my comment about super healthy ice cream). I find vanilla protein powder to be the most versatile as it goes well with all fruits. But chocolate is really yummy blended with banana and almond butter! A lot of people make vegetable smoothies, but I haven’t been able to embrace that.
Day 21: Get a Massage First and foremost, to celebrate the fact you made it! You successfully eliminated (or at least made a big dent in reducing) added sugar and artificial sweeteners from your diet over the last 21 days! But also because getting a massage is also great for your body in that it stimulates movement of lymphatic fluids throughout your body, improves circulation, boosts your immune system, promotes healthy skin, helps you get better sleep, eases muscle tension (from all your walks and stretching), and reduces stress!
You just did 21 days of hard work in detoxing your sugar addiction as part of this challenge. This is a healthy lifestyle change that can be lasting if you choose it. And now that your taste buds have changed, it is a great time to keep it going. I mean why mess things up by eating added sugar at this point?
We would love to hear from you so that we can talk about your results in a future blog (don’t worry, no names will be mentioned). Email us at info@noblealchemy.com and let us know how it was for you. What prompted you to accept the challenge? What withdrawal symptoms did you experience? What was the hardest part? How much weight did you lose? Will you continue to watch your sugar intake after the challenge? And whatever else you want to share.
The journey to a healthier, happier you is so worth it. I know—because I lived it.
I stopped chasing skinny and started focusing on my health—and that single shift changed everything. I lost 140 pounds, but more importantly, I found clarity, energy, and a life that finally feels like mine. I share the whole story in my book. Click here to learn more and see what’s possible.
