The Start of My Journey

Hello, I get 95% benefits when cut down suger for 30 days, my name is Sam, and for the most part, I live a pretty healthy life. I mean, I work out regularly, drink tons of water, and generally eat very healthy. However, lately, things really have begun spiraling. Cookies, chocolate, donuts—I have quickly become a cereal snacker. And without a doubt, I am far from being the lone ranger in this struggle. In the United States, sugar consumption continues to climb each year. For instance, 200 years ago, Americans on average ate about two pounds of sugar a year. Today, the average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar per year. There’s got to be some change.

I live a pretty healthy life-I mean, exercise consistently, drink a lot of water, and I eat healthy. However, lately, things have really started to spiral-cookies, chocolate, donuts. I have just turned into a cereal snacker, and I definitely am not alone in the United States. Sugar intake continues to increase yearly. For example, 200 years ago, Americans on average ate about two pounds of sugar per year. Today, on average, Americans consume 152 pounds per year. Something’s got to change. So, for the next 30 days:. I’m going to cut down sugar from my diet to see how my body is going to react to this, and hopefully get my eating habits on track. Day one: I went to the grocery store to stock up with food for the week, and clearly, there are foods that have added sugar in them—like breakfast cereals or granola bars—but I started to realize just how much sugar is in the things we eat.

Exercise is defined as a physical activity. Jogging, morning walks, fresh fruits, eat healthy High-Protein Foods, fresh water almost 10 glasses a day.

A Grocery Store Revelation

So, I am going to cut out sugar from my diet for the next 30 days as a clean-up of my health and hopefully a way to get my eating back on track. On day one, I head into the grocery store to stock up with food for the week. I mean, even knowing that obvious things, like cereals or granola bars, contain added sugar, I was quite surprised by how much sugar comes in usual purchases. Even things that I presumed were good for my health turn out to have added sugar. It was an eye-opener.

It was not easy, despite all the added sugars. I was able to come up with some fabulous options: tofu, cherry tomatoes, mixed greens, oat milk without added sugar, feta cheese, carrots, peppers, canned beans and lentils, and pumpernickel bread with no added sugar. I’ve still got a pretty good haul here to make some good, healthy meals without sugar in them. So, here’s to hoping this first week goes pretty well.

Making Small Tweaks

While my meals do not usually contain a lot of added sugar, it would still slightly require some adjusting to be completely without the sugar component.

Things like swapping salad dressings out for lemon juice and salt and pepper, or swapping brown sugar with blueberries in my oatmeal for breakfast. One important thing to note here is that natural sugar found in fruits is different from added sugar. It comes with fiber, nutrients, antioxidants—things that keep me full. Added sugar is only sugar. So I’ll be eating fruit during this challenge.

The Battle with Cravings

Even with some solid meals prepped, I still run into a problem I did not expect: cravings. Lately, I find myself constantly looking for something sweet to snack on, but there’s just nothing here. Cravings quickly became a problem, some small and easily manageable, while some a bit more difficult. But I remain strong and persevere.

Only on day 5 did I start feeling a huge difference in my energy levels. I found myself struggling to concentrate on work all day, and even physically I felt the effects. A pounding headache, for which I’m really not prone, was bugging me. Could that be part of the sugar withdrawal syndrome?. After reading a bit, I learned among common withdrawal symptoms are cravings, fatigue, and headaches. I hate to admit it, but I believe I am a sugar addict.

Finding Alternatives

After trudging through the first couple of weeks, I begin to head back to the grocery store, hopeful that there might be some tasty snack foods available to feed my cravings. I attempt to bake kale chips, which are not as horrific as one might assume. They taste nothing too special in comparison to normal chips, but they’re not disgusting. I fall into new snacks, like fruits, hummus with carrots, rice cakes, and popcorn without sugar. Once I get a feel for the snack situation, boy, things really start to look up. Now, I’m feeling pretty good—really darn good—and the cravings aren’t coming on like they were in week one.

Another great thing about the challenge is that it opened a new world of healthier snack options for me. Now I get excited to eat snacks that aren’t loaded with added sugar. Having those options enables me to make better balancing in my diet and makes me overall smarter in choosing. It’s all about the healthy options that you enjoy.

The Final Weeks and Takeaways

It isn’t until the final two weeks that I really start to notice some positive benefits. I feel like I am eating more healthily, and I have been more strategic with my meals to stay fuller to fend off cravings. My energy levels seem to be evening out, and I have been able to fit in good workouts without feeling exhausted later in the day.

Of course, with the good, some downsides exist. Cutting sugar takes much of the fun out of eating—not to mention limiting how you might celebrate special occasions or new treats. I think, though, that my biggest takeaway from this challenge is just how little regard I had for how much sugar I was consuming on a regular basis. Not that sugar is bad, but being in control of how much I’m consuming.

 

These past 30 days have definitely helped me get some of that control back and built up my intuition so that I can be smarter about my eating moving forward. When I do eat sugar, then I can really enjoy a Sports Nutrition Protein Bar.

Thanks for reading this blog. I hope you enjoyed my journey and found it informative. Please do like it if you enjoyed the content and do subscribe to my channel for more updates. Stay fit and take care!