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| Can giving up sugar for a month lead to real benefits? |
| A no-sugar challenge typically involves cutting added sugars from your diet and eating more nutritious, whole foods and drinks — usually for 30 days.️ |
| The potential health benefits of reducing your sugar intake in the long term are pretty enticing, like lowering your risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood sugar, cavities, and heart disease, clearing up acne, boosting energy, and relieving anxiety. But aside from decreasing your blood sugar levels, you’re unlikely to see any real health changes just by cutting sugar for 1 month.️ |
| Instead of taking a restrictive approach that may be hard to keep up long term, it may be more beneficial to spend that time tracking your sugar intake and figuring out what sustainable change looks like to you.
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| Depending on the patterns you notice, you might decide to reduce how often you eat ice cream, say from 2 nights per week to 2 nights per month, or make meal swaps like eating eggs for breakfast instead of sweetened cereal.️ |
| Or, you may swap out foods with added sugar for more foods with natural sugar. “The natural sugar from fruit (or dairy products for that matter) is a packaged deal with a lot of other things that benefit your body, like fiber,” explains registered dietitian Annie Hibbs. “Added sugars, on the other hand, add extra calories without any nutritional benefit.” |
Regardless of whether you’re trying to cut down on sugar for a month or in the long term, you might try to limit how often you eat foods with added sugars like:
- juices and sodas
- sugary baked goods like cookies, cakes, and donuts
- sweet cereals, granola, and flavored oatmeal
- candies and chocolate
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You’ll also want to boost nutrients with healthier foods and drinks that are free from added sugars, such as:
- vegetables like broccoli, spinach, carrots, and sweet potatoes
- fruits like apples, berries, and oranges
- proteins like chicken, fish, beef, and eggs
- complex carbs like beans, quinoa, and brown rice
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| Remember, even seemingly small shifts can go a long way toward improving your diet and protecting your health over time — and lead you closer to reaping the health benefits of lowering your sugar intake. |
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| 💌 Living with diabetes and want to learn which snacks or meals are best for you? Sign up for our Care Journey newsletter to receive more personalized nutrition stories with one-click here!️ |
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