Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Day 7: Sugar Makes Us Fat

By

Welcome to day seven of the Sugar Free Challenge!

We are officially done with one week of the challenge. How is everyone feeling about their first week of sugar-free?

Today’s Reason to be Sugar-Free: 

The single largest source of calories for Americans comes from sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup. Just take a look at the sugar consumption trends of the past 300 years:

-In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.

-In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year!

Today, 32 percent of Americans are obese and an additional one-third are overweight. Compare that to 1890, when a survey of white males in their fifties revealed an obesity rate of just 3.4 percent. In 1975, the obesity rate in America had reached 15 percent, and since then it has doubled.   —Dr. Johnson via Dr. Mercola

Here is today’s sample menu:

Breakfast: Saturday Morning Pancakes! Why not have some Gluten-Free Green Pancakes? I promise they taste delicious, and you get the extra bonus of some Vitamin A and K.

Lunch: Spicy Tomato Cure. There are a few sick siblings in my house, and the cold and flu seems to be circulating. If you or a loved one is sick, fill ’em up with this cure. It helps sooth the throat and stomach while killing bacteria and viruses.

Snack: Apple Crisps with Peanut Butter Hummus Dip

Dinner: Quiche with Flourless Crust

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Exercise Option: For those of you who chose to take part of the exercise challenge, your challenge today is to do 10 crunches, 5 squats, 5 pushups, 10 calf raises. Today’s the last day of this exercise-tomorrow the reps increase!

THOUGHT-PROVOKING, MIND-PRODDING QUESTION OF THE DAY:

How has your first week of sugar-free been? Have you stuck to it? Tell me about it!

Remember that you can track what you eat on the printable Challenge Checklist. 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. i made it! okay with the exception of morning coffee with 1 spoon of stevia, but compared to 3 spoons, i am really happy! less puffy, less tired, less moody, less depressed and more focused. the cravings are still there though & have been trying some sugar free recipes to feed the need. hoping to try your peanut butter cups this weekend and looking forward to another week. thank you for the challenge…i so needed this for my health!

  3. It’s going well! I am amazed at how much my cravings subside when I don’t eat sugar. So refreshing after the holidays. I’ll admit I’ve decided to occasionally use protein powder (with minimally added sugars). Cheating? Maybe, but it is just what has to work in my life I guess! 🙂 So glad I joined the challenge.

  6. It’s been a good week. I was surprised to find myself giving up coffee. I love coffee, or the idea of it. I hadn’t planned on giving that up along with the sugar, but that’s what my body wanted. Anyway, I haven’t had too many cravings, but I do eat fruit. There’s so much conflicting diet information out there, I read and read and end up feeling burned out and not knowing what to eat. However, giving up the sugar is a no-brainer. I just feel better. Glad you’ve got this challenge going on. Even just seeing the subject line of the email is enough of a reminder to keep me on track.

  7. First week down, yee hah. I’ve even got my partner into eating unsweetened dark chocolate! (Usually the only thing he’ll though is super sugary milk chocolate) Success!

    Feel great, having fun, bring on week #2!