According to an American Heart Association survey, they found that the average American consumes around 22.2 teaspoons of added sugar every day. According to the new guidelines, we should really be eating a fraction of that amount. The recommended sugar intake for adult women is 5 teaspoons (20 grams) of sugar per day, for adult men, it’s 9 teaspoons (36 grams) daily, and for children, it’s 3 teaspoons (12 grams) a day.
I just spent an hour at the grocery store, scouring the shelves for anything No Sugar Added. I decided on Friday that I’m slacking a little in the category of sweets and am caving in and giving into the cravings more than I would like. So I did some research, specifically by Google-ing “cutting out sugar” and reading up on the topic.
Here is the guidelines I am going to (try to) follow for the next 30 days starting Monday, November, 5.
No foods that have added sugar of any kind. Basically, if it has added sugar of any kind (natural or otherwise) I am going to try not to eat it for the next 30 days. When I say no sugar, I mean no added sugar. There will be naturally occurring sugars in milk and yogurt as well as in fruit. That’s okay. The idea is to give up ADDED sugars. So when you read a nutrition label, look at the actual list of ingredients. NOT the % of sugar per serving.
So I was at the grocery store and I couldn’t find any NSA ketchup – so it looks like I’ll be skipping that for 30 days. I picked up cashew butter, plain Greek yogurt and strawberries to eat together, and a cereal that has 0 g. of sugar which I am pretty sure will taste like cardboard but I am determined to try this out. I am going to skip my piece of dark chocolate candy at lunch, obviously no sweets or baked goods with sugar.
Exceptions:
- I am going to continue to eat whole grain bread in the morning with does have a small amount of sugar which is necessary for the yeast to ferment in the process. I can’t skip carbs in the morning — I may try sugar-free oatmeal.
Do you know how many items have sugar in them? Ketchup, canned sauces, dressings, canned and dried fruit, its endless! And when you read the label you can’t just look for sugar. There are a ton of other words that all mean the same thing = sugar.
| Agave nectar Agave syrup Barley malt Beet sugar Brown rice syrup Brown sugar Buttered syrup Cane sugar Cane juice Cane juice crystals Carob syrup Confectioner’s sugar Corn syrup High fructose corn syrup Corn sugar Corn sweetener |
Corn syrup solids Crystalized fructose Date sugar Dextran Dextrose Diatase Diastatic malt Evaporated cane juice Fructose Fruit juice Fruit juice concentrate Glucose Glucose solids Golden sugar Golden syrup Grape sugar |
Grape juice concentrate Honey Invert sugar Lactose Malt Maltodextrain Maltose Maple syrup Molasses Raw sugar Refiner’s syrup Sorghum syrup Sucanat Sucrose Sugar Turbinado sugar Yellow sugar |
This doesn’t seem like its going to be that hard. But we will just wait and see. I am going to cut out diet soda and booze. I’ve already purchased some flavored waters to substitute in. My end goal is that I have less cravings for sugar and get a grasp on my cravings, and I’m always looking for a challenge 
Does anyone else want to join me? 30 days of No Sugar Added. Remember, I’m OK with eating natural sugars in fruits. Don’t let that confused you with added natural sugars (honey, agave or stevia). I will not be adding natural sugars to anything.
Remember, I am no dietician. I’m just me, trying to do the best I can for me and my health. So I might do some things wrong, or read some labels wrong, but I’ll do my very best and that’s all I can do.
Other resources if you decide to join me:
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I love that you are doing this! I recently went mostly Paleo and my sweet tooth is totally curbed. When I do end up eating somethign packaged and sugary I feel like butt after. I am with you on this whole “I love ketchup” train so I found a recipe for homemade with out sugar! I will probably try to make this too so if you decide to make it we can swap notes!!
Ingredients
•12 oz. tomato paste
•4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
•1 Tablespoon mustard
•1/4 cup+2 Tablespoons water
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
•1/8 teaspoon cloves
•1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
1.Combine all ingredients and whisk until combined. You may wish to blend in order to ensure the spices are evenly mixed throughout.
2.It is best to let the ketchup sit together in the fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight, before serving so that the flavors blend together well.
3.Store in an airtight container in fridge.
Thank you so much Megan! I might try to whip this up tonight
If you need any tips & tricks I am totally hear for you! I cut out sugar (ALL OF IT!!) from my life 10 years ago, I feel FANTASTIC. Sugar = COMPLETE crap that everyone should rid from their lives! Very proud of you for trying this!
You will succeed!
thank you for your support! Day 1 went well. So what do you do about ketchup? peanut butter? salad dressings? breads and pasta? What about zero calorie sugar substitutes? do you avoid those too? Like splenda, stevia, or xanthym gum? Sorry I have so many questions – I’m a newbie.
I want to do this, too. We have seriously reduced the amount of sugar consumed by my family in the last 6 months. I have switched to Stevia, but mostly just for my 2 cups of coffee in the morning. We took action first against the soda for us and the Capri Suns and crap drinks for our kiddos. But there is still a lot we need to tackle. One at a time. Thanks for sharing — I enjoy reading and nominated you for a One Lovely Blog Award this morning.
Good for you!
[...] No Sugar Added this has proved to be difficult. The first week was terrible. I was OK with the cashew butter [...]