I am claiming 2023 as a zero added sugar year! For the whole month of January, I managed to consume zero added sugar. I was afraid to put this goal in writing, but now I’m sure I can do this. My whole body feels so much better and I swear it has helped with healing and recovery from surgery.
January Wrap Up
My motivation for going sugar-free is completely and totally pain related. See my article about sugar and pain. I am tired of hurting. Pain for me is very intense after a sugar binge. Annoyingly enough, even though I know this I have had difficulty controlling sugar/emotional eating.
I’m also doing a little “gut experiment” that I plan to write about if I actually finish it. Being sugar-free is part of it. I am having my gut microbiome tested and will recheck it in 90 days and see if any of this has changed anything. See my article on food addiction and your microbiome for what prompted this. I really want to see whether I can eliminate the extreme sugar cravings. We’ll see.
No measuring, no calorie tracking
My only food-related goal for this year is zero added sugar. I am not tracking calories or measuring food. I am not measuring protein, carbs, or fat. The only thing I am looking at is added sugar in my diet. I probably had 5 fruits yesterday to deal with sugar cravings, but I’m good with that.
I am also still having chocolate! Unsweetened cocoa powder is sugar-free. I’ve been using this brand.
Amazon.com: NOW Foods Organic Cocoa Powder, Unsweetened-12 oz : Grocery & Gourmet Food
I mix it in with some cashew yogurt, so good. I plan to try to make some ice cream out of this too.
The entire month of January I have eaten sugar free! However, there might have been a couple of meals at the beginning of the month that had a tiny amount of added sugar (like 2 grams per meal), but I didn’t look closely at the labels. I’m being kind to myself on this one. Occasionally, there will be times when I cannot be perfect – like going out to eat with my family.
Zero Sugar Treats
However, I’m still setting this goal and will pick things that shouldn’t have added sugar in them. I am foregoing any obvious sweets – cookies, cakes, candy. I expect some pushback on this one.
That being said, I intend to make treats with cocoa, treats with fruits, zero-added sugar snack bars, etc. As I find the recipes or create them, I will post them.
I’m excited to see if I can do this! There hasn’t been a ton of stress in my life right now or triggers since I’m not working. Stress management and self-care are things I’m diligently working on. I am working on my sleep and meditating daily again.
I plan to post an update each month on how I did with this.
Zero Sugar Recipes
Finally, I’m also planning to start a weekly feature this week – Recipe of the Week. Because I am still sort of new at cooking, it’ll be fun to try this out. Although I do know how to cook, I truly suck at following recipes. I want to venture out and explore new things. Starting this week, each week I’m going to find a recipe from a fellow blogger and try it out. I’ll share my results, whether I liked it or not, and how well I did following the recipe. I think it should be fun. I hope to share lots of zero added sugar recipes!
That’s it for Monday. Wish me luck and stay tuned for workout pictures on my Run Teresa Run Instagram feed or my Run Teresa Run Facebook page. Have a great week!
2 thoughts on “Sugar-Free in 2023: Zero Added Sugar”
I also make a huge effort to reduce my sugar intake the past few years and it is really helping me feel better!
It’s amazing to me how much added sugar is in things. I knew there was a lot, but now I’m realizing that sugar is in lots of things that I didn’t realize. Like my vegetable broth had 2 added grams if sugar. I’m having to read labels a lot more closely.