Sort of Legal

Hey-o, welcome “I tried…”, a new-ish segment of the blog, where I share something I’ve tried and how it went.  That’s it.  Simple concept. 

I Tried…

…consuming no added sugar for a month.  

Last year, I joined a friend on a month-long no-added sugar experiment.  This meant no foods or drinks with sugar added into them.  Foods with natural sugars, e.g. fruit, were OK.  I’m not one for extreme food challenges but this challenge seemed reasonable, healthy, and like it might even be fun to figure out.  So, I said “I’m in!” 

Perhaps naively, I wasn’t  too worried going into the month.  I wasn’t in the habit of  I felt like I had a pretty good handle on what foods tended to have added sugar – highly processed snacks, cereals, sweets, and breads.  Fruit juice was going to be my safety net for if I had a hankering for sweets.  I also decided that I was 95% committed – meaning I was going to try but also not go to extremes or continue if I was miserable. 

Here’s How it Went…

Overall, it went well! Some parts were easy, others challenging, and other surprising.  I wasn’t completely successful.  There were a few times that I inadvertently consumed added sugar and a few times I knowingly did.

But I never had a “screw it!” moment where I abandoned the challenge completely or ate a dozen cookies (as at least one person that tried this reported doing).  When I consumed added sugar, I simply got back on track, and that’s a philosophy I try to apply across the board.

I find that taking too rigid of an approach can sometimes cause people to give up too readily.  For example, if you say you’re going to work out every single day during a week and miss a day, it’s easy to say “well, I already failed this week so might as well not work out the other days.”  Our brains are weird.

Here are Some Highlights…

The Times I Consumed Added Sugar…

May seem like a lot but out of every single drink, meal, and snack for a month I was happy with this.  

Intentional Consumption

• Sushi with the family on New Year’s Day (great start, lol)
• Two meals out in Portland which may or may not have had added sugar, no way to tell
• Piece of chocolate
• Energy bar with added sugar

Unintentional Consumption

• Hard kombucha (although this should have been obvious)
• Broth (unintentional – but also W – T – F?! Sugar in broth?!)
• Handful of flavored chips
• Some other snack I can’t remember
• Amy’s freezer meal (realized after honey was in the ingredients)

The hardest parts of no added sugar…

• Finding no sugar added bars without dates (so many seem to use dates as a sweetener but I do not love that flavor.  Honestly, just consumed fewer bars)
• Not going out to eat
• Times I was really hungry and in need of a quick snack (these were some of the times I just ate what was around – like the chocolate)

The easiest parts of no added sugar…

• weekdays
• not sugar in coffee because I was already in the habit of milk only
• no dessert (most days, there were a few cravings)

I used my InstaPot A LOT during the month. Don’t have one? Prime would be happy to deliver one for you 😉 (check prices here)

Things that suprised me about no added sugar for a month…

• That some plain soup broths have sugar!! (I know I already mentioned it but I’m still not over it)
• How inconsistent brands were.  I couldn’t just buy based on brand.  Many brands had some items with sugar added and others without.
• How many savory foods had added sugar of some type.
• That labels might show zero added sugar in the main label but have a form of sugar in the ingredients.  Found out this is because if the amount is less than a certain measure it doesn’t have to be included on the nutritional facts section
• How many organic and self-labeled “healthy”  brands had added sugar – and sometimes significant amounts. 
• That I didn’t feel very “different.” I didn’t have any noticeable negative or positive changes in how I felt. (None-the-less even though I didn’t “feel” different, I know cutting added sugars = improved health)

Would I Do it Again?

Yes, but not during high season of a pandemic!

It’s well-established that consuming large amounts of added sugar isn’t good for weight management or overall health so the challenge was a great way to reduce added sugars in part by bringing more awareness to when I do eat them. (I welcome sugar in my cake but don’t like unknowingly consuming it in savory foods).

Trying it during a pandemic while living alone, I would not do again. Since you don’t know what’s in food when you go out, it pretty much cut going out to eat or getting delivert out. In Portland, OR at the time, outdoor dining was one of the few social or semi-social (i.e. eating alone but talking to your server) options available. And pandemics are stressful so getting food delivered is just plain nice during stressful times!

Lawyer Larissa (me) would like to remind you that this is my true, honest, and unpaid opinion, but I am sharing for information purposes only.  I am not encouraging you to try anything and make no representations or warranties about any information contained herein.  Always consult your medical provider or licensed nutritionist before making any dietary changes.