Hi Byte Wellness Fam!

How are you?

Are you keeping up with the Slash Added Sugars Challenge? Don’t be intimidated by the name.

This challenge isn’t only for people who aim to cut all added sugars our of their lives. It’s for anyone who wants to re-evaluate their relationship with sugar- *periodt*.

To be clear, this challenge isn’t asking you to cut all added sugars out of your life. The message here isn’t that added sugars, or any food, is bad. The message is that over-indulgence in added sugars can harm us, unlike the whole food sugars found in fruits.

And, the fact is, most of us over-indulge in added sugars. The average American eats 3 times the amount of added sugars that the American Heart Association recommends for women.

According to one study, 90% of the added sugars Americans eat comes from ultra-processed foods. That's a problem. At best ultra-processed foods don't have much nutritional benefit. At worst, they increase our risk of otherwise preventable chronic diseases.

Wouldn't we be better off if at least some of that stomach space was filled with more helpful whole food sugars

Most of us could stand to be more aware of what we eat- especially the quality of sugar we’re eating. The Slash Added Sugars Challenge asks us to take a beat and: 1) check where added sugars may have crept into our diet and 2) remind ourselves that they don’t have to be there.

Not too late to join! Text SUGAR to 1(224)302-6224 in order to get daily accountability texts and weekly goal-setting workshops.

How To Win the #SlashAddedSugars Challenge

WHAT: Cut back on added sugars that we eat and drink. Added sugar is sugar that’s added to foods and drinks (including table sugar, syrups like agave and maple and high-fructose corn syrup as well as honey). We’re most likely to find added sugars in refined/highly-processed food. But, sometimes added sugars hide in food we normally think of as healthy! So, we have to be vigilant.

Not sure whether your food or drink has added sugars? Here’s how you can find added sugars in the ingredients list and the nutrition facts.

WHEN: 21 days from Sunday November 6th to November 26th.

HOW TO WIN: Choose 1 food or drink that you use on a daily or near-daily basis that has more than 6 grams of added sugar in it.

Our goal is to cut out at least 6 grams of that added sugar (by eating less-or-none of the food).

WHY:

The American Heart Association recommends women limit added sugars to no more than 25grams (6 teaspoons) per day- much less than what most of us eat.

Eating too much added sugar can increase our chances of gaining dangerous weight and developing conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Filling up on added sugar also means we might be missing out on the plant magic of whole foods sugars (like fruits and veggies).

See, whole food sugar comes with perks that keep our bodies healthy: fiber, vitamins and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of phytonutrients. But, the more highly-processed items that tend to deliver the way too many added sugars don’t have deliver as many of those healthy perks.

Meanwhile, in case you’re trying to decide how to handle your post-Halloween candy… pop over to the blog to learn 6 hacks for beating that sugar craving.

Setting Realistic Goals Around Added Sugars

In this past week’s #PhyteWellWednesday Workshop, we reviewed the My TERMS worksheet for setting achievable wellness goals. How does it apply to your goal to cut back on added sugars this month?

Watch the recording in our online community here.