Sugar-Free February: JOIN ME?!

So. I’m in need of a major sugar detox. When I got pregnant, ice cream became my nightly glass of wine, and even after having Gracie my sugar addition has continued. I honestly have some sort of chocolate, ice cream or dessert every day. But now that Gracie is almost a year old, it’s time for me to regroup! I have done a month-long sugar detox before and I can honestly say it really helped to recalibrate my palate.

Selfishly, though, I don’t want to do it alone. Please join me?! If you’re up for it, below are the rules for Sugar-Free February that I will follow.

SUGAR-FREE FEBRUARY RULES:

• NO SUGAR – but if there’s absolutely no other option, go for 1g or less.
• NO artificial sugar or any kind of sugar substitutes – truvia/splenda/honey/etc.
• I’m still going to eat fruit, but only whole, raw versions – so no fruit juice, applesauce, fruit on the bottom yogurts, etc.
• I’m still going to drink wine! 🙂 (I figure I have to go 9 months without it while pregnant so I don’t want to cut it out while I’m not. haha!) But props to you if you cut that out too!
• I’m going to try for NO cheat days, but if you have a special event in February you could give yourself 1 day!

MY ADVICE:

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare! Go grocery shopping before Friday and get yourself a bunch of sugar-free options to snack on right off the bat. The first couple days are by far the hardest and I remember there were several times I thought I would cave.
2. CHECK ALL LABELS. There are so many foods that have hidden sugars in them! One serving of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese has six grams!  (And who honestly eats only one serving?!) A serving of Jif Peanut Butter has three grams. A serving of Chobani PLAIN, nonfat greek yogurt has nine, and one serving (16 crackers) of whole grain Wheat Thins has 3 grams. Oh, and don’t even get me started on ketchup…
3. Treat yourself by thinking outside the box. Herbal teas can taste really sweet without adding any sugar. I also blended frozen bananas with some unsweetened almond milk and cinnamon to eat as ‘ice cream.’ Not bad! Use unsweetened coconut milk in your coffee, or even just plain cream or whipped cream (check the labels though!)–sometimes adding a little fat vs. sugar will actually be more satisfying!

Let me know if you want to join me and we can support each other through this difficult time. 🙂 But seriously, doing it together will be so much more motivating and we can keep each other honest. GOOD LUCK!