A Journey Away from Sugar: One Month Later

It’s been a month since I started taking a hard look at my family’s sugar intake.

I must say, I’m shocked at how quickly it went.

We’ve still got a long way to go, but we learned a ton and found that it doesn’t have to be as hard as you might think.

It sure helps to have support.  By doing SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener’s #GoodbyeSugar30 Challenge, we were educated and encouraged by others trying to live healthy lives as well!

SPLENDA® Naturals helped us take five baby steps towards less sugar in our lives.

• First, signing up for encouraging emails and following the hashtag #GoodbyeSugar30 on Facebook and Twitter brought us into community.
• We learned the different terms for sugar that keep it hidden in even savory foods. Words like dextrose, fructose, and maltose now raise a red flag for me.
• We used this new knowledge to identify obvious sources of sugar and realized how saturated our diets and our grocery stores are with them.
• Next we recognized what added sugars we could easily eliminate, or replace with SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener.
• Now we’re taking an honest look back to see if we really needed as much sugar as we thought.

We learned three main things.

Be Firm and Have a Plan

I knew sugar was out of control, especially in my kids’ diet. I wasn’t being the parent figure and “treats” were happening at every possible occasion. So we laid out a plan to only have one dessert, and that one dessert just after dinner, pending good behavior. It really has helped the whole flow of our day. No sugar highs just before nap time, just an expected treat once a day to keep us motivated.

Make it Yourself

It’s admittedly disheartening to find out that sugar is lurking in practically everything we consume that comes from a box. The solution? Make it yourself! Everything from pancakes to the jam you put on top can be made by eliminating sugar or replacing it with SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener. It’s great because it has a naturally sweet taste, without the calories, added flavors or artificial ingredients.

You Won’t Miss It (Mostly)

I thought this month was going to be torturous. And I’m sure going completely cold turkey would be worse, but cutting out a huge chunk of sugar just made me feel less sluggish. I’m excited to try and continue to make better choices in regards to my eating habits. Sugar doesn’t have to control me!

Don’t forget SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener is available nationwide in 40 and 80 count boxes at retail stores. For more information, visit SplendaNaturals.com

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.