Say “No” to Sugar this Summer

I’ve recently been reminded through various health TV shows (yes, Dr. Oz), health magazines, and online reading about the ill effects of sugar (it is linked to causes of obesity, diabetes, and cancer).  I’ll admit that I have been quite lazy in the sugar department over the past year.  The last 12 months was crazy with pregnancy, a newborn, and 3 moves.  Many times I felt like I was just surviving and my eating habits were not great.

Now that I have settled into a new normal, my old convictions are roaring back and it is time to get back to my own 10 tenets and a new conviction regarding sugar.  A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and my family to a “no sugar summer”.  I’ve been talking with my husband and kids about it.  2 of the 3 are on board…my husband and 9 year old daughter.  My 5 year old son is still resisting, but he is outnumbered at this point.

So, what is the No Sugar Summer about?  Here are the rules our family is following:

• Time Frame – the months of June, July, and August.  3 months.  Approximately 90 days.  Piece of cake, right?
• No food with processed sugar is allowed.   The only two sweeteners we can eat are honey and pure maple syrup.   I will be reading every label to make sure no added sugar is in the ingredients.   One item I realized this morning – the bread we like to buy at Costco doesn’t have sugar!  I thought it did!  Excellent!
• Milk – my kids have two glasses of soy or almond milk per day.  I’m still debating what to do about this one.  It does have sugar.  This might be an exception for them.  It is one of the few ways they get protein and other good nutrients.
• 2 Cheats per Month – We will allow two sugar treats a month, but the whole family has to agree to what the treat is and when we will splurge.  We are going to shoot for 1 per month, but we have two birthdays in July.  It is hard to pass up a delicious treat for birthdays, so we will say a maximum of 2 per month.
• 70% or more chocolate is ok, but only one square per day.  The benefits of dark chocolate are too great to not allow a little chocolate every day.  Besides, this might be my kids’ sanity….and mine, too!

So, what does all of this mean for us?

1. A simplified approach to cutting out processed food.  A lot of processed food has added sugars.  If you can’t eat sugar, you automatically eliminate many of the processed food choices!  This will help steer us back on track.
2. Clean out now!  I’ve been getting rid of everything with sugar for the past couple of weeks.  Our pantry and fridge is almost clean!
3. I will be baking much more.   Example: my daughter did a science experiment for school where she tried different sweeteners in sugar cookies.  She really liked the version that had honey in them.  She has already asked if we can make those.  Absolutely!  There is no sugar in them!   I will also keep us stocked with energy bites and cocoa coconut bites (both recipes on this blog).  I’ll be trying new items and posting the successful recipes.
4. What about those cool summer treats such as ice cream and popsicles???  This was a concern that my daughter had.  Well, we will have healthy but tasty options to enjoy.  I already started today.  I made a double batch of my breakfast smoothie and froze some as popsicles.  We will have smoothie pops as a cool summer treat.  I’ve got other ideas to try like fudge pops.  Again, any recipes that work will get posted.
5. Fruit will become sweet again…good enough to serve as a dessert.

My hope is that this sets a new norm for our family where sugar is not something that we want every day but something to enjoy for a special occasion.  What about you?  Will you join me in the “no sugar summer” challenge?

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