Sounds kind of scary doesn't it?
After stumbling upon this 8-week challenge back in November it's been the topic of conversation with a friend of mine. We both considered the amount of sugar in our diets and decided that we'd try it together. Since we knew we'd struggle to start this challenge through the holidays, we decided to begin the challenge January 1st as a symbolic start to the new year.
The premise of the challenge is to slowly rid your body of sugar, and identify the source of "cravings". This past weeks challenge has been to purge and avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup {HFCS}. To be honest this week hasn't been as much of a challenge for me as we've been pretty conscious of avoiding HFCS in the things we have been eating over the past year. However, now I'm even MORE aware of the ingredients in things like snacks and desserts. There was little in my pantry or fridge with HFCS, but we ended up eating out a lot more this week than expected due to our kitchen under construction and that meant being a little more careful in the items I ordered. Also, I usually share in the community coffee at school and dump loads of coffee creamer in it...and yes, it has HFCS....as to most of the syrups added to specialty coffees at coffee shops.
While taking a break from the mess of a kitchen, Dan and I headed to Starbucks for some hot drinks. I usually order a mocha or some variation of it, however this time I opted for a spiced chai latte, made with milk and Chai Black Tea concentrate - which is made with only natural sugars like honey and maple syrup [depending on brand]. This has been my drink of choice this week as we headed to the grocery after and bought some for the week {the register spit out a coupon for another container, so I stocked up today!}.
Over all it's been a pretty easy challenge so far, I've taken a little more notice of the things I eat on a regular basis and have noticed I am drinking much more water. I know the challenge will get harder over the coming weeks as we cut out thinks like refined grains and sugars, and eventually limit natural sweeteners. I may not make it all the way through, but for now I feel like it's a good challenge and learning experience as I am more aware of the chemicals I'm putting into my body each time I grab a handful of those delicious M&Ms!
Next week: Whole grains.
