It’s February 1st! Meaning … that’s a wrap on Sugar Free January! WHAT WHAT WHATTTTT! We seriously did it.
I don’t know about you guys, but I actually really enjoyed stepping away from refined sugar for a month, and I’m totally being serious. Admittedly, there were moments, especially breakfast-related moments, where all I wanted was a fat stack of pancakes soaked in maple syrup… + fruit… + pastry… + mocha. But last night while Bjork and I were watching Netflix, I snacked on an orange and made myself a peppermint tea and I pinkie swear I was not missing an-y-thing. I mean, that’s basically HEALTH GOALS all-around, right?! I think what makes me so happy isn’t just that I was following all the sugar free rules, but that I was actually enjoying it.
Today I put together a few thoughts about what it was like for me to take a balanced and flexible approach to being sugar free for the month of January.
And of course, I would love to hear from you in the comments. OBVIOUSLY TELL ME EVERYTHING.
- Did you do sugar free January?
- Did you like it or hate it?
- Was it harder or easier than you thought?
- What changes did you notice?
- Which recipes were your favorite?
- What are you going to do moving forward?
Okay, I’ll go first.
What’s Been Good
There are three main things I’ve feel good about during sugar free January:
Saying no to pop aka soda (I live in Minnesota – we say pop – I know, I know). I don’t normally drink a lot of pop, so it wasn’t like I was breaking a huge habit here. But I do like pop, under normal circumstances, and to be honest, the few sips I had mid-month during our Hawaii trip were just loads sweeter than I wanted them to be. It felt good to find my tastebuds not wanting something so sweet.
No coffee drinks. Pop wasn’t so hard. This one was hard. But now that I’ve been without a mocha or a royal tea latte for a month, I feel like I’m better able to calibrate for sugar in general. My tastes aren’t so adjusted to these super-sweet drinks. Usually it goes something like this: Ugh, I really want a mocha. // But I think I’ll just get a tea. // Wow, this tea is actually really good and I love it.
No mega-desserts. I feel REALLY good about this one. I almost always crave something sweet right after I eat, or maybe an hour or two after dinner when we’re watching TV in the evening. But other than splitting one dessert with Bjork in Hawaii, I really didn’t have any major desserts throughout the month of January and, um, not to get braggy, but that feels awesome. I feel like I proved to myself that a really good, fresh, juicy winter orange or a date smeared with peanut butter is just as enjoyable as a brownie. I KNOW! Who am I right now. But this is what happens to me when I give up sugar, and I like it. My tastebuds have readjusted themselves.
What’s Been Hard
My two problem areas were persistent throughout the month:
I craved refined grains. Like white rice, white bread, white flour, flour tortillas, etc. For example, I always found myself wanting battered and fried chicken over regular chicken, or a white bread sandwich over wheat. That is strange for me because normally I don’t mind the whole grains. But for whatever reason, I kept finding myself making more exceptions in this category than I had planned. Not a huge deal – just something I was aware of and found interesting.
I craved sweet breakfasts. There’s probably some science behind this, but even as a savory breakfast lover, I’d always wake up craving something sweet. Towards the end of the month, I started to get a little loose and giving myself a glass of orange juice in the morning, which was not necessarily in the plan, but I felt like it was a good in-between of savory breakfast and straight-up sugar cereal. I found that the most effective way to handle this breakfast mega-craving was to either have some kind of carb + fat combo (whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter, toast with butter, etc.) or wait an hour or two to eat until my savory cravings kicked in. Usually once I had been awake for a while, I was more excited about a quick hash with an egg on top, but dang, getting around that morning sugar craving was tough.
The Effects
Here are some of the effects I experienced going sugar free for a month:
Food just tasted better! Things that were supposed to be sweet actually tasted sweet – imagine that. This made me really happy because that was the big goal for me in going sugar free for a month. There were a few times I ate a piece of fruit and was just blown away by the natural flavor and sweetness. Yay for food!
I trained (or started training) my brain to find alternatives to a sweet craving. Thought 1: I want cake. Thought 2: A piece of fruit with a little wedge of cheese also sounds pretty good. Sometimes all it takes is paving a new path. Once you find alternatives that you can confidently say are just as good as the thing you’re missing, it becomes so much easier.
I felt just generally more stable and balanced. Truthfully, I didn’t have a huge energy boost, and I actually slept worse in January for reasons probably unrelated to sugar. Go figure. But on a day-to-day level, I did feel more grounded. As a person that is highly sensitive to all-around stimuli (caffeine, noise, weather, etc.), what I am realizing is that sugar may have contributed to my pre-sugar-free-January ups and downs more than I realized. So, I guess it’s not all that surprising that January felt much better. I was making better decisions and not feeling so much overwhelm.
What Happens Next
My plan moving forward is to stay “Sugar Aware” and try to keep refined sugar to special occasions (vacation, birthdays, a weekend treat). Here are some practical ways I have done this in the past:
- Saving wine, cocktails, soda, and/or desserts for weekends.
- Ordering coffee drinks “half-sweet” or with half the amount of syrup…. OR just reminded myself that I actually do enjoy an unsweetened decaf Americano with cream, or an unsweetened orangey-cinnamony hot tea.
- Drinking sparkling water with a few berries or a wedge of lime while I make dinner so I don’t miss the glass of wine.
- Drinking hot tea in the evening. New routine!
- Using dates or bananas instead of refined sugar in recipes.
- Adding an additional pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness in a recipe (for example, these homemade almond butter cups).
- Mastering savory breakfasts. I really do feel like having the right breakfast helped set the tone for the day when I was able to start with eggs, toast, avocado, cheese, greens, roasted vegetables, etc. instead of sugary foods. Even oatmeal or chia pudding with a natural sweetener didn’t leave me feeling as balanced as something with some protein, healthy fat, carbs, and maybe even a hit of spice. Maybe I need to investigate some savory meal prep options. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to drop a comment.
- Really savoring the sweet things. If I’m having dinner with my friends and someone makes dessert, I want to really, fully commit to that. I want to be aware of every delicious, warm, gooey, melty, ice-creamy bite. What I don’t want is to absentmindedly eat the leftover dessert the next day while scrolling through Instagram before lunch. If and when I opt in to sugar, I want to really be present to that. I want to fully enjoy it.
Favorite Recipes
Okay, my favorite recipe from Sugar Free January is… OMG, I could never pick. I legitimately adore them all and worked really hard to make sure I was only posting recipes I truly loved. But if I had to pick?
I think I would say, for me, at the moment, it’s the Kale Caesar Salad with Sweet Potato Fries. It’s just everything I want from a veg lunch. The flavor of the dressing is just right – definitely punchy and bold without being overbearing, and because it’s an avocado-based dressing, I actually feel okay about smothering my kale in it. The side of sweet potato fries adds warmth, crunch, carb-ature, and a little sweetness… gah. It’s just my perfect combo.
YOUR favorite recipes this month? Here are some recipe wins:
- Top Rated: Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato and Kale
- Most Comments: Red Pepper Cashew Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
- Top Shared on Social Media: Yummy Salmon Burgers with Slaw
- Most Pics on Instagram: Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
- Most Pics on Instagram (Runner Up): Almond Butter Cups
Hey You – Good Work!
Congratulations to everyone who did Sugar Free January with us! Whether you went all-out in removing sugar from your diet or just casually tried to be aware of your sugar intake, I am so, so happy for you! You’ve taken a manageable, practical, and friendly step in the direction of food enjoyment and food health. I have LOVED creating these recipes and you guys have just (literally) eaten them up. The amount of screenshots of your recipes in my camera roll is just… it’s scary. Scary awesome.
I’m so thankful for your energy this month, and I can’t wait to share more really tasty sugar-aware food with you!
In case no one has told you today: you’re awesome. And that’s unrelated to sugar. You’re just awesome.
Now – tell me about it! How did it go for you?
I didn’t do sugar free in January. But I have done it before–you are right, the taste buds realign. Now, however, back to my old ways! So interested in finding out what others thought. Got sick awhile back–thought I was going to die with no dairy and no sugar till my stomach got backon track. Do you know how much food we eat that has dairy in it? seriously! and sugar?
congrats on wrapping up the month! š when i do indulge in a coffee drink, i also do the half-sweet thing. i really don’t need all of that syrup to get the same flavor. i’m also trying to limit alcohol to weekends and have been subbing in sparkling water on weeknights. i admit i’m not a sparkling water fan by nature, but little by little i’ve been coming around!
I really like Starbucks but I frequently order drinks with fewer pumps of whatever flavor it comes with!
Doing Sugar Free January was tough for me in unexpecting ways. I do not usually have a sweet tooth for traditionally sugary things (pop and desserts) but my boyfriend sure does. (Giving up pop and chocolates after so many given to us from Christmas was hard for him but I had no problem with those)
For me, realizing how much added refined sugar is already in things like pasta sauces and yogurt was shocking. I did not give up wine, but I quickly realized how much sugar I am ingesting with those causal glasses while making dinner. I also realized I NEED sugar in black tea. So I made the switch to herbal for the month.
All in all it was a great experience and your Spicy Peanut Soup was great meal prep for lunches as well as those Almond Butter Cups (OMG) Here’s to being more balanced and sugar -aware in 2018
Did you do sugar free January?
-Yes, well I am doing sugar free Jan 14-Feb 13
Did you like it or hate it? LIKE!
Was it harder or easier than you thought?
-easier – although I cheated for sure.
What changes did you notice?
I don’t NEED candy from the candy drawer at work every afternoon.
Which recipes were your favorite?
spicy chicken and sweet potato meal prep!
What are you going to do moving forward?
Be mindful of candy and sugar that I don’t need. I liked your idea of replacing desert with a hot tea each night.
Thank you for inspiration!!
You mentioned your quest for different breakfast. I too love hot breakfast with eggs and toast. Traveling to a few Asian countries I was amazed that many eat soup for breakfast. In Vietnam I would have Chicken Pho and I would be satisfied most of the day. I don’t know how practical it is but I’m sure you can think of a way to make a breakfast soup that’s easier to prepare!
I did Whole 30 for the month of January (no sugar or sweeteners, honey, maple syrup, etc; no grains; no legumes; & no dairy). Itās my second time doing it, and Iām always stunned at the amazing food I come up with to eat, how good it tastes, and how great I feel eating it! Thanks for the extra encouragement for no sugar!
And as far as savory breaksfasts, I did a veggie and sausage egg bake (basically a quiche with no crust or dairy), and loved having it! I carmelized leeks/onions/garlic along with peppers, mushrooms, spinach and whatever else I hadnāt on hand. Placed in a greased round 9ā baking dish and covered with 6 eggs whipped with some yogurt. The carmelized veg actually brought out a sweetness that made my sweet cravings go away, plus the high protein kept me FULL – bonus if you have some avacado to go on top!
Savory breakfast win with one of your recipes? I make a double (or really, sometimes triple) batch of cauliflower walnut taco meat and freeze whatever is leftover. I add it to lots of things, but make a fake huevos rancheros with it. Add black beans, avocado and salsa and feta. So, so good. Also, a recipe request…can you figure out how to make an Indian inspired walnut cauliflower meat dish??
Lindsay …
I just LOVED everything about your challenge (insert all the praise hands emojis) …
I work as a wellness consultant for local businesses, and your post explaining ‘sugar free january’ is EVERYTHING people need to hear! I so appreciate the guidelines you set, the worksheet, the overall concept, and how this kind of challenge is MANEAGABLE and sets people up for success! This is the first kind of challenge I have done, because in the blog, and social media world, it is the first one that I have felt is REAL and aligns with my personal wellness philosophy š I even got my husband to do it with me! I- we loved it- honestly. And I’m really considering doing it again, or implementing these principles more regularly into our lives. Thank you so much for your blog, your words, and your recipes!
Hi Lindsay, I’m looking for the menu you shared at the start of Sugar Free January. I wasn’t able to find it via search. Is it still available? If so, I’d love a link. I’m 1 week into sugar free February…looking for fresh inspiration!
Yes! Here it is: https://pinchofyum.com/sugar-free-january-meal-planning-guide
Thank you!
For the record, your Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato and Kale is so good, that my friend/coworker and I keep trying to find another perfect soup to make so that we don’t get burned out on the peanut soup. Somehow nothing compares to how good that peanut soup is.
Next stop, kale caesar.
I didn’t do sugar-free january. I lived sugar free for a while when I was a teenager. Now I don’t crave sweets like I used to. Although I’ve always preferred savory to sweet.
We really enjoyed low-sugar January! My boyfriend did development an unhealthy addiction to dates and peanut butter at night, so he may have been eating equal sugar lol. Cutting back on drinking wasn’t hard unless we went to a social event on the weekends so that was hard. Moving forward, I’m going to save dessert for 1 day a week, continue with whole grains, and save drinking for the weekends.
Also salmon burgers!!! I have the tacos and chocolate cups on my list.
Oh & Im from Northern Illinois, we say pop. It seems like NO ONE else does.
I was born and raised in Washington State. I have always said “pop” although I stopped drinking pop in 1992.
Loved it! For me, sugar is clearly a drug and the more I have the more I need. It was so great to be rid of that. And I felt so much better, that many times during the month when I was presented with the opportunity to have dessert, I politely declined and didn’t feel one iota of regret. I DID have dessert one night, because for a year I’d been obsessed with this chocolate babka from Zabars Bakery in NY. I was having people over and I thought, “I want to try my hand at my own homemade chocolate babka.” It was really good, but I was happy to give away the leftovers and get back to business. Thanks Lindsay for being a great leader.
I didn’t do sugar-free January, but I did cook your wild rice “meat”balls and they were so good that I’ve made them two more times this month! The first time was following your recipe exactly – which was delish. The second & third time were on spaghetti. I like your swedish meatballs best but I am often outvoted by my family. š Thank you for the recipe!
Sugar Free January totally rocked my world in the best way possible. The first week was tough, withdraw headaches for the first few day but after that I felt SO GOOD! My sleep improved, cravings almost totally went away, I discovered so many new things to eat that I loved so much, and 9 lbs just melted off. I found giving myself the grace for a bite of emergency dark chocolate kept me from going off track and indulging in sweets. I plan to continue to lived an a version of this lifestyle for the forseeable future!
LOVED trying this out for a month. I had a little licorice + italian sandwich slipup but otherwise, the fam survived 3/4 weeks! I feel like I reeled in my sweet tooth and agree with you, my tastebuds are much more sugar aware now. We tried a bunch of your recipes, lots of bowls, and everything was soo delish. Question though: love making sauces in the food processor bc they bring so much flavor to the game but cleaning it is not fun; any tips for making it easier?! Maybe I could pulse w/water to make clean up easier?
Hi Lindsay!
My husband, 2 year old daughter and I did sugar free January with you. And it was awesome!! We absolutely loved it!! My daughter didn’t really notice.. Hahaha… But my husband and I found we have more energy and no sweet cravings anymore. We do have one dessert day a week with a sugar free dessert. That’s our special treat. Because of sugar free January I was able to cut my coffee consumption from 3 cups to none. Now I have a coffee maybe 2 or 3 times a week. But I don’t depend on it. We drink a lot more green smoothies now. All in all we decided to continue on the sugar free journey and add it to our gluten and dairy free diet.
I absolutely love your Golden Soup recipe!!! It’s so simple but so tasty! We’ve had it 3 times this month! My daughter loves loves your Red Pepper Cashew Pasta. So those are our 2 favorite recipes right now. Thank you so much for your recipe ideas and blog posts!!
Lindsay and Bjork – i just want to say thanks again for organizing this! ā„ļø Y’all motivated me to do something that I’d thought about probably for years, but was always too scared to do. And guess what? It was WAY easier than I thought!
I also feel much more stable and balanced, and am loving it. I’m planning to basically continue, just allow some more flexibility to enjoy something sweet as a treat on the weekends!
Keep being awesome!
I finally made the decision to cut down on Hibachi buffet and get organized with eating right.
I didn’t do this in January, but I printed off the sugar free plan and made some lists today. I really want us to, at the very least, cut the amount of refined sugar we’re eating. I think it will make a big difference to our health.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
In general, I don’t eat sugar. I avoid added sugars as much as possible, even if they’re “natural sugars” like honey and maple syrup. That being said, if you’re a fan of oatmeal, cooking it with banana and a glob of peanut butter usually satisfies my sweet breakfast cravings!
I’ve done Whole30 twice and it’s amazing how much sugar is in everything! it’s hard, but very rewarding. It has changed how I taste food now, and thankfully has made a positive impact on my eating habits. It’s definitely worth a try!
That’s awesome Jodee – glad you had a good experience doing Whole30!
I definitely cut out most refined sugar this month and it reminded me of all the benefits of my Whole30 a couple of years ago. I used to be a Supertaster (which just means I over-tasted bitter). We even tested it in a neuroscience class in college, where we passed around these little strips and all but 2 of us said it just tasted like paper. Sadly, myself and a fellow classmate rushed to the trash cans and started scraping our tongues. Fast forward to my 2016 resolution to complete a Whole30, and by the end of it I loved any and every vegetable known to man! I could drink black coffee too, which was amazing (I couldn’t stand even heavily sweetened coffee before that). It made me realize just how much my sugar-heavy diet affected my perception of other flavors.
Long story short (too late) going low-sugar for a month can be seriously life changing!
That’s so interesting! I’d love to get my hands on that test š
Totally appreciate the kick in the pants to attempt sugar free January! I had a lot of travel planned for the last month so I didn’t go all-in but still think I really benefited from forcing myself to consider the healthier option when eating out, adding some go-to sugar-free items to my grocery rotation, and realizing how casually (and regularly) I was consuming dessert. Plus, the spicy peanut soup, obvs.
Love that. Thanks Katie!
I am also starting off by thanking you for this little exercise to start off the new year! My husband and I both did – we kept red wine, maple syrup and honey in our “contract”.
We had one crash when we ordered pizza (Dominos – I know, I know…) at the end of the first week – we have 2 kids so it was a request from them, but we picked ourselves up and moved on – no guilt.
I would say that I developed the biggest appreciation for: looking at labels for the added sugar that we do NOT need, natural peanut butter (I am a Jif girl from WAY back), dates (I never had one, not sure why), and plain Greek yogurt. The hardest thing was giving up the jelly beans that I eat when I am bored at work – I did not have ONE and now I don’t really want them…
I think we will continue on this path and remain “sugar aware” and also embrace the realization that we really didn’t give up anything that we really and truly missed.
Thank you for this little experiment!
I feel ya on peanut butter!! Love hearing about your experience Laura.