We Quit Sugar for 21 Days

and then I went on a YOLO vacation 🫠

Hi everyone,

It’s Rachel! I just got back from a YOLO-style 40th birthday trip packed with coconut croissants, tropical cocktails, and more desserts than I care to count ~ sugar and I got reacquainted real quick. So writing this piece to reflect on quitting added sugar before my trip? Perfect timing. I need the reminder just as much as anyone. If you’re also feeling a little “off track,” this one's for you. Let’s get back in the saddle together.

We all know added sugar is bad.

In an interview with WSJ, Supermodel Gisele Bündchen calls it straight up “poison.” Harvard Health calls sugar one of the greatest threats to cardiovascular disease (read “The Sweet Danger of Sugar”). Dr. Robert Lustig, M.D., neuroendocrinologist, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), said the following in an interview clip from the Huberman Lab and it really stuck with me:

“I’m in favor of dessert…just not dessert for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.”

Our annual sugar detox challenge is a wake up call.

Added sugar is in SO MUCH of the food we eat. It’s not just candy, cookies, and the junk food; it’s in bread, crackers, protein shakes, etc. I don’t want to live a life without the good stuff and I enjoy delicious desserts or a flaky warmed butter croissant - the problem is when processed, sugary food is a constant throughout your day.

For three weeks in May, a small group of ah.mi subscribers committed together to cut out added sugar from our daily life. We found the only true way to cut out added sugar from your diet is to look at labels and pay attention to everything you are snacking on.

How we did it:

First off, having accountability and others committing with you is everything. ah.mi virtual small groups are our “secret sauce.”

We started with our No Added Sugar Guide prepared by Dr. Renee Korczak, PhD, RDN; it’s the best way to get into the right mindset. It has everything you need to get educated and set you up for success including how to properly read labels, what to look out for, easy swaps, etc.

Paid subscriber content we’re sharing below:

• Access to our No Added Sugar Guide

• Our biggest takeaways and tips

• Four of our fav “No Added Sugar” sweet treat recipes to keep in your freezer

• The results we felt after the 30 days

Let’s get into it…