I hope you are all having a great Monday!  Last week, I challenged you to eat a healthy breakfast for the ENTIRE week.

If you didn’t have a chance to check out the great breakfast recipes we posted, CLICK HERE <—

This week, I’m Challenging you to a:

“NO ADDED SUGAR WEEK.”

Added sugars (that don’t occur naturally in the foods you are eating) can be detrimental to your health.

Here are just a few of the MANY reasons to cap the sugar intake in your diet….

• Sugar promotes INFLAMMATION in the body (Inflammation is the ROOT of ALL disease in our bodies.)
• Large amounts of added Sugars will SUPPRESS the immune system.  (Imagine how your immune systems suffers if you are eating added and processed sugars at ever meal!)
• Sugars will suppress the release of HGH (Human Growth Hormone) in the body (and since HGH is imperative in anti-aging in our bodies, we want as much of this as our bodies are able to naturally produce.)
• Sugars will raise your insulin levels- which over time can lead to a whole host of diseases.
• Short term, added sugars will have a HUGE effect on your energy levels throughout the day.

By taking this challenge it means that you commit to having no ADDED sugars in ANYTHING you eat this week! 

Here are the Rules:

1.  No Added Sugars of ANY kind: Honey, Molasses, Cane Sugar, Coconut Sugar, Stevia, Truvia, etc.)

2.  Absolutely nothing in the ingredient label that says HFCS (High-Fructose Corn Syrup).  Try to stay away from all processed foods in general to make it easier on yourself (though that is another challenge for another week!)

3.  Do NOT eat anything that says Sugar-Free.  This will almost 100% of the time have artificial sweeteners in them.  General Rule of Thumb: If you can’t pronounce the ingredient, you probably shouldn’t be eating it!

Naturally occurring sugars in your food are OK (fruits, veggies, etc.) Try to eat your fruits earlier in the day (not past 3-4pm)

This Week’s Challenge may be a LOT harder than it looks….but you’ll be SHOCKED at how amazing you feel at the end of the week.

You’ll probably also notice you are sleeping better, have more energy, and may even have lost 2-3 pounds!  :-)

Are you UP FOR THIS CHALLENGE!??!?  

Here are a few tips for a Successful Week….

1.  Make sure you post a comment below saying that “I Accept this Challenge!”  

2.  Get RID of ALL Distractions or items that will keep you from your goals.  If you have other people in your home living with you, put their sugary foods in a separate cabinet or refrigerator shelf to keep you from temptation. (This step is HUGE!)

3.  Plan Out Your Food for the Week!  Just like you may have done last week with planning your breakfasts out for the week, sit down for 15 minutes to plan out what you will be eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner this week.  Taking the time to do this will tremendously increase your chances for success!

4.  Plan Out Your Reward/Consequences.  If you succeed at this challenge, what will be your reward?  (Please do not make it a Brownie Sundae!)  Something like a massage, manicure, and other non-food related rewards work best.  (You don’t want to start conditioning your self with food as prizes.)  Also, if you do NOT succeed with the challenge, what is your penalty?  (Example: Offering to do your husbands chores for a week, 150 Burpees, etc.)

Good Luck this week with the Challenge!  Don’t forget to leave a comment below if you are committed!