2 Day No Sugar Challenge: Imagine, if you don’t need to exercise for hours every day to lose weight or improve your health, and you just start by staying away from sugar two days a week? It sounds simple, but the real question is whether ‘No Sugar Challenge’ only two days a week can really affect the body?
First of all, No Sugar does not mean giving up fruits, milk or all types of carbohydrates, but mainly reducing added/free sugar. According to WHO, apart from sugar added to food items, free sugar also includes sugar present in honey, syrup and fruit juices. At the same time, the natural sugar present in whole fruits is not seen in the same way.
Surprising benefits of eating less sugar
Will have good effect on insulin: When we repeatedly consume sweet drinks, sweets and sugary things, the blood glucose and insulin levels increase again and again. Reducing such foods can help reduce total sugar and calorie intake. This can benefit metabolic health in the long run. However, there is not strong evidence that giving up sugar just two days a week will definitely increase insulin sensitivity. The real benefit comes from consistently consuming less added sugar. WHO also recommends keeping free sugars to less than 10% of total daily energy intake and cites additional benefits from reducing them to less than 5%.
Energy with Nutrition: Sweet drinks, sweets and sugary snacks often provide excess calories with little nutrition. The quality of the diet can be improved by replacing them with pulses, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and protein-rich food. WHO also considers minimally processed and unprocessed foods with low free sugar as the foundation of a healthy diet.
Help in controlling weight: Sugary items often add calories, especially when their quantity is not known. According to WHO, extra energy from free sugar can contribute to weight gain. Therefore, starting with two days a week can help people identify and gradually reduce the habit of sweet drinks and sugary snacks.
Also beneficial for teeth: The habit of frequently eating sweets increases the risk of cavity in teeth. WHO has included dental caries as one of the main causes in its recommendation to reduce free sugar.
How to start 2-Day No Sugar Challenge?
Choose any two days of the week. These days, avoid sugary tea-coffee, sweets, cold drinks, packet juice, cookies and sugary desserts. The AHA also includes sugary drinks, desserts, sweet snacks and sweetened tea and coffee as major sources of added sugar. But don’t make it ‘two days of sugar’ and a license to eat sweets freely for the remaining five days. The biggest benefit will be achieved only if the intake of added sugar is gradually reduced throughout the week, starting from these two days.