For the past 4 years, I have done sugar-free January. This is less of a “detox” and more of a mental and physical break from the sugar intake during the holidays. Well, 2020 was a weird year and I have to say there were times I was only eating sweets (queue the Monkey bread, pumpkin cookies, lemon bread, and more) and then this December, my sugar intake was less than I expected. Typically, December is full of family parties, platters of homemade cookies, and sweet quick-breads before breakfast and dessert. 2020 was very different for the holiday. It was just Drew, Moose, and I in our new home in central Texas (read more about that here). Our dinner of two didn’t bring platters of cookies or cakes, but it did bring, cinnamon rolls and a few sugar cookies!
Why Sugar-Free January?
A few years ago, I was inspired by Pinch of Yum and her sugar-free January challenge. Rather than focusing on what I am cutting out, I try to focus every meal and snack on healthy foods that nourish. One thing that I find incredible is that in a few days into the challenge food starts tasting better. Does that make sense? My sweetness meter on my tongue decreases so apples, oranges and berries taste fresh. Greens taste more vibrant and I crave more salads than ever before! This challenge can be hard come 8:30pm and we are sitting on the couch watching a show and all I can think about are my little candies in the pantry, but that craving slowly leaves after about 1 week!
My “rules” for the challenge:
Setting Sugar-Free Boundaries
There are so many “sugar-free” options out there. From 0 calorie sweeteners to 0 calorie syrups for coffee, the options for “sugar-free” these days are endless, but that isn’t the point of this challenge. To my husband and me, this challenge is to remove all the refined sugars from our diet. Honey and maple syrup are naturally occurring sugars but, the reason that I allow these is because we don’t really eat these two options…like at all! When I crave sweets during this month, I aim for a handful of berries, an apple, or a clementine rather than pancakes or drenching something in honey. I make the choice to choose fruit over maple syrup or honey. Setting these boundaries allows me to stick to the rules for 30 days and I have to say, every year it gets easier. The best part of sugar-free January, setting boundaries and sticking to them is that my “need” for sugar decreases tremendously after the month. As a recipe developer – for mostly desserts, I am snacking on cakes, cookies, and treats all day and this challenge shows me ways to make treats delicious with less refined sugar. That was a long-winded way of saying, I set boundaries for many reasons and the biggest reason is for myself!
Who’s with me?!
If you want to join, I would love that! I will be sharing some gluten-free and vegan recipes that are sugar-free for the month! Let’s indulge in the good and leave the sugar out of the picture (for a little bit 😉 )! If you are craving some cookies, I have you covered! I am a sweet CRAVER in the morning! I love a breakfast cookie, a pancake, or a cinnamon roll! I developed a few recipes last year that are guilt-free and oh-so-delicious!
Sugar-Free Recipes View All
Let’s Conquer this challenge!
Let’s do this fun challenge together! Tag me if you make a yummy sugar-free recipe and I will post fun recipes through the month! Remember, to have fun, enjoy and don’t take it too seriously! The challenge is for yourself, your tastebuds and your mental clarity! Bring it on!
xo, Paige
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Refined Sugar-Free Double Chocolate Chip Banana Bread - Paige Bakes
January 15, 2021 at 2:05 pm[…] challenge and how my body has reacted. Like I have said before, in my last sugar-free January post (here), I talked about the ‘why’ behind this challenge for me. I do this challenge every year […]