No sugar challenge: 30 days without added sugar
Thirty days without added sugar, at the strictness you choose. Here is what counts, how to spot sugar on a label, and how to set up a printable chart and a daily tracker.
Before you start. If you have diabetes or another medical condition, take medicine that affects blood sugar, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to your doctor before changing your diet. This page is general information, not medical advice.
What is a no sugar challenge?
A no sugar challenge is a set period, usually 30 days, where you stop eating and drinking added sugar. It is not a challenge to avoid all sugar. Whole fruit, vegetables and plain milk stay on the table.
Health bodies use two closely related terms:
- Free sugars (WHO and NHS): sugars added to food and drinks by the manufacturer, the cook or you, plus the sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates (WHO). The NHS also includes nectars, vegetable juices and smoothies (NHS).
- Added sugars (US labels): sugars added during processing, foods packaged as sweeteners such as table sugar, sugars from syrups and honey, and sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices (FDA).
Neither term includes the sugar naturally found in whole fruit, vegetables and milk (WHO, CDC).
Why people try it
The WHO recommends that adults and children keep free sugars below 10% of their total energy intake, and suggests a further reduction to below 5%, roughly 25 grams or 6 teaspoons a day, for additional benefits (WHO). The NHS says adults should have no more than 30 grams of free sugars a day (NHS). The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6% of daily calories from added sugars, which for most American women is about 6 teaspoons a day and for men about 9 (AHA). The CDC notes that too much added sugar can contribute to health problems such as weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease (CDC).
A month without added sugar is a way to find out where it hides in your week and which habits you want to keep afterward. It is a habit experiment, not a treatment, and this page makes no promise about weight or any other result.
No sugar challenge rules
What counts
| Counts as added sugar | Does not count |
|---|---|
| Table sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple and agave syrup | Whole fresh or frozen fruit |
| Soda, sweetened tea and coffee, energy drinks, fruit drinks | Vegetables |
| Candy, cookies, cakes, pastries, ice cream | Plain milk and plain yogurt |
| Sweetened yogurt, flavored milk, many cereals and bars | Water, plain coffee and tea |
The drinks and desserts in the left column are among the most common sources of added sugar listed by the AHA and the CDC. Sugar also turns up in savory foods: the WHO gives the example of a tablespoon of ketchup, which contains around 4 grams of free sugars (WHO).
Names for added sugar on labels
On a US Nutrition Facts label, look for the "Added Sugars" line under "Total Sugars" (AHA). As a rule of thumb from the FDA, 5% of the Daily Value or less is a low source of added sugars and 20% or more is a high source (FDA). Then check the ingredient list for any of these names, taken from the NHS and AHA:
- sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, and other words ending in "-ose"
- cane sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, corn sweetener
- high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maple syrup, agave syrup
- honey, molasses, treacle, nectars
- fruit juice concentrate and fruit purees
Package claims have specific meanings. "Sugar free" means less than 0.5 grams of sugars per serving. "No added sugar" means no sugar or sugar-containing ingredient was added during processing or packaging, and such products often contain a sweetener instead (AHA).
Choose your strictness level
Pick one before day one and write it into your contract.
Gentle
No sugary drinks, desserts or candy. Packaged foods with a little added sugar, such as bread or sauces, are fine.
Standard
No added sugar in anything you can read a label for. Whole fruit, plain dairy and vegetables are fine. One small glass of juice a day at most.
Strict
Standard, plus no honey, syrups, juice or smoothies, and no artificial sweeteners. Fruit stays whole.
The juice limit in the standard level follows the NHS advice to keep fruit juice and smoothies to 150 ml, a small glass, a day in total, with meals (NHS).
How to use this site for your sugar-free challenge
- Sign a contract with yourself. Open the contract builder with rules such as "No added sugar", "Read labels before I buy" and "Fruit when I want something sweet" already filled in. Add your strictness level as a rule, choose your start date and sign it.
- Print the chart. The builder prints your contract plus a 30-day calendar chart with a box for each day. Put it on the fridge or the cupboard door where the snacks used to live.
- Set a wallpaper. Save the contract as a lock-screen wallpaper so your rules are in front of you before you order food.
- Check in every evening. Mark the day on the daily tracker. It works offline, keeps your streak visible and stores nothing on a server.
Practical tips
Cravings
- Keep whole fruit within reach. It is the backup plan written into the default rules.
- When a craving shows up, wait ten minutes and drink a glass of water, then decide.
- Clear the cupboard the night before you start, or move sweets out of sight.
Eating out
- Order water, sparkling water, or plain tea or coffee.
- Ask for sauces and dressings on the side, since they can contain added sugar.
- Decide about dessert before you arrive. Fruit or a coffee is an easy order.
Label reading
- Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, so the main ones come first (NHS). Sugar near the top means it is one of the main ingredients.
- Check "healthy" staples: yogurt, granola, cereal bars, pasta sauce, bread and salad dressing.
When you slip
A sweet coffee on a busy morning does not erase the days you already kept. Mark the day honestly and go back to your rules at the next meal. The contract uses one simple rule: never miss twice. One slip is a single day; two in a row is how the old habit comes back.
More monthly challenges
Questions
Can I eat fruit during a no sugar challenge?
In most versions, yes. The WHO, NHS and CDC do not count the sugar naturally present in whole fruit, vegetables and milk as free or added sugar. Fruit juice and smoothies are different: the WHO and NHS count them as free sugars, so stricter versions of the challenge leave them out.
Do honey and maple syrup count as sugar?
Yes. The WHO, NHS, CDC and FDA all count honey and syrups as free or added sugars, even when they are described as natural.
Are artificial sweeteners allowed?
That is your decision, so write it into your rules before you start. Some people allow them in drinks, others leave them out because they want to get used to less sweetness. The CDC notes that the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans do not recommend any amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners.
I have diabetes. Can I do a no sugar challenge?
Talk to your doctor or care team first. They know your treatment plan and can help you decide whether and how to do the challenge safely.
What if I eat something sweet by accident?
Mark the day honestly and carry on with your rules at the next meal. One slip is a single day. The rule on the contract is never miss twice, so make the next day a clean one.
Sources
- World Health Organization (March 4, 2015). WHO calls on countries to reduce sugars intake among adults and children.
- World Health Organization (2015). Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children.
- NHS. Sugar: the facts.
- NHS. Food labels.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Get the Facts: Added Sugars.
- American Heart Association. Added Sugars.
- American Heart Association. What's the Difference Between Sugar Free and No Added Sugar?