October Mini Goal: Cut Back on Sugar

This post is part of my 12 Mini Goals Challenge.

Small daily habits can make a big difference over the course of a few weeks, months, or even longer. In 2016, I am going to focus on a new habit or mini goal every month. In January, I focused on Daily Movement or Exercise. In February, I focused on cutting down on evening snacking. In March, my goal was 30 days of pilates. In April, my goal was to clear my kitchen counters every night. In May, I attempted to clear out my closet 3 items at a time. In June, my goal was to reset my mornings and wake up earlier. In July, my goal was to drink more water. In August, I wanted to track our daily reading. In September, I got control of our morning and evening schedules.

I have always had quite a sweet tooth and know that I consume way more sugar than I should. While I believe that splurges are OK and most things are fine in moderation, I know that I don’t consume sugar in moderation. If I am hungry, I often reach for a sweet snack instead of a healthier and more filling option. This is especially true in the evening.

I have cut back on sugar in the past and it’s a great feeling to know I am consuming less sugar. Unfortunately the change doesn’t always stick around long-term! Because baby will be showing up in October, I know that eating a healthy diet will help to keep my energy up with a newborn. Well…as high as an energy level can be with a newborn. ;)

My October Mini Goal: Join the #GoodbyeSugar30 Challenge and watch my sugar intake

In October I am going to join the #GoodbyeSugar30 challenge and look out for added sugars. I am going to watch labels for the number of sugar grams and watch my overall intake of sweets. One of the reasons I am excited to join the challenge is because it will help me to get to know sugar more. There are more than 60 names for sugar that may appear on the food ingredient lists. While I know some, I know I have even more to learn. I want to better understand the sugar terms so I can easily find them on food labels at the grocery store.

I will watch for added sugars and will look for places when I have control over removing the added sugars. I will be focusing on small changes to my lifestyle to help reduce my sugar intake.

I enjoy experimenting with recipes to see where I can reduce or replace sugar without ruining the taste. When I made baked pumpkin french toast the other day, I reduced the sugar in the topping and added in healthy ingredients such as oats and flax seed. I completely eliminated the sugar in the pumpkin/egg mixture and added SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener instead. SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener gives a great sweet taste without the calories, added flavors, or artificial ingredients. I was happy that there was no bitter aftertaste. Even after cutting back on the topping sugar and eliminating and replacing the rest of the sugar, the pumpkin french toast was just as tasty as before!

Your October Mini Goal: Join the #GoodbyeSugar30 Challenge and cut back on sugar. Or make a different diet change.

Do you have any idea how much sugar is in your diet? Join the challenge to help you easily identify sugar when reading ingredient lists. Look for the added sugars at the grocery store and while cooking or baking in your kitchen.

Watch for places when you have total control the over removing the added sugars. Tea and coffee are great places to start. If you add sugar to your coffee, consider adding SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener instead.

Tools like SPLENDA® Naturals Stevia Sweetener can help make adjustments to your sugar intake easier than you may have thought. For more information, visit SplendaNaturals.com.

Join #GoodbyeSugar30 to help you spot other places in your diet where sugar is added.

Let me know if you decide to join!

I would love to have you join the 12 Mini Goals Challenge. Sign up for my mailing list if you want to be e-mailed the challenge each month. If we get to a month where the goal doesn’t fit into your life, you can always tweak it to be a mini goal that works for you.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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