This Is What Happens When You Cut Sugar From Your Diet for 30 Days

At this point, we’ve all heard the negative effects sugar can have on our health — both physical and mental. We know we should be consuming less sugar than we are, but the idea of completely cutting sugar from our diets is a little daunting, to say the least. Lucky for us, we can see the benefits of ditching sugar without having to do the work ourselves!

Arielle Calderon, a BuzzFeed writer who is currently on her own healthy living journey, decided to eliminate all added sugars from her diet for 30 days. In addition to added sugars, she ditched artificial sweeteners, syrups, and less-conspicuous foods like honey and agave. She even made an effort to limit her fruit intake, since it’s her go-to sweet-tooth satisfier.

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In her BuzzFeed story, Calderon revealed what she ate that month in order to avoid all types of sugar, which she says are hiding in 74 percent of packaged foods. She wrote that her no-sugar challenge forced her to eat a lot more whole foods — and dare we say her meals look delicious?

Her homemade meals were packed with protein and vegetables: spaghetti squash boats, hearty salads, cauliflower rice bowls, zoodles, tortilla-less fajitas and more.

Because Calderon had to be so careful in her meal planning, she found that she was saving money at the grocery store. “Because sugar is in most packaged foods, I’m being forced to be more creative with cooking, using mostly whole foods,” she wrote. “And because I’m planning out my meals, I’m saving way more money and buying fewer groceries throughout the week.”

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Aside from the financial benefits, Calderon said by the end of the 30 days, she was in a completely different world. She reported fewer headaches, more energy and fewer cravings — plus, she lost three inches off her waist and hips!

One of the best lessons Calderon learned from her 30-day challenge was to read the ingredients list. She also said that meal planning and loading up on healthy fats and protein helped her stay the course.

But the way we know her sugar detox was worth it? Her expression in the final “after” photo. “The most recognizable difference is my smile,” she wrote on Instagram. “I legitimately felt so much better afterwards, it was very eye-opening.”

[H/T Instagram / @ariellesays]

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