A sugar-free day: This is how you can avoid sugar

More time for family and friends, a better body feeling, living healthier: There are many reasons to break old habits – and establish new ones. It provides ideas and motivation star-January Challenge: For ten consecutive days in January you can dedicate yourself to a task set by us every day. And who knows – maybe the daily challenge will become a new, beloved habit that you can use to do something good for yourself in the new year?

Are you there? We would be happy about that. Today’s task is not that easy, especially for cats: a sugar-free day.

It is nothing new that high sugar consumption can harm your health: tooth decay, obesity or even increased sugar intake can be promoted. Nevertheless, on average we consume around 32.2 kilos of sugar per person per year. This gives a daily dose of around 91 grams.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing your intake of free sugar to less than ten percent energy. For an average adult, ten percent of energy with a calorie intake of 2000 kcal corresponds to less than 50 grams of sugar per day, i.e. around 14 sugar cubes.

Free sugar refers to all types of sugar that are added to food and drinks and are not naturally present. However, honey, syrup, fruit juice concentrates and fruit juices are also usually included, as the sugar is very concentrated here.

To adhere to this recommendation, it can be helpful to take a sugar-free day to start the process of quitting or long-term reduction. And getting through this day isn’t that difficult and will be worth it – bet?

If you start the day with a filling, balanced breakfast, you will avoid cravings. “A filling meal should always contain carbohydrates, protein and fats. So if you add quark or yoghurt to oatmeal and a bit of fruit, it will be well rounded. Or nuts, they also have protein,” explains nutrition expert Maja Biel star. Important: You should not use ready-made muesli as it usually contains a lot of free sugar. You should also avoid adding sugar when consuming coffee or tea.

At lunchtime, for example, there could be a bowl with rice, but also foods containing protein, for example chickpeas, fish, tofu, vegetables. Biel explains that vegetables are ideal because they contain a lot of volume but hardly any calories.

In order to avoid cravings and to satisfy your desire for something sweet, nuts and fruit can help in between meals. In order to avoid hidden sugar, it is advisable to put together your own snack instead of using trail mix or something similar: unsalted nuts and blueberries together make a healthy snack, for example.

In the evening, for example, a slice of bread with fried eggs could end up on the table. Salad or steamed vegetables could complement the meal in a balanced way. If you “still have a craving for something sweet, a yogurt with a piece of fruit would be a good choice,” recommends the ecotrophologist.

It’s best to accompany your sugar-free day with a high intake of drinks: water or unsweetened teas are the best choice here.

At the end of the challenge, you can write down how you feel. This increases the effect. In the long term, a (food) diary can help keep sugar consumption under control.

If you want to be healthier in 2025, it is a sensible resolution to consume less free sugar and eat more consciously. Try it yourself, you will be surprised by the effect.