I Quit Sugar for 30 Days. The Results Were Amazing

I had already needed a reset and cleanse, but stumbled upon a clip of 70-year-old
Carolyn Hartz who hadn't eaten sugar in almost 30 years. If she could do it for 30 years, I could do it for 30 days.

Inspired, I decided to cut sugar and sweet things out of my diet for a month—including sugary fruits and honey.

I honestly just needed a break from it all. I took a close look and realized that at all of my meals, I was consuming way too many sugars and sweetened—and the especially sneaky unsweetened—carbs.

Even the "natural sugars" in fruit and honey can spike your insulin and blood sugar levels. I'm not diabetic, but if you're eating a typical Western diet then you most likely need to be aware of your sugar intake for health, aging, and longevity's sake.

My skin had also started to break out, a sign that I needed to start paying attention to my diet. Studies show that too much sugar can lead to premature aging by breaking down collagen, a protein that helps to make your skin look soft, supple, and smooth.

One of the easiest routes for me to change my habits was to at least cut out overtly sweet foods and drinks to help guide me to better choices. I have done sugar fasts
before and found they are so great for the skin, liver, heart health, metabolism,
inflammation and weight loss.

My first week of no sugar coincided with a trip to Venice Beach in LA. And really, there is no better place to start a reset than the land of health and wellness itself. The very first day of my sugar detox began with a warm lemon water and then my morning routine, starting with meditation and breathwork.

Then, I was off into the world with all of its distractions. Once you are off sugar, you
begin to notice how ubiquitous the substance is. It's almost everywhere and in almost everything.

For example, I used to get oat milk with my coffee, until I realized the sugars in oat milk spike blood sugar super high, so I stopped.

At breakfast, I got myself a latte with unsweetened almond milk and a delicious late of eggs, bacon, avocado and salad on toast. Later, it was shopping for groceries to set myself up and get me through the next few days.

I like to shop on the outsides of grocery stores where there's less processed food; I only went into the interior aisles for olive oil and chicken broth. Everything else—the fresh vegetables and protein—I found on the outskirts.

Next, it was a busy day at work, full of meetings. I run a wine company, 5to9, and we make wine for the weeknight in Napa, including Elderberry Wine and Rose Petal Wine.

In the evening, I joined friends on the beach for a cold plunge. I was the only one who pulled through and went for a swim in the ocean. It felt great.

When we got home, I was still pretty full from my lunch of ground turkey and vegetables, but had chicken broth and vegetables for dinner. My first no-sugar day went by pretty smoothly.

Subsequent lunches and dinners that week included colorful plates of eggs and
vegetables, including fermented cabbage and avocado for breakfast, celery and
hummus for a snack, and ground turkey sauteed with vegetables for dinner.

I soon flew home from LA on a red eye flight to the east coast and was exhausted that day, but worked until 8:30pm. There are studies to show that if you don't get enough sleep, your body has a hard time processing glucose.

Sleep has a lot to do with blood-sugar management whether you're eating sweets or not. I planned on getting a full night's sleep that evening as a result.

Into my sugar fast, I woke up one morning to my tummy so flat. It felt like my body had changed overnight. Usually, I wake up extended and bloated, but on this morning even my abs were trying to pop through.

After the first week without sugar, I found that my energy levels were improving. Cutting sugar had actually helped me feel more energized, not less. I didn't feel like I needed a nap after eating. I just felt more balanced and had the energy to keep going.

Around halfway through my month off sugar, my skin had completely cleared up. I felt energized. My digestion had improved, my inflammation was down. And I had lost a lot of weight around my waist.

I also found that I was sleeping deeply and dreaming more. My mood was all-round happier, I was less anxious and sad. And my cravings for the sweet stuff? Gone.

At this point, I was looking to extend what I was doing to not only stop
eating overly sugary foods, but also foods made of simple refined carbohydrates as
well.

When my 30 days was up, I felt amazing.

Through the whole process, I still enjoyed a social life—I still got to go out and be with my friends, but I just cut out things like sugary cocktails and opted for dry wine instead.

The best part is, I measured my journey. On the last day of my sugar detox, I took my fasting blood sugar level first thing in the morning and got an 82, which is well within a healthy range and lower than when I started.

My 30 days of no sugar helped prime me to get used to choosing foods that are less sweet. It is now habit for me to avoid dessert, for example, whereas before I thought it was routine and that I deserved it.

We live in a world where sugar is commonplace. It takes me going on a fast like this to wake up and realize I literally don't need to be eating so many sweets and at every meal.

My decision has impacted my health and I look forward to prolonging this lifestyle, if not finding at least a middle ground where I am more aware and mindful.

Nana Meriwether is a former Miss USA and two-time NCAA All-American UCLA
volleyball player. She founded 5to9, a wellness company focused on alcohol
alternatives, including sugar-free wines.

All views are the author's own.

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