With the sweet-driven festival season just winding down, our bodies need a well-deserved break before the sugar highs of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. And what better way to say ‘see you later’ to sugar than with a challenge?
Started by an online community on Facebook in 2017, the third edition of the No Sugar November campaign now has more people aiming towards living a healthier and balanced life. “There is no standard movement like this so far, and I felt the need for such a campaign after seeing the increasing level of diabetes and health issues due to sugar consumption. More and more people are getting motivated to take up the challenge and are carefully monitoring their diet with no sugar in it. I have heard many success stories in these three years,” says Vishal Thakur, who initiated the campaign with a small video of him on Facebook following a sugar-free diet for a month.
“I weighed 95 kilograms and couldn’t lose weight despite working out, after which some people suggested dieting. That’s when I found that sugar is the most harmful product for the body, so I thought of supplementing it with other natural products and ended up with almost no sugar in daily life,” narrates Vishal, adding that a 30-day challenge is important as it takes 21 days to turn something into a habit.
As to why he chose November to do it, he says, “All the major festivals are over by this month, so it's easier for people to take up this challenge now.”
During No Sugar November, one must try to eliminate all added sugar from their diet, which is far more challenging than it seems. According to participants, it needs a lot of mental strength to avoid sugar in your daily diet. “It becomes all the more difficult to control when you know you are on such a challenge. You need the dedication to eliminate it completely,” says Delhi-based Manmohan Jha, who started doing No Sugar November last year to lose weight, but later realised that it has other benefits as well. “I saw this campaign on Facebook and thought of participating in it. I couldn’t control myself the first three days, but then I continued without sugar and the last three weeks went well. I cheat sometimes, but not during the challenge month,” he confesses.
Mumbai resident Ashok Karkera agrees that the first three days are difficult, but once you stick to it, you feel energetic and active. “This is my third year and I have been successful so far. But then someone’s birthday comes,” he laughs.
While the challenge is in place, there is no recording mechanism to monitor the participants’ exact sugar intake. “It has more to do with self-control and discipline. There is no one to keep a track of what you are eating,” explains Vishal. Another participant Ashlesha Tawde, who joined the campaign last year, adds, “It is self-monitored and motivated. It works really well because you feel it is just a short-term thing but then you just get used to it.”
Fitness enthusiast Snehal Sengupta gave up sugar two years ago, and says she feels healthier and less bloated. “I left sugar just to see what changes will occur if I leave it, and the results are satisfactory. One month is enough time to see whether it helps or not, but you have to control the consumption of fatty foods and alter sedentary lifestyles as well,” she cautions. Ever since the consumption of sugar has gone up in India in the latter half of the 20th century, the country has become the diabetes capital of the world. Celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija explains that people like following trends, which is why No Sugar November is effective as it is a short-term challenge.
Giving advice to those trying to cut out sugar, she says, “Use these 30 days to make a lifestyle change. Doing a 30-day challenge is a great way to go for it. Giving up sugar for life is difficult, so take this small challenge and give it a shot. Make a small start, and then try to make it occasionally from very often,” suggests the nutritionist, adding that when you take up this challenge for a month, you convince yourself to stop consuming sugar.
“If this is beneficial for just one month, think about how much it can help you on a daily basis. Do not make sugar a regular treat, have it very occasionally,” she concludes.
