Join a community of participants in our Sugar Challenge! The Sugar Challenge is a 30-day challenge starting January 9, 2025 that involves removing all added sugar from your diet and then slowly reintroducing sugar to help reset your metabolism and detox your body. This challenge will help improve your approach to the foods you eat by enhancing your knowledge and giving you a better understanding of how food affects your body.
Come to the Sugar Challenge Kickoff Event!
Thursday, January 9th • 5:30-6:15 pm
Community Room inside the new Helena Food Share
1280 Boulder Ave., Helena
Start the challenge with us and kick off the new year in a positive way!
- Overview of the challenge rules
- Presentation by Dr. Krainacker, Lifestyle Medicine Physician
- Cooking demonstration
- Recipe ideas
- Food samples
- Meet your fellow Challengers!
Invite friends, family or coworkers to join you! The community, accountability and camaraderie will empower you to succeed.
This challenge is great for everyone to try! Whether it’s your first time participating, or you've done it before, this challenge can meet you at your own level. If you have existing medical conditions and you're unsure if this challenge is for you, please consult your medical provider before starting.
This challenge offers multiple benefits: increased energy, reducing brain fog, improved sleep and improved blood sugar levels.
Why join the challenge?
On average, people are consuming two to three times the recommended amount of sugar daily. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), adults in America consume an average of 77 grams (15.5 tsp) of sugar per day! That adds up to 60 pounds of sugar a year! AHA’s recommended sugar intake per day is 36 grams (9 tsp) for men and 25 grams (6 tsp) for women. This plays a big part in many diet issues today and is affecting people's health. Taking control of your diet is key to a healthy life!
How does it work?
For 21 days, we challenge you to remove all forms of added sugar from your diet.
Added sugar is defined by the FDA as:
- Sugars that are added during the processing of foods (such as sucrose or dextrose)
- Foods packaged as sweeteners (such as table sugar)
- Sugars from syrups and honey
- Sugars from concentrated fruit or vegetable juices
- Added sugars do not include naturally occurring sugars that are found in milk, fruits and vegetables.1
This means you will avoid foods with any form of added sugar, as well as artificial sweeteners.
For the final 9 days, we help you reintroduce sugar into your diet within the recommended daily amount. We will give tips on how to keep sugar consumption within a moderate level to keep your energy levels up and keep your body working at its best.
All information and details for the challenge are included in the printable handouts available for download below.