ZERO SUGAR DAY

A powerful self disciplining initiative to create discipline around sugar consumption. Encourages to avoid consumption of “added sugars” at least one day a week. This sets the ball rolling for the remaining days of the week.

A "Zero Sugar Day" is a powerful way to not only promote health, mindfulness, and awareness but also to create discipline around sugar consumption. This day focuses on avoiding added sugars, including processed and natural sweeteners, encouraging people to recognize the sources of sugar in their diet and how to make healthier choices. This initiative encourages people to nominate at least one day a week when they should refrain from taking in added sugar. However, it is recommended two Zero Sugar Days are ideal to set the ball rolling to minimize the added sugar intake during the remaining days of the week.

Here’s a concept for Zero Sugar Day:

Added sugar though is not critical to survival yet we struggle to give it up for we have become habitual to its use. The strategy to break this habit is to discipline oneself in steps before embarking upon a bolder initiative to completely stop its consumption. The small steps will increase our appreciation of its benefits and encourage us to take bolder steps to reap full benefits of living without sugar and sugary food. 

We have estimated that the added sugar can contribute around 950 calories to the daily intake. Given an adult consumes around 2400 calories a day, the contribution of added sugar is about 40%, which is significant. The endeavour is to reduce this contribution to zero on Zero Sugar Days and minimize the added sugar intake on other days to about 500 calories.

It is a common knowledge that large amounts of sugar raise risk of heart disease including coronary artery disease and stroke. Those food with very little nutritional value but high number of calories contribute to quick weight gain increasing the risk of conditions like hypertension and high cholesterol.

Regular consumption of high amounts of sugar can lead to insulin resistance which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. In fact, added sugar is more harmful than sugar in whole foods because the body metabolizes added sugar differently. High amounts of added sugar spike blood sugar levels, which could be harmful. If the excess sugar is not utilized by the body, it is converted and stored as fat, which also contributes to obesity.

When the body is exposed to high blood sugar levels over a long period of time Insulin resistance occurs – It is when the body's cells don't respond properly to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar. Insulin resistance forces the pancreas to produce more insulin, which can eventually lead to Type 2 Diabetes. People with diabetes have a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions.

High amounts of added sugar can also result in chronic inflammation in the heart and blood vessels. This can boost blood pressure and increase heart disease risk. High sugar intake has also found to be a cause of different types of Arthritis including Rheumatoid Arthritis.

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