Challenge
7-day sugar curiosity
Learn added sugars without shame. Fruit, milk, and vegetables already contain naturally occurring sugars. Added sugars are the ones put in during processing or at home.
Start when you want. The days stay in this browser tab until you close it.
A missed day can be followed by the next small step. NIH describes setbacks as part of changing a habit. Nothing here is a score, and your worth does not depend on a streak.
Day 1: Find one added sugar on a label
Read one Nutrition Facts label and look for added sugars. CDC says added sugars include sugars added in processing or at home, and do not include the sugars naturally in milk, fruit, and vegetables.
When. Once, at home or in a shop.
An easier option. Look at a drink label, which is often the easiest place to see added sugars.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rethink Your Drink Updated 2026-03-05. Checked 2026-11-03.
Start the challenge to check off days.
Day 2: Notice a sugary drink
CDC says sugary drinks are a leading source of added sugars. Notice one you drink. You do not have to give it up today.
When. Once today.
An easier option. Notice a sweetened coffee or tea if you do not drink soda.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rethink Your Drink Updated 2026-03-05. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 3: Name the feeling
When you want something sweet, write hunger, habit, or a feeling. This is your experience. It is not a diagnosis of emotional eating.
When. Once.
An easier option. Write only “I wanted something sweet.”
- National Institutes of Health, NIH News in Health: Creating Healthy Habits Updated 2018-03. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 4: Try water or whole fruit once
At one moment, choose water, or whole fruit, instead of a sugary drink. CDC suggests both. Missing the moment is still a day you can mark as tried or not.
When. One moment.
An easier option. Use sparkling water or water with a slice of fruit.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rethink Your Drink Updated 2026-03-05. Checked 2026-11-03.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About Water and Healthier Drinks Updated 2026-03-05. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 5: Do not stock a backup
If you want fewer sugary drinks in the house, leave them off the next shopping list. NIH describes removing a temptation so the choice is easier. Keep food you need.
When. The next time you shop, or today if you shop from home.
An easier option. Move the drinks to a higher shelf instead.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rethink Your Drink Updated 2026-03-05. Checked 2026-11-03.
- National Institutes of Health, NIH News in Health: Creating Healthy Habits Updated 2018-03. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 6: Compare two labels
Look at two versions of a food you eat and see which lists less added sugar. Choose either one. The comparison is the lesson.
When. Once.
An easier option. Compare a drink with water.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rethink Your Drink Updated 2026-03-05. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Day 7: Pick one smaller step
Choose one repeatable step, such as reading a label or swapping one drink. CDC’s concern about sugary drinks is about patterns over time, not one dessert.
When. This evening.
An easier option. Keep the step private.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rethink Your Drink Updated 2026-03-05. Checked 2026-11-03.
- National Institutes of Health, NIH News in Health: Creating Healthy Habits Updated 2018-03. Checked 2026-11-03.
This day opens on its calendar day.
Established public guidance. The daily actions point at the public pages linked on each day. Encouragement to continue after a miss comes from NIH’s habit guidance. It is not a promise of a health result.
- National Institutes of Health, NIH News in Health: Creating Healthy Habits Updated 2018-03. Checked 2026-11-03.