You made it to Week 8! Way to go. We only have two more challenges left, so hang in there and you could walk away with the grand prize.

LAST WEEK’S WINNER: Christine! Congrats. Please email Rachel[at]sheddingit[dot]com to claim your prize.

This week’s test might be tough for some. We’re challenging you to go without added sweetener for a whole day. We’re defining added sweetener as any form of concentrated sweetener, natural or not (this means maple syrup, agave, and honey are all no-nos!). This also includes artificial sweetener. Whole fruit is okay, as is any other non-concentrated food that happens to taste sweet. Watch for processed foods with added sweetener, though.

Leah has written about the healthiest way to sweeten, but really, we also need to get used to no sweetness at all. Once you start lowering the amount of sugar and sugar-like substances you eat, you’ll notice foods that didn’t taste sweet before suddenly taste a bit sweet. And foods that were sweet before now taste saccharine. It’s all about reprogramming your tastebuds to appreciate subtle sweetness — like the taste of plain cinnamon or vanilla.

When you’re going sans sugar, notice when you crave it. It might be difficult to ignore the craving at first, but hopefully after a little while, the craving will pass. Once you’ve gone through a day without sweetener, share your experience here. As usual, you have until Sunday, April 25 at 12 midnight PST to enter. Good luck and no cheating!