Sugar Smart November

Objective. See what you already do, without turning today into a grade.

A baseline is a starting picture. Notice drinks, sweets, and how meals usually go. If you do not know the added sugar, leave it unknown. Do not write zero unless you truly had none.

One action. Write down three things you ate or drank today and mark whether you know the added sugar.

Check-in question. What is one habit you already do that you want to keep?

Objective. Tell added sugar apart from sugar that is already in whole food.

Added sugar is sugar put in during cooking or processing. Honey, agave, and maple syrup count as added sugar. Sugar in whole fruit and in plain milk or plain yogurt is not added sugar. Whole fruit and plain dairy are not banned.

One action. Pick one food you eat often and decide whether its sweetness is from the food itself or from added sugar.

Check-in question. Where did you find added sugar today, if you looked?

Objective. Read the serving size before the grams.

A package can hold more than one serving. The added sugar line is for the serving listed, not always for the whole bag or bottle. If you are unsure how much you ate, keep the grams unknown.

One action. Look at one package and notice the serving size, then how many servings you actually used.

Check-in question. Did the serving size match what you poured or ate?

Objective. Find the added sugars line on a Nutrition Facts label.

In the United States, the added sugars line is the place to look. It is separate from total sugars. Total sugars can include what is naturally in milk or fruit. The added sugars line is the one this challenge cares about.

One action. Find the added sugars line on one label today. If there is no label, leave the grams unknown.

Check-in question. What did the added sugars line say, or did you leave it unknown?

Objective. Recognize added sugar by more than the word sugar.

Labels use many names. Honey, agave, maple syrup, molasses, cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, and words ending in -ose are clues that sugar was added. You do not need to memorize every name. One familiar name is enough for today.

One action. Circle or note one sweetener name on a label, or skip this if you do not have a label handy.

Check-in question. Which sweetener name did you notice?

Objective. Pick the track that fits you, and know what to do if you feel unwell.

Habits only, manual finger-stick, or manual CGM. You can switch later and your records stay. Glucose checks are optional. This app does not connect to a device. If you might be low, treat that before the challenge. If you have emergency symptoms, call 911 first. Insulin and medicines that can cause lows stay with your care team.

One action. Confirm your track in the app. If you are unsure, stay on habits only.

Check-in question. Which track are you using, and what will you do first if you feel unwell?

Objective. Keep what helped and drop what felt like too much.

Seven days is enough to notice a pattern. Missed days are part of a real month. You do not owe a perfect week. Look for one label habit you can repeat next week.

One action. Write one habit from this week that you want to repeat, and one that you will let go.

Check-in question. What is worth repeating next week?

Objective. Swap one sugary drink if you want to, without a rule for every sip.

Sugary drinks are an easy place to see added sugar because a bottle can hold several servings. Water, sparkling water, or unsweetened tea are swaps, not a moral test. If you still want the original drink, you can note it and move on.

One action. Choose one drink today and either keep it or swap it. Check the label if there is one.

Check-in question. Did you swap a sugary drink, or did you leave it as it was?

Objective. Compare two breakfasts by the added sugars line.

Breakfast foods can look similar and carry very different added sugar. Compare two options you actually eat, such as yogurt, cereal, bread, or a drink. Plain dairy and whole fruit can be part of breakfast. Flavored versions often add sugar.

One action. Set two breakfast labels side by side, or compare from memory if you do not have both.

Check-in question. Which breakfast had less added sugar, or did you leave it unknown?

Objective. Use plain dairy and whole fruit without calling them off limits.

Plain yogurt and whole fruit are not banned. Their sugar is not the same as sugar added to a flavored cup. If you sweeten plain yogurt with honey, agave, or maple syrup, that spoon counts as added sugar. You can still enjoy it and write the amount, or leave it unknown.

One action. Eat or plan one snack or breakfast with plain dairy, whole fruit, or both. Note any sweetener you add.

Check-in question. Did honey, agave, maple syrup, or another added sugar join the fruit or yogurt?

Objective. Check a sauce or dressing you use often.

Ketchup, barbecue sauce, salad dressing, and pasta sauce can carry added sugar in a small spoon. The serving on the label may be smaller than the pour. If you cannot tell, leave the grams unknown instead of guessing zero.

One action. Read one sauce or dressing label, or notice one you used without a label.

Check-in question. What did you find in the sauce or dressing, if you looked?

Objective. Build one meal that leaves you satisfied, without a fasting rule.

This challenge does not ask you to skip meals. A satisfying plate often includes protein, fiber-rich food, and a fat source you enjoy, plus the carbohydrate you planned. Added sugar can still show up in the sauce. You are allowed to eat enough.

One action. Build one meal you expect to enjoy, and note whether you know the added sugar.

Check-in question. What made the meal satisfying?

Objective. Pick a snack you can repeat on a busy day.

The best snack is one you can actually keep around. Whole fruit, cheese, nuts, or plain yogurt can work. A packaged bar is fine to use once you have seen the added sugars line. You do not need a special product.

One action. Choose one snack and decide if you would pack it again this week.

Check-in question. Which snack was practical for your real day?

Objective. Review drinks, breakfast, and snacks without keeping score against yourself.

Look back at swaps and labels. Keep one change that felt doable. If nothing changed, the review still counts. You are practicing attention, not chasing a smaller number on the scale or on a meter.

One action. Name one repeatable habit from the last two weeks.

Check-in question. What will you repeat because it fits your life?

Objective. If you log a reading, write down the situation around it.

A number without context is easy to misread. Fasting, before a meal, after a meal, bedtime, or other tells a different story. Habits-only participants can skip this. One reading cannot call a food unhealthy, and this app does not set a diabetes target for people who do not have diabetes.

One action. If you already check glucose, add the context to one reading. If you do not check, answer the question from the meal instead.

Check-in question. What was happening around the reading, or around the meal if you did not check?

Objective. If you use a finger-stick meter, follow that meter's own steps.

Wash and dry your hands before a finger-stick. Use the strips that match that meter, and follow the guide in the box. This lesson does not add required tests. If you are on the habits track, you can skip the meter and still finish the day.

One action. If you use a meter, confirm the strip name matches it. If you do not, skip this action.

Check-in question. If you checked, did the strips match the meter? If you did not check, what habit did you log instead?

Objective. Know what a sensor can and cannot tell you.

A CGM reads interstitial fluid, which can lag behind blood glucose when numbers are changing. This app does not connect to a sensor. Dexcom Stelo, if you are an adult 18 or older who does not use insulin and does not have problematic lows, has no dangerous-low alert. Everyone else should follow their care team and should not treat Stelo as the plan.

One action. If you use a sensor, type one reading yourself only if you want to. If you do not, skip it.

Check-in question. What limit of a sensor matters to you, or why are you staying on habits or finger-stick?

Objective. Count after-meal time from the start of the meal.

If you choose an after-meal reading, start the clock when the meal starts, not when you finish. One to two hours after the start is the usual window people mean. You do not have to add extra checks. A CGM can still lag behind a finger-stick while glucose is moving.

One action. If you log an after-meal reading, record when the meal started. Otherwise, note your meal without a reading.

Check-in question. If you logged a meal, when did it start?

Objective. Notice movement as context, not as a punishment for eating.

A walk, chores, or play can sit beside a meal. You are not earning food. If you log glucose, movement is only context for that reading. If you do not log glucose, the movement minutes still count as a habit note. Zero is fine if that was your day.

One action. Note today's movement in minutes if you know it, or leave it blank.

Check-in question. How did movement fit the day, without turning it into a debt?

Objective. Remember that glucose and cravings have more than one influence.

Short sleep, stress, illness, a new routine, and medicines can all change how a day feels. This app cannot sort out the cause. If you use insulin or a medicine that can cause lows, your care team owns that plan. A craving rating is information, not a character score.

One action. Rate stress and cravings only if you want to, from 1 to 5, and note sleep if you know it.

Check-in question. What else, besides food, might have shaped today?

Objective. Compare days that were actually similar.

A fasting morning and a post-meal evening are not the same observation. If you log readings, look only at matching context, such as two before-breakfast notes. If you are on habits only, compare two similar meals instead. This app does not calculate time in range or an estimated A1C.

One action. Pick two similar moments and notice one difference you care about.

Check-in question. What looked similar, and what was simply a different situation?

Objective. Order in a way that fits the meal you want.

Restaurant food may not list added sugar. You can ask, guess a range, or leave the grams unknown. Sauces, sweet drinks, and desserts are the usual places added sugar shows up. Leaving it unknown is more honest than writing zero.

One action. At one meal out, or from a takeout menu, decide what you know and what stays unknown.

Check-in question. What did you leave unknown on purpose?

Objective. Notice a craving without insulting yourself.

A craving is a signal, not a failure. You can eat the food, delay it, or pair it with a meal. Name it in plain words. This challenge does not use shame, and it does not ask you to cut harder after a craving.

One action. Write the craving in one sentence and what you did next, including if you enjoyed the food.

Check-in question. What did the craving ask for, and how do you want to treat yourself after it?

Objective. See carbohydrate, fiber, and added sugar on the same label.

Carbohydrate is the broader line. Fiber sits inside that story. Added sugar is the separate line. You do not have to hit a carb target for this challenge. The point is to see the three numbers together when a label has them.

One action. Read carbohydrate, fiber, and added sugars on one label. If any line is missing, leave that part unknown.

Check-in question. What did you notice when you looked at all three together?

Objective. Decide your Thanksgiving approach before the day arrives.

Thanksgiving can include foods you love. Plan one or two intentions, such as a meal you will enjoy, a walk, or a label check on one recipe. You do not need to fast, skip dessert, or test glucose to participate. Honey, agave, and maple syrup in a recipe still count as added sugar if you choose to estimate them.

One action. Write one intention for Thanksgiving and one thing you refuse to turn into a punishment.

Check-in question. What is your intention for the holiday meal?

Objective. Eat the holiday in the way you planned, including room to change the plan.

Use the intention from yesterday if it still fits. If the day goes differently, that is still a day in the challenge. Enjoyed food is not a setback. If you feel unwell, get help before you log anything.

One action. Check in with whatever you actually did. Unknown sugar can stay blank.

Check-in question. What part of today felt like it was for you?

Objective. Come back to your usual days without a makeup rule.

The day after a holiday is not a debt. Do not skip meals to offset a plate. Return to the one habit you already chose, such as reading an added sugars line or swapping one drink. If you log glucose, do not chase the lowest number.

One action. Do one ordinary habit from earlier in the month. Skip any extra glucose checks.

Check-in question. What ordinary habit are you returning to?

Objective. Look at the month as practice, including the holiday.

Count the days you showed up, not the days you think you failed. The holiday belongs in the story. Keep language kind. This review is not a scoreboard of glucose or weight.

One action. Write two sentences: what you practiced, and what you will not carry as guilt.

Check-in question. What are you proud to keep, without comparing yourself to anyone else?

Objective. Choose what you will keep in December, without inventing a new challenge.

There is no December challenge to join from this page. Pick one or two habits you want for yourself, such as checking the added sugars line or keeping a sugary drink swap. You do not need a new program, a purchase, or a glucose device to continue.

One action. Write the one or two habits you will carry into December on your own.

Check-in question. Which habit is for you in December, with no new challenge attached?

Objective. Close the month by noticing what changed for you.

Finishing is about the practice you kept, not a promised change in glucose or weight. Your records stay after November 30. You can export or delete your health entries. Thank yourself for the days you showed up, including the uneven ones.

One action. Write a short reflection and mark the lesson complete if it feels true.

Check-in question. What do you want to remember from this month?