I have a love-hate relationship with sugar. I blame it on Dad – I got his sweet tooth ;-(
Dear Sugar….
We kinda go back a long, long way. I mean, we have history! Birthday’s with buttercream laden cakes and cupcakes, Halloweens with my plastic pumpkin stuffed full of Snickers and Butterfinger, chocolate Easter bunnies, Christmas fudge, peanut brittle, cookies….ahhh……
Sound sorta familiar? I mean, the irony is that comparatively speaking – my family were “really healthy eaters.” Mom and dad have always been fit and healthy, and they raised us that way. Except for birthdays & holidays, we weren’t allowed to eat sugary cereal, sodas or juices, white bread, chips, Twinkies, fruit leathers, ice creams….you know, “good stuff!” Nada. Sad face emoji.
Mom – CAROB is NOT Chocolate!!!
Mom would make us cucumber and alfalfa sprout sammies on wheat bread. Ugh! I really just wanted peanut butter and jelly on Wonder Bread, with a Twinkie and bag of Doritos, dammit!! One time I was SO stoked to open my lunch bag and find a piece of chocolate – only to bite into it, my face contorting into a “WTF is this?” look….Carob. Remember carob? Yeah. That sucked.
That being said, as I grew up – I became more and more grateful for their guidance into health & fitness. I for sure have my struggle areas, but (generally speaking) health & fitness isn’t one of them. I honestly owe it to my parents. Thanks Mom & Dad!! lol
This Wasn’t the Norm for Most Kids – Sugar Was / Is Everywhere
And It’s Making us Sick, Depressed and Fat
Everyone – and I mean every one of my friends ate “normal food”…… Pop-Tarts, Cap’n Crunchberry style cereals, Wonder Bread, Jiff peanut butter & Jelly, Stove-Top Casseroles, fruit leather, Dortios, Hostess, Hi-C (remember the juice that was basically colored sugar water?) – I mean all of it.
The problem is that we really just didn’t know…what we didn’t know. Namely, the long-term negative effects that putting processed, sugary crap into our bodies would have on our health, our physical & mental well-being – and just our lives.
Diabetes, obesity and heart disease are on the rise and there is a ton of research correlating a high-sugar diet to these illnesses. It has reached critical mass – as we now understand the ramifications of what much of the food industry has been up to.
What Food Conglomerates Don’t Want You to Know
Creating a Culture of Addicts
Make no mistake. Manufacturers didn’t just “accidentally” start adding sugar into our foods. It is calculated, it is strategic and it is purposefully executed in order to drive sales revenue – at our expense. There is a lot of talk about unhealthy sugar-laden diets of today – but it actually started a long time ago.
The “Bliss Point”
In the 70’s, a mathematician named Howard Moskowitz discovered that the perfect combination of sugar, salt, and fat would optimize the human brain’s pleasure experience. He coined it the “bliss point.”
Hitting this so-called bliss point activates the same part of the brain that is activated by drugs like cocaine, nicotine & meth. The job then, of many food conglomerates is to trigger that bliss point. Why? Well – follow the money. Creating foods that fall into the bliss-point category, means they’ve got a winner on their hands: Something totally legal – that may be as addictive as drugs. And now they’ve got us coming back for more, and more and more. At our own expense. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.
Sugar in and of itself, may be as addictive as cocaine. Trying to cut it out of your diet can cause similar effects to that of a drug addict trying to go cold turkey: Cravings, binges and feeling of withdrawal.
Sugar also changes our taste-buds to crave sweetness in everything. Have you ever eaten a bowl of plain oatmeal, plain yogurt or something along those lines, and thought “yuck.” In large part this is due to how accustomed we’ve gotten to sweeteners in our foods. It changes taste buds such that we need that sweetness. Addict. Addict. Addict. Money. Money. Money.
Heads-Up, Buttercup
Sugar Likes to Camp-Out in “Healthy” Foods Too
Think you eat pretty healthy so too-much-sugar probably doesn’t apply? Maybe….. but hear me out…… added sugars are hidden in foods you would never consider AND in many cases even labeled “light, healthy, fit, etc.”
The daily maximum amount of added sugar for women, is 6 teaspoons or 25 grams. This, according to the American Heart Association.
Ok – but how does that really apply to our lives on the daily, right? I mean, especially if you consider yourself a healthy eater, you’re probably completely fine….Yes? Well, maybe. Let’s break it down into a somewhat typical scenario for what some would consider decently healthy choices:
Luna Protein Bar + Lite & Fit Dannon Yogurt
Doesn’t sound too awful, right? It could easily be a healthy light-lunch-in-a- hurry choice that a lot of women might make – and why not? I mean, it says “Protein” and “Lite & Fit” smack on the label, right? Don’t let that fool you. It’s all marketing. Here’s the deal:
Lemon-Zest LUNA bar = 9 grams of sugar in one bar.
Dannon Vanilla Light & Fit Yogurt = 13 grams of sugar in an 8-oz serving!!!
TOTAL SUGAR = 22 grams of sugar out of the maximum daily recommendation of 25 grams!!
Grabbing a Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey Granola Bar for a “healthy” afternoon snack? Tack on another 13 grams of sugar. BOOM. YOU’RE NOW AT 35 grams of added sugar for the day…… with just THREE items.
Want a Dark Chocolate Almond CLIF BAR instead? It says “Energy Bar” right on the label. Well, yeah – because you’re gonna be fricking bouncing off the walls with 21 grams of sugar. That’s almost an entire daily allowance according to the AHA.
Note the terms added sugars. This differs from natural sugars found in whole fruits and vegetables – which are totally fine. Added sugars are refined sugars that are added to foods we eat – either on our own or by the manufacturer.
Test Your Own Diet Today
The above example is fricking scary. It sheds a huge spotlight on the potential amount of added sugars you’re WE are eating everyday, right? Today, look at the labels on the foods you would normally reach for during the normal course and scope of your day.
Add up the grams of sugar – just jot them down on a piece of paper. How many grams for the day? This will probably give you a good ballpark of what you’re probably consuming. Even more concerning – now try staying within the 25 grams, given the amount of added sugars in pretty much everything that isn’t whole food and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
What You Can Do:
+ Be Mindful of 25 grams Per Day
For me, I find that just being mindful of that number makes a huge difference. I really think about what I’m about to eat – and I always, always flip the label over before buying. I’ve put many an item back on the shelf instead of my shopping cart after label-reading!
+ Read Labels
Especially on foods you wouldn’t normally suspect. This is usually the biggest eye-opener. Flip the box over, and go to the Nutrition Label. Find “Sugar” and note the grams per serving.
+ Note the Serving Size
Have you ever looked at the serving size of one tiny pint of Ben & Jerry’s? 4-servings. Right. They think you’re going to eat 3 spoonfuls of ice cream and call it a day. I have never done that. Ever. Point is, if you KNOW you’ll eat 3-servings worth of an item – then call a spade a spade. Nobody’s watching. Multiply the sugar grams by 3. At least now you know.
+ Cook More – Focus on Whole Foods vs Pre-Packaged
I know – we’re all busy. The fact is, generally speaking pre-packaged foods are highly processed & usually have more added sugar than if you made it yourself. When you make it yourself, you know what’s in it. I’m not talking about the organic, vegan raw-food bar down the street that sells pre-packaged salads. Obviously.
+ Sugar Detox Baby! 5 things you can do to kick the sugar habit!
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