In this short video Gary Taubes discussed sugar and Americas addiction to it. He believes that sugar and high fructose corn syrup use is really ingrained in our habits and our culture. At some level this assertion of Gary’s is fairly true, I found it particularly scary when Gary discusses sugar and its connection to how we show love in North America.
Admit it you get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about freshly baked bread, lemonade stands, a dairy queen blizzard, milk and cookies – is it possible to alter how we view these foods and these occasions? I think so, is it easy to do? I think not.
I talk with a lot of people about what we accept as acceptable with regard to diet. To many times I have heard statements such as;
“But, it was my sisters birthday”
“But at work there is always donuts and cookies – I have to try them”
“But my friend cooked it for me”
“But it was my wife and my date night”
These statements go on and on, but sometimes we need to sit down and take a hard look at what we really believe and what we really view as acceptable. Can “treat foods” ever be a part of our diets? They can I suppose, but we need to plan when and where they are incorporated, and we need to understand that many of the times we think they are essential they really are not. Date nights can be had without sugar, birthdays can be attended without sugar, and work does not need to involve sugar. As much as it seems difficult at the time, it is what you believe (sugar is toxic and addictive and is not part of your life, it does not have a place in your diet). Sugar is inevitably a part of our society, but it does not have to be a part of your life and culture.
WE need to understand that we will always have occasions that incorporate sugar, but that does not mean that you need to ingest it. Think on this for a second, you have Christmas, valentines day, your birthday, your partners birthday, Halloween, work functions, other social events with friends, taste of Saskatchewan, friends houses, children’s birthdays, relatives birthdays, etc. We have all kinds of opportunities and places where sugar is viewed as simply a part of the event, but it is how you believe to view these events that really matters.
I challenge you to re-analyse how you view these events and how you choose to take them on. Is it as necessary as you make it out to be to have the chocolate cake or the donuts at work – you know it is not.
Make the choices to view and accept these scenarios as unacceptable.
