I watched a 60 Minutes piece about sugar being toxic. Anymore than 150 calories a day of refined sugar (high fructose corn syrup) (about the amount in one can of soda) spikes your insulin level and creates all sorts of problems like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
I think about all fast food and so many brands and franchises that are built on selling sugar. Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and millions more. “Normal” is not healthy folks.
Our brain was wired over thousands of years to think that anything sweet is good. Like FRUIT which contains fiber that slows the processing of the sugar down. So when we eat a candy bar, drink a sugary drink (they pretty much all are), or eat a muffin, our brain releases the feel-good drug dopamine. We like it. We eat more.
Then we die early.
Beware: so many processed foods like pasta sauce and granola bars have added sugar. You’ll probably eat too much without knowing, even if you try not to.
It’s the rare parent who doesn’t feed/reward their kids with sugar while enabling/accepting their dislike of what is good for them.
Don’t die.
So true! I learned this lesson later in life and find the supermarket is a battlefield of decisions against my former self and old habits. Keep fighting and don’t die!
English muffin, 3 little turkey sausages and fresh fruit. Not sure about sugar in the little sausages.
Check out the Yuka app. It helps you understand what is in packaged food by giving everything a rating. Added sugar is an easy thing to find on the label and avoid, but it highlights lots of other hidden junk that’s harder to pick up on without education.
Steel cut oatmeal with blueberries I dehydrated myself!
We have to stand guard daily. I use an app called Yuka. You can scan the barcode of any packaged food and the app provides a rating and discloses any toxic ingredients. Obviously unpackaged and unprocessed foods are best but I find the app very helpful, especially with getting my kids snacks.
I’m one of those rare parents. Sugar is very akin to a drug, especially for kids. It causes instant behavior issues. We try to avoid it at all cost. That means homemade bread, homemade granola bars, no soft drinks, and many other purposeful avoidances of refined sugars.
Breakfast: every work day two eggs over medium, salt, pepper, hot sauce, plus a little cheese on toast. Sometimes I add some arugula to the pan. For my morning beverage, MudWtr instead of coffee, all except 2-3 weekend days per month. Too bad for me, I just don’t do well with much coffee. And this change has increased my sleep and decreased my anxiety considerably.
If someone brings donuts to work, I rarely indulge, and certainly never first thing. I’m not perfect though. I crave my sugar in the evenings.
#dontdie
I’ve been focused on eliminating sugar from my diet for almost two years now, and I feel fantastic. I’ve finally reached a healthy weight, and the difference in how I feel is incredible.
Spending half the year living in Baja has really opened my eyes to Mexico’s sugar consumption. Sugary drinks and foods seem to be everywhere, with little sign of slowing down. It’s concerning to see, especially knowing the long-term health consequences of excessive sugar consumption.