Sugar…its everywhere. It has become a staple of our society and culture. Its in all the “yummy” things we eat. Its in the gifts we give each other, and used to celebrate virtually every special occasion or holiday. It gives us that energy rush or quick pick-me-up on a long afternoon. It is perhaps one of the most widely used substances today. But is it really ok to eat? Now, I am not here to sabotage Halloween fun, but I do want you to think about this a little bit.
As a dentist, of course I’m going to say its not good for your teeth. I see the damage of sugars every day. On the same token, if there were no sugars in our diet, we would have little to no risk of decay. Apart from that though, what is it doing to your body? Click here for an awesome explanation.
Let me validate myself by saying I am a former sugar addict. I would eat my fair share of sugar and carbs, but I would rationalize it because I run a lot. The problem is the more sugar I ate (which came in carbs of all kinds) the more cravings I would get. I quickly found that it is a dangerous cycle, as referenced above. So I stopped. No more sugar. Right, you say. You may think its impossible, but I’m here to say not only is it possible, it is essential. You may want it, but you don’t need it.
But what about all those family get-togethers? What about social stuff? What about the holidays? What about Halloween, and Christmas, and Valentine’s, and Easter? Well, what does it matter? Who says that it all has to be about the food? How about we all focus on the fact of being together and enjoying one another. You should truly be more concerned with your long-term health and well-being than worrying if you’ll offend a family member by not eating their dessert. Seriously, if someone close to you is offended by you not eating their food, you need to reevaluate their “closeness”. If they love you, they’ll respect you and your desires. Perhaps they’ll even want to find out more about what you are doing.
Trust me, this sugar thing is really that important. Look at our society. Metabolic syndrome (obesity, heart disease, diabetes, inactivity) has taken over and taken us prisoner as a nation. Its time to take a hard look and see what can be done to fix it. It starts with the person in the mirror. While governing organizations, big pharmaceutical companies, and special interest groups will always advise us in one way or another, I suggest you do your homework. Learn about the body God gave you. Respect it. Then tell someone about it so they can do the same. So put down the candy, the dessert, the can of soda…you’ll thank yourself later.
