Are you a sugar addict? I am. In 2005 I vowed to quit sugar and have been blogging about it ever since. This website keeps me honest. It contains journal entries, product reviews, the Sugar Challenge, and advice for people who are trying to be healthy but still cant’t stop eating sweets. Although I don’t eat sweets, I never quit sugar. This is my story.

February 01, 2010

Sugar Challenge: February 2010

The sugar challenge for February is simple: avoid sugary drinks.

Coffee and tea (if you must) without sugar.
Milk (if you must) without chocolate mix.
Nothing from Starbucks.
100% natural fruit juice at your discretion (see how much you drink).
No soda (avoid substituting sugary soda with diet soda).

In fact, if you can swing it, just drink water all month. That’s hardcore but completely doable.

Let us know how you do!

Posted in Sugar Challenge on February 01, 2010 : Comments (1)

January 28, 2010

Dr. Oz Break Your Sugar Addiction Sham

This bit makes for good television but it will not work. It takes 5 minutes for Dr. Oz to explain how to get off sugar in just four weeks! From the advice he gives, I can tell he’s never struggled with chronic sugar consumption/addiction. First of all, he advises Charmel (spelling?) to “be smart about it” and to go ahead and add a one teaspoon of sugar to her morning cereal during her first week. During the first week you should not be adding sugar to anything! He also labels the first week “detox week”. It should be called detox month.

He goes on to week two and explains that she should eliminate hidden sugar from her house. (My guess is that she’s gonna need to throw out half of her kitchen.) What is she supposed to eat during that time?

Week three is supposedly where it “gets fun.” NOT! He waits three weeks to begin introducing alternative sweeteners. He introduces Agave and Stevia which he says is not the same as sugar, it’s just a replacement. And then suddenly you’re into week four.

Week four is the last week in his 28 day program. This is the week where you, “take your taste buds and trick them a little bit.” He then asks how many sugars Charmel puts in her coffee. She says, “five.” He’s stunned! Stunned? He then advises her to replace sugary tastes with spicy tastes and says, “...that might be enough.”

Finally he holds her hand and confides that she is possibly his most challenging subject and that she is teaching her son to eat sugar as well. He also makes her feel GUILTY about it!

This makes me angry. Why? Because he’s setting her up to fail! What is she supposed to eat during week two after she threw out everything in her kitchen? How about for the next two weeks? Why does he make her feel bad about it? She already feels badly enough and now he’s outing her on national television and making her feel ashamed. Bad move.

Here’s my prediction. Four weeks will pass and Charmel will be magically “cured” of her sugar addiction. She’ll claim she did well. They’ll have video updates showing her doing the steps. She’ll say it was hard but she made it happen. The audience will clap and they’ll all think they can do it as well. Then reality will set in for her and the television viewers. They won’t be able to sustain it.

I don’t meant to be all gloom and doom, but when has this kind of thing ever worked? Four weeks to mad riches! Four weeks to massive weight loss! Just four weeks to gain confidence and reduce awkwardness!

It doesn’t happen like that. Don’t believe Dr. Oz. It’s not that Charmel can’t do well in four weeks. It’s that as simple as the plan is, it is flawed and unsustainable. Getting off sugar takes time and skill. Sugar-free eating is a skill that you are either taught or that you have to teach yourself. As with any skill, a four week program gives you a clue as to how to pursue a sense of mastery in that discipline. I’d say eating a sugar-free diet is as difficult as going vegetarian. It’s as tricky as learning how to cook foreign cuisine 365 days a year. It’s like training for a marathon or a boxing match. Four weeks just ain’t enough.

Remember: Not eating sugar is a skill that requires practice.

Charmel’s best bet for getting off sugar is if she repeats the prescribed four week cycle for an entire year. Television does’t have the time for that but thank goodness we in the real world do.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on January 28, 2010 : Comments (7)

January 15, 2010

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Video

This video addresses High Fructose Corn Syrup and makes mention of the HFCS commercials.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on January 15, 2010 : Comments (2)

January 13, 2010

Sugar: The Bitter Truth Video

My friend Mary referred me to the following video. It is a talk by Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology. He argues that too much fructose and not enough fiber is a cause for concern. He discusses obesity, Gatorade, and hypertension. He explains the history of cheap foods, why exercise is important, how natural fructose always appears with fiber in nature, why six month olds are getting fat, and also addresses an alcohol/sugar connection.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on January 13, 2010 : Comments (0)

January 06, 2010

Physically Addictive Foods Video

Neal Barnard MD discusses the science behind food addictions. There’s a lot of information in this video and it leans toward promoting a non-animal food diet. No matter how you feel about eating animals, this video has lots of food and health information worth hearing about.