Are you a sugar addict? I am. In 2005 I vowed to quit sweets and have been blogging about it ever since. This website contains product reviews, personal journal entries, the weekly Sugar Challenge, and an ebook for people who want to Stop Being Sweet.

Eating on the Road

August 15, 2010

Real food

I’m currently in a motel after the first day of a long distance bicycle ride to protest the BP oil disaster. When I asked the front desk attendant about where to get some food within walking distance (I’m tired of biking and I have a flat), she directed me to the “pretty decent” food mart at the Texaco across the street.

I went across the street but every single item they had for sale was pre-packaged junk food products. They did have a few sandwiches but they were microwavable long-shelf-life kinds of scary things.

I asked the cashier if there was a deli nearby. She looked at me and repeated, “Deli?” I said, “A place with sandwiches and stuff.” She directed me to the Quick Mart (I think it’s called) located inside the gas station at the bottom of the hill where she said they serve nice sandwiches and a salad bar.

The Quick Mart did have some natural foods. The salad bar looked like the condiments selection of a Subway sandwich shop but was really neat was the fried food display. They had all kinds of brown, crispy things including egg rolls, chicken and corn dogs! There were also FIVE machines for making flavored, sweetened ice drinks.

I ended up with two hardboiled eggs, carrot and celery sticks (didn’t touch the Ranch) as well as a small bag of potato chips and some potato salad. Mayonaise often has added sugar or HFCS which I didn’t even consider until tasting it.

It’s always a chore to not eat sugar on the road.

Posted in My Personal Journal on August 15, 2010 : Comments (0)

Reward Exercise With… Sugar?

August 13, 2010

Free Cookies

Last Sunday, Gwenn and I participated in the Providence BridgePedal. This annual event features streets only open to bicyclists who for one day are allowed to ride across the numerous and much loved bridges of Portland. Since bikes are only allowed on certain bridges year-round, this is a fun and special event. 18,000 people attended!

As someone who doesn’t eat sugar, I’m often fascinated by the many different ways in which sweets and junk food have become mainstream eating in our culture. To this end, BridgePedal was particularly interesting.

Bagels & Clif Bars

The ride is sponsored by Providence Medical Center and proceeds go the Providence Heart and Vascular Institute, which is a leader in prompt, lifesaving cardiac treatment.

What’s fascinating to me is that, after exercising anywhere from one to four hours (7 to 27 miles), riders were rewarded with copious amounts of free junk food. Along the route people are served unlimited amounts of bananas, bagels, peaches, Clif Bars, cookies, water and juice.

Finish Line for Ice Cream

At the finish line they gave away pop corn, candy (I mean Clif Bars), ice cream bars, fudge bars, chocolate milk and sugar water. Perhaps a diabetes association will start an event and give away fatty meats and cholesterol-filled snacks!

Eating Free Ice Cream

After a workout (which the ride certainly was) people should eat quality proteins. But what company can provide pounds and pounds of real food? When companies offer pre-packaged junk food, those suppliers can most likely sell or use whatever doesn’t get consumed at the event. Each item is individually packaged so nobody feels like someone else touched their snack.

Some People Ate Peaches

The peach boxes were interesting to watch. Of course people want a good piece of fruit, so that means giving each one a squeeze. One very tall guy lifted the top few cases to grab what he perceived to be an untouched specimen from the bottom.

Gwenn holding some free Clif Bars

Junk food companies live for events like the BridgePedal. The first hit is always free! Besides, who wouldn’t try a free product that’s designed to make you feel good at the finish line?

Handing Out Chocolate Milk

People often celebrate victory (or success) with sweets. The BridgePedal is a family event and it happens on the street. Sugar seems to be the perfect reward when it comes to family affairs.

To some of you this might sound harsh. You’ll say, “It’s just an ice cream, let the kids have fun.” But would you eat an ice cream after training for several hours at the gym? Do you leave Yoga class and head off to McDonalds? Do you feed your children candy during or after a sports game?

Sometimes being unsweet feels like I’m waving an “end of the world” sign outside of an amusement park. But here’s what I’m talking about.

A Whole Lotta Bananas

Let’s say you drank a container of Pacific Natural Foods Simply Maté Yerba Maté juice in St. John’s. That’s 18 grams of sugar in your system.

Maybe you ate a Clif Bar, but just one, on the Marquam Bridge. Add 12 grams of sugar.

At the finish line you drank a container of Honest Tea. That’s another 24 grams of sugar.

A banana has about 12 to 18 grams of sugar so let’s say you had one of those while on Route 405. For argument sake we’ll pretend you held off from eating ice cream, cookies or bagels.

Feeding Ice Cream

You would have had 54 grams of sugar before your banana. Before noon!

Chances are people went out to eat afterwards and consumed even more added sugars in their drinks and meals. Then you have dinner and an evening snack. Before the end of the day you could easily consume a whole lotta sugar.

If you don’t think 54 grams is that much for an adult, consider it inside of a child.

But let’s be realistic. Who would show up if there weren’t free hand-outs? Would anybody be able to have fun if ice cream wasn’t involved?

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

I’m A Sugar Addict Video

August 13, 2010

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on August 13, 2010 : Comments (1)

Sugar Addiction is Real

August 10, 2010

Addict Every summer, friends throw a large backyard garden party that’s filled with good people, good food and one very cute dog.

This year, the mother in the family said to me that she looked at my website and saw the words Stop Being Sweet. She thought it meant to not take any crap from people and was surprised to find that the site was about sugar. She made a face and I got the impression that giving up sugar wasn’t something she was about to try.

When her daughter found out that I don’t eat sugar, meat or fish, she asked if I ever smile. It wasn’t the first time someone reacted that way.

On our way out I said goodbye to her son who had just placed several delicious looking dishes on the dessert table. He offered to give me something to go and said, “You can take it with you. I mean, I know you have a public persona to upkeep and everything.” He might as well have winked at and elbowed me.

I can take a joke and there’s plenty of fodder to make fun of when it comes to sugar addiction. Wearing my weakness on my website isn’t always easy but it does make me stronger. Still, I often wonder what people really think and say when I’m not around.

I didn’t bring up the subject at this party. They read my website and they brought it up. I just avoid sugar. In real life, Gwenn talks about me not eating sugar more than I do. In fact I keep it quiet because people think things. They think I’m going to police them. They think I’m judging them while they eat dessert. They think I think I’m better than they are. None of that is true and sometimes all of it is true.

Sugar addiction is funny that way. It’s also stupid. It’s annoying. It’s difficult. It’s frustrating. It’s real. It’s real. It’s real.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on August 10, 2010 : Comments (2)

Weekly Sugar Challenge: Week of August 9, 2010

August 09, 2010

This week’s sugar challenge: check your meat.

Summertime means lots of people cook food on the grill. If you are a meat eater then check the ingredients on the meat you’re eating. You will be surprised to find that lots of meats come packaged with added sugars.

Bacon contains sugar. Hot dogs contain sugar. Barbecue sauce contains sugar. As always, keep an eye out for High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Check the packaging and see what’s in there. Also check the packaging of the condiments that you add to your meat. If there’s sugar in there, avoid it!

If you are vegetarian, check the additives inside the veggie burgers and vegetarian meat substitutes you consume (if any). If there’s added sugars, avoid!

Good luck.

Posted in Weekly Sugar Challenge on August 09, 2010 : Comments (0)

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