David Vanadia

Fruit = Nature’s Candy

April 17, 2013 • Comments (0)

Years ago, farmer stands appeared on road sides across America. Having fresh watermelon, blueberries, or strawberries in the summer was a sweet treat. The farmer stand food had to be planted, cared for, and harvested.

These days, for summer snacks purchased a short walk from our car, we can choose from frozen ice cream pops, chilled and flavored sodas and energy drinks, or artificially flavored ice shakes. The food of today is sold in road side stands (petrol fueling stations), is shipped in on trucks, pre-packaged, and can sit on the shelf for months before it goes bad.

Some sugar addicts steer away from fruit for fear that they will binge on it. Others avoid fruit because they feel that it’s equally as bad for them as a spoonful of table sugar.

Fruit contains sugars but it comes packed in fiber. It’s your life—eat it or don’t. However, I personally recommend fruit for anyone who chooses to Stop Being Sweet. It beats a bag of candy or box of cookies any day.

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 04/17/13 • Comment

Sugar-Free Challenge: Read the Labels!

April 15, 2013 • Comments (3)

For one whole week, read the label on everything you eat.

Look for the sugar content and check for the total carbohydrates.

Check the ingredients for artificial flavors and preservatives.

Notice if there are more than ten ingredients in the food you’re eating and see if you can recognize and define all of the stuff that’s in there.

If you don’t know one of the ingredients, don’t eat the food until after you learn what the ingredient is (try an Internet search).

If you discover anything particularly shocking or fascinating, please share!

Posted in Sugar-Free Challenge on 04/15/13 • Comment

The Crazy Amount Of Sugar Hiding In Random Foods

April 12, 2013 • Comments (2)

This video generated some debate in the comment section on YouTube.

Ruben Fernandes said, “This is wrong, they are confusing carbohydrates as if it was only sucrose ( white sugar )”

Pikapikarya said, “Nothing wrong with sugar, especially natural sugars. Video is very misleading in identifying the difference.”

What are your thoughts?

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 04/12/13 • Comment

Why Do I Eat When I’m Not Really Hungry?

April 11, 2013 • Comments (3)

Yesterday, I had a late lunch consisting of butternut squash soup, roasted vegetables, and some quinoa. Barring a small evening snack, I planned to be done eating for the day.

A few hours later my friends said, “Let’s get something to eat.” I went along to spend some time with them and take part in the conversation. We ended up at Chipotle, where my thought process went like this:

• I just ate
• I’m not hungry
• I’ll get something small
• There’s nothing small on the menu
• I could eat again
• I shouldn’t eat again
• I’ll get a taco
• That’s a lot of taco
• Ugh. Why did I eat again?!

I didn’t eat sugar but did eat when I was already full.

Why?

Conditioning, Habit, and Expectation

Whenever I go into Chipotle, I eat. To get food is why I go in there—except last night. Last night I went to participate in a conversation. It was also the first time out of maybe fifty that I went into a Chipotle just to hang out.

My friends wouldn’t have thought it strange if I didn’t eat and just wanted to talk. Certainly Chipotle wouldn’t have noticed that I didn’t buy anything. Still, I purchased food and ate it.

Autopilot, Herding, Hypnosis

The reason I ate when I wasn’t hungry was as simple as me being on autopilot. I made a purchase because that’s what I always do and possibly because that’s what everyone else was doing. It was that simple.

From now on I’m going to do my best to slow down around food and listen to my gut.

Posted in My Personal Journal on 04/11/13 • Comment

Your Sugar Habit Makes Someone Money

April 10, 2013 • Comments (0)

Have you ever thought about how what we think and eat is based on the market?

For instance, if you have positive associations with sweets and sugary foods, that means the sugar refiners make money. The baker makes money. The trucking company that delivers your favorite cookies makes money. The restaurant that sells you dessert after dinner makes money. Advertisers make money. Lots of people make money off of you!

Every time you bite into a piece of junk food, the dealers win.

Whenever you eat sugary junk food, consider the chain of events that had to happen in order for that sweet to be before you, available for your temptation.

Why haven’t they placed a head of broccoli under your nose? Or some delicious roasted organic carrots?

How long did that sweet junk food sit on its shelf awaiting your purchase?

Like a junkie to a dealer, sugar addicts are someone’s cash cow.

For years now, the sugar industry has had a strong hold on its junkies. They’ve manipulated us into thinking we can’t celebrate a happy moment without eating something sweet.

We eat sweets at birthdays, weddings, graduations—heck, even after funerals. Why must we eat something sweet (when we’re not hungry) to mark the passing of a particular event?

Sugar junkies are rebelling.

As of April, 2013, a candy industry trade group was conducting a PR agency review because they’re feeling the pressure of the new “sugar is bad for us” mind set.

They’re looking to sweeten sugar’s image. Why? Because if we think sugar is bad for us we might not eat it and that means a whole lot of money lost for a whole lot of people.

Look out for more “sugar is good for us” or “sugar is fine in moderation” campaigns soon. Or worse, watch out for attacks on sugar-free people and products everywhere.

If a new generation comes up thinking sugar is bad and organic farm fresh food is good, what will happen to those old industries? What kinds of new industries will spring up?

Imagine being sold fresh, organic carrots at electric car recharging stations across America. One can dream…

Posted in Tips, Tricks, Info & News on 04/10/13 • Comment

About David

I realized I had a sugar problem back in 2003 after a weekend-long binge on raw chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate covered pretzels. As a result, I began trying to quit sugar but kept failing. Finally, I figured out a way to stay off sweet junk food for good. Read more.