Liam’s Sugar High Video

Video description: This is the result of Liams eating breakfast out, and a little too much syrup haha.

The Sugar Lamp Video

Life and Death in Energy Autonomous Devices

THE SUGAR LAMP

More information: http://www.anab.in/research/energyautonomy.html

Sugar Rush Video

How to Avoid Eating Sugar at a Funeral

You’re sad. You’re weak. You’re surrounded by sweets. How can you make it through such a tragic event without indulging even just a little bit?

My Grandpa George passed away on September 2, 2010. He was 91. A well loved man who had touched many people’s lives, he was kind, funny, and fun.

I flew to NJ for his funeral and stayed at my parent’s house for several days. People kept coming by to drop off trays of cookies, cakes and other sweets. I kept telling myself I could have just a little. I even considered binging for two days. Despite the constant temptation, I made it through and remained sugar-free. It wasn’t easy.

Here’s how you can survive a funeral without eating sweets.

Expect to Eat More

No matter your family’s traditions, chances are there will be lots of eating before and after the funeral. Eat away! At my grandfather’s funeral I had several helpings of everything but sweets. A belly full of regular food is better than a belly full of sugar.

Eat Something Else

You need to eat something when everyone else begins to chow down on the cookies. This is crucial. Make sure you have enough food besides the sweets others are eating or else you might slip up.

Don’t Give In

You’ll tell yourself that because someone died you deserve to be sweet. I told myself it was okay to eat sweets just for the two days during the funeral because, after all, my grandpa had passed. Every single time I looked at the chocolate covered pretzels and the delicious looking sugar cookies (the kind that are half dipped in chocolate and then dipped in sprinkles) I negotiated sugar binging. Don’t do it!

Eat Borderline Replacement Foods

When you’re down and in trouble and you need a helping hand… borderline replacement foods! For those of you who have read Stop Being Sweet, you know what I’m talking about. These are the foods that sometimes contain sugar or aren’t so healthy for you, but are not your trigger foods. I ate potato chips, cheese and crackers, and bagels while avoiding the cake, cookies, ice cream and the tray of chocolate covered pretzels (my trigger food).

You’re In Control

If you host the socializing then you have control over the food that gets served. You could simply remove sweets from the event but common thinking would imply that you’re “punishing” others by not providing sugary snacks. If you’re going to provide sweets, also provide something as an alternative for yourself and possibly for others who wish to opt out of the junk food.

If you’re at the mercy of someone else’s planning, chances are there will be tons of sugar. Follow the steps in this post and avoid reasoning yourself into an unwanted sugar binge. You can always bring a fruit salad or add to the meal. If worse comes to worst, sneak out and eat something sugar-free. What goes into your body is up to you and only you.

It’s a Test

You take a test by answering one question at a time. Eventually you make it through the whole thing and the experience is over. It’s never easy to be outside of your home, tempted by sweets, and surrounded by people offering you a slice of cheesecake and questioning you when you say no. Imagine you’re being tested. Take it one moment at a time. The test won’t last forever. Eventually you’ll be back home where you (hopefully) have an easier time avoiding sweets.

They’re Trying to Get You

If all else fails, pretend the people who tempt you to eat sweets are aliens. Their mission on Earth is to get you to become a sugar laden zombie. That may sound crazy but so is pouring pounds of sugar into your body! You’re at a funeral. Someone died. Why eat something that only helps you to become the next in line?

Sugar Boiling Video

From the description: Ever want to know what happens when you put a ton of sugar and a tiny bit of water into a pot and apply heat for a while? This, apparently, is how you make hard candy. Craziness.

Loud Sugar Video

Turn your speaker volume down!

Sugar Video

Reward Exercise With… Sugar?

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.

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. 

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!

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?