Get Stop Being Sweet the Book!

Ready for a “Healthy” New Coke?

Word around sweet-town is that the US FDA is gearing up to give Stevia GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status soon. If this happens, soda and all kinds of sweets will start selling with Stevia-based sweeteners. Cocoa Cola has already begun cutting deals with a Stevia supplier in China.

I sometimes wonder how much the big companies influence the FDA which has passed on giving Stevia GRAS status thus far. In the meantime, sugary foods continue to sell and the large companies have been getting their supply chains in place. Once ready, they’ll push for approval and most certainly get it. Suddenly they’ll be telling us, “Sugar was no good for you and you knew that. Now we use Stevia-based healthy sweeteners.”

As for me, I’m going to keep avoiding soda altogether.

Back On The Wagon

On Monday of this past week I ate my final sweet for the year—some home-baked chocolate chip cookies. I didn’t eat all of them. On Tuesday night was I tired. Wednesday night I was so depressed I felt like the world was going to cave in on me. Everything seemed useless and dumb. Thursday I began to feel better and today, Friday, I am feeling like myself.

Had I not set a goal of going another year without sweets, I probably would have eaten the remainder of the cookies from the night before when I was feeling down on Tuesday. They probably would have made me feel a little better. On Wednesday I’m sure I’d have wanted more sweets. But I made it through the week and now things are good again.

Sweet Day #4

I teach Yoga on Mondays. Today I was particularly tired. My balance was a bit off, my stamina was not there, and when I got home I ate chocolate.

What struck me as most interesting on this day, the fourth and final day of my annual sugar “binge”, is that I feel lethargic. Normally I’d come home and get work done but today I couldn’t focus on anything long enough to produce. All I wanted to do was eat some sweets. Part of that stems from the fact that, starting at midnight, I’m “off” sweets for another year. It’s funny how three days ago I ate a handful of chocolate covered pretzels and it made me sick to my stomach and I couldn’t finish them. Last night it was quite the contrary—I ate the rest of the bag.

When you are “on” or regularly eating sugary foods, you’d be surprised to know that a whole lot of your time, energy, and resources are being devoted to the planning and execution of your next sugar fix. Imagine what you could be spending money on and getting done if you weren’t so busy acting out your sweet rituals day in and day out. Tonight I have things to do but instead I will act out the ritual of baking up some chocolate chip cookies and eating them. It’s the “final installation” of my four-day eat-whatever-I-want time.

Tomorrow I’m back on the sugar-free wagon for another year and I’m looking forward to it. I hope you’ll join me for at least some of that time. 

Annual Free-Eating Period: Day 3

Yesterday Gwenn and I got a car and drove to the coast. We stopped at the Tillamook cheese factory and got ice cream. Ice cream is one of my trigger foods. I got a “triple” with Mudslide (chocolate with chocolate chunks), Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Rocky Road. I have to say, marshmallows are so gross; I never understood the attraction. Seeing them in my ice cream and picking them out made me think about roasting marshmallows as a kid. In fact, every sweet thing I ate in the past two days has made me think of being a kid. Here is a list of the things I ate and the associated memories:

1. Ice cream: I have so many positive memories with ice cream. It was part of every celebration, every after school summer party, etc. What has a more innocuous reputation than ice cream? I have stories about ice cream places—which ones are the best. I used to know the best ice cream place in every town. I’m happy to say, I don’t know who makes the best ice cream here in Portland.

3. Pancakes: What nutritional value do these things hold? Cooked batter drenched in (corn) syrup = gross. I ate three of them. There was a sign on the wall of the pancake house that I found to be particularly interesting (see image). 

3. Pop Tarts: There were no plans for me to eat Pop Tarts this weekend until I looked into a vending machine and saw them. I haven’t eaten Pop Tarts in over two years, possibly three. I used to eat them as a kid. The package I got was raspberry flavored ($1.25) although I couldn’t really identify the flavor as such. They were not satisfying or filling as a snack. What’s more, they simply brought back memories of being a kid. I have no specific association with them other than “I used to eat these when I was a kid.” Oh, and I got a 6 pack of them when I did a two week sugar binge once, so I’ve actually got a stomach-twisting association with them now.

4. McDonald’s: Don’t hate. We were driving and I wanted a chocolate shake (haven’t had one in years) and so we stopped there. Ended up getting a burger and fries as well. Now this is child’s food (meaning you’ve got to be naive to eat there). As a kid, I attended birthday parties at McDonald’s. Happy meals were part of my childhood. There used to be a Burger Chef near my childhood home and when I got a happy meal from there I was ecstatic. When I could buy food on my own I could afford to eat at McDonald’s. Eating at this restaurant always makes me connect with my father, who still eats there. It’s like we’re on a road trip together.

I noticed that the foods we were eating were car foods. We could drive up in our car, not get out (in other words barely move) and be fed. The chocolate shake was just as I remembered it. In fact, I had forgotten how hard it is to suck it from the straw. When I hit the bottom of the cup, the slurping noise took me back to Morris County Mall where, as a child, I’d eat two cheeseburgers, fries, and a chocolate shake. It was a ritual for me (ordering the same thing each time) but I didn’t know it then.

4. Andes mints: I got them at the supermarket in the bulk section. I used to eat these until the whole package was gone. Yesterday was no exception, although I only purchased a hand full. I had a memory of these being good mints. They’re not.

I noticed a few things in the past two days.

• Eating candy is like collecting. I want to try everything I see and found/find myself to be hoarding the experience of eating a variety of sweets.
• Sweets have a direct link back to childhood experiences that somehow positively reinforced the behavior of eating the food.
• Sweets are so available. I can buy them anywhere, even in the checkout line at Goodwill.
• Car culture is poisonous.
• When choosing what foods we eat, we rationalize the experience. We have a reason for everything we consume. Our paradigm needs rearranging.

Even though I feel absolutely miserable, I still want to eat a snack today. Part of the reasoning for this is that I only have today and tomorrow to be able to eat whatever I want. If I miss something it won’t be able to be eaten for another year. But today I woke up so sluggishly and my eyes were crusted. That’s one of the things that I have forgotten about eating sugar but it’s also part of why I allow myself to eat sugar once a year. If I didn’t do so I’d start to think that sugar was okay. I’d remember the fun memories and think I could start to eat whatever I wanted.

My self-imposed parameters are rules to live by. I’m parenting myself, although today I’m not doing such a good job. I just ate a Nestle Crunch instead of making myself breakfast. Why? Because it required less work. 

Sugar Challange: November 2008

This month, avoid all sugars from November 1st through October 27th (Thanksgiving day in the US).

On the 27th, eat whatever you want.

On the 28th resume your abstinence and stay away from sweets into next month.

In December the sugar challenge will be similar.

If you are new to avoiding sugar you should be able to make it through the holiday season knowing that on the actual holidays you can eat whatever you want.

Use the comment form below to communicate with others who are also taking this month’s sugar challenge.

My Annual Sugar Binge: More Sour Than Sweet

For those of you who don’t know, I stopped being sweet three years ago and only allow myself to eat sugary junk food four days out of the year. As today is Halloween, I am in the first of those four days. So far I’ve eaten Kit Kat, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, Almond Joy, Hershey’s Chocolate, brownies, and some chocolate covered pretzels. I also had a bite-sized Nestle Crunch, a Milky Way, and I might have ice cream tomorrow. Although I purchased most of this junk several weeks ago in anticipation my annual sugar eating ritual, I can’t follow through and finish any of it.

Gwenn took the candy bars with her (at my request) as she left to go out today. She took the brownies and gave them away as well. All that I have left are chocolate covered pretzels and they’re a little too rich for me to handle. Whole foods sells a grain sweetened chocolate covered pretzels that taste much better, in my opinion, but every time I eat them I get anxious and my shoulders tighten up. Not fun. I’m feeling tired and I can’t concentrate on anything. When I was eating this junk all I could imagine was how I’m going to feel when next week rolls around and I have to ride my bike across town to teach classes. Yuck. It sounds like torture. Yet this is how so many people live on a daily basis—loaded up on sugary snacks and dragging their corn syrup-filled bodies around like sweet slugs.

One thing I wanted to eat last year and missed (I ate some but it wasn’t so good) is well-made chocolate mousse. Tonight Gwenn and I went out to Sweet Masterpiece Chocolate & Coffee Bar here in the Pearl District. I’ve been in there once before to sample some hand made sugar free chocolate (it was good but it cost like $7 an ounce or something crazy like that). Tonight we went specifically for the mousse.

Gwenn ordered a flourless chocolate thing with ice cream. The chocolate was warm and the ice cream was cold. I tried it and it was tasty. The mousse I had was also of a fine quality but it was so rich that I got enough chocolate to last me for the rest of the year.

Funny thing, I didn’t feel good after eating the stuff. It’s not unlike it was the first time I made it a year without sugar. Funny thing is that I remember having enjoyed eating sweets back then, but reading my journal shows otherwise. After three years of being unsweet I don’t have the desire to go back to sugary food. It’s as if I’ve “grown up” and let junk food become a thing of my past.

Sugar, I’m letting you go. The further away I get from the sweet life the less I want to go back. 

How to Make It Through the Holidays Without Eating Too Much Sugar

For many, the idea of going sugar-free during the holiday season is like trying to avoid breathing. If you are trying to reduce your sugar intake during this festive time, here are several tips that can help you survive without going overboard.

Only eat sweets on the holiday itself

From Halloween to New Year’s Eve and everything in between, only eat sweets on the actual holiday. The rest of the time abstain from snacking at the office, on the road, and especially at home. 

Clear out the kitchen

Do not purchase junk food! Make that a rule for yourself. If you must eat sweets, make sure you have to bum them from a source other than your own refrigerator or pantry. Rid your house of all junk food!

Limit the number or type of sweets you eat

Self-imposed rules aren’t for everyone but for some it’s what works. If you have a favorite sweet that you absolutely think you must eat during the holidays, allow yourself to eat a serving of it in the company of strangers. Bringing it into your home means you will devour all of it when you are alone. You can’t eat what’s not there.

Do not eat at home alone

If you are surrounded by friends or coworkers it tends to be a little more difficult to binge on sweets. Make a rule for yourself and eat only healthy replacement foods when you are alone at home.

No leftovers!

You threw the party and everyone is trying to leave without taking the leftovers. Don’t let them! Make sure you give everyone some dessert to take home. If you get left with a house full of sweets there’s nearly nothing in the world (but your own sheer willpower) that will stop you from indulging. Get rid of the stuff!

Make something new

Try a new dish that doesn’t include sugar. There are tons of healthy holiday recipes out there. Fins one that you and your loved ones like and make it a tradition.

Ask for help

If you have a trusted friend or loved one who is on your side, turn to them for help. When I’m craving sweets I sometimes ask Gwenn to gently remind me that sweets make me feel miserable. Whatever you do, remember that your friend is working in your best interest so don’t get annoyed if they become the sweet-police and give you a warning every time you look at junk food. 

Memories of Halloween

When I was a kid we’d start trick-or-treating after school by about 4 pm. My brother and I would be so excited that we’d map out the neighborhood and plan out routes to collect from the most possible homes. We usually had to “check in” around 5 or 6 pm for dinner. I recall returning home with my pillow case half full of candy, dumping it out on the dining room table, and then heading back out in the cold, dark night for our evening collection.

There was a street in Glacier Hills, the neighborhood up the hill from my neighborhood, that had several houses in a row that would go all-out. The first house would host an annual Halloween party for adults and they’d invite us into the living room to spin a wheel. There were numbers on the wheel and whatever number you got was how many pieces of candy you could take from the large plastic black cauldron/bowl. The people were always dressed up, having fun, and scaring us.

Another house around the corner would decorate their entire yard with dozens of carved jack-o-lanterns. Orange glowing faces would surround us as we walked to the front door. There were several more houses that would lace faux spider webs through their trees and sometimes someone would pretend to be a scarecrow and jump up and make us all scream.

By the time I got home my feet would be aching and my bag would be heavy. My parents would have already sorted through the candy from our first run and (of course) sampled it for “safety purposes”. I recall we would freeze the remainder of the candy and my mother would stick one or two pieces in our school lunch until it was gone.

To this day, the smell of the cool air in autumn and the crunch of colored leaves under my feet makes me think of Halloween.

What are your fondest memories of Halloween?