If someone asked you to eat your weight in sugar, would you? Amazingly enough, that is just about what the average American does every year! The US Department of Agriculture reported in 2011 that the average American consumed about 154 pounds of sugar per person per year! Compare that with research conducted by Stephan Guyenet, from the University of Washington; who found that in 1822, the average American consumed 6.3 pounds of sugar per person per year. That means that in 2011 we consumed, in 2 weeks, the same amount of sugar that our ancestors consumed in an entire year! And this was added sugar, not sugar consumed by fruits and vegetables.
Why is this a problem? New studies show that it may be the sugar in our diet, more so than the fat in our diet, that is causing health problems like obesity and heart disease. There was a 60 Minutes segment that discusses this in a little more detail. You can watch the YouTube video by clicking on this link. You will note that this video segment states that the average American consumes 130 pounds of added sweeteners a year, compared to the 154 pounds that I mentioned above. Since I don't know their source, I went with mine, as I think the USDA is a pretty credible source for this information. Regardless, 130 pounds or 154 pounds, that's a lot of sugar!
Why is this a problem? New studies show that it may be the sugar in our diet, more so than the fat in our diet, that is causing health problems like obesity and heart disease. There was a 60 Minutes segment that discusses this in a little more detail. You can watch the YouTube video by clicking on this link. You will note that this video segment states that the average American consumes 130 pounds of added sweeteners a year, compared to the 154 pounds that I mentioned above. Since I don't know their source, I went with mine, as I think the USDA is a pretty credible source for this information. Regardless, 130 pounds or 154 pounds, that's a lot of sugar!
Does this mean you should go out and try to remove all sugar out of your diet? That's up to you. But could most of us benefit from a reduction in calories from sugar and other sweeteners? Absolutely! If you are wondering how to start, just start with baby steps. First thing I tried was to remove high fructose corn syrup from the house. After that, I eliminated soda, ALL soda. Read here about artificial sweeteners. After these two successes, Christmas hit and I went crazy on the holiday treats that included fudge, cranberry and white chocolate chip blondie bars with white chocolate frosting, toffee and chocolate chip snicker doodles, rum balls, and egg nog.
Have I made you hungry yet? My point is, even with my few successes, I could see that I was hugely addicted to sugar. I mean, my favorite comfort food is leftover spaghetti made into a sandwich with buttered bread. Yeah, I like a little carb with my carbs.
Aside from knowing that I have a sugar addiction and that I would like to lose some weight, I have a problem with the Herpes Simplex 1 Virus, aka cold sores. They can be very painful and also very ugly. I have had some major problems with this virus in the past and currently take a supplement of L-Lysine to help keep them under control. Over the holidays, I got a really bad one inside my nose. It was very painful and took a long time to heal. I had read some things that suggested a link between sugar and the growth of viruses and while I couldn't find any conclusive studies to directly link the two, there are also suggestions between the virus and chronic inflammation. It was enough for me to decide to get off the sugar and see if it helped.
I found a book called the 21 Day Sugar Detox, by Diane Sanfilippo and decided to take the challenge. The basic premise of the detox is to use real, whole foods to reduce or eliminate your cravings for sugars and carbohydrates. It does have restrictions like no fruit except for lemon and lime juice and 1 green apple, grapefruit or green tipped banana per day. This is just for the 21 days and you can incorporate fruit back into your diet when the 21 days is over. Hopefully, fruit will be sweet enough that this will be your source of sugar from here on out. There is a whole lot more to the detox, and if you are truly interested I do recommend her book.
As I type this blog, I am on day 19 of the detox. It has had its moments of struggle, but I was actually surprised at how introducing more healthy fats into my diet has really helped with the sugar cravings. My biggest obstacle was this weekend. A dear friend of mine was turning 40 and to celebrate she invited a bunch of us to a house she rented outside of Atlantic City. I actually contemplated not going, but decided that I was not going to miss the opportunity to see my friend and celebrate with her. I had to determine if this could truly be a lifestyle change or not.
On Saturday night we headed into Atlantic City for dinner and a night out. We ate at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and let me tell you, there were all kinds of things on the menu I wanted to eat, but I found a dish that was within the parameters of the sugar detox and it was fantastic! I had mineral water instead of wine and was really feeling great. Then came dessert. I said no thank you, but there was a chocolate soufflé with pistachio ice cream to my left and a pineapple upside down cake with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream to my right. My friends were very supportive in what I was doing, but had every right to indulge and I did not begrudge them that. But there was an impulse to just try a bite. What could one bite hurt? But I resisted. I reminded myself of my intentions for doing this detox and stayed strong.
On Saturday night we headed into Atlantic City for dinner and a night out. We ate at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and let me tell you, there were all kinds of things on the menu I wanted to eat, but I found a dish that was within the parameters of the sugar detox and it was fantastic! I had mineral water instead of wine and was really feeling great. Then came dessert. I said no thank you, but there was a chocolate soufflé with pistachio ice cream to my left and a pineapple upside down cake with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream to my right. My friends were very supportive in what I was doing, but had every right to indulge and I did not begrudge them that. But there was an impulse to just try a bite. What could one bite hurt? But I resisted. I reminded myself of my intentions for doing this detox and stayed strong.
Including today, I have three more days to go and can't believe I did it! The best part is that it is working. I am feeling better, I lost 10 pounds without even trying, and I am sleeping better. Yes, I would like to have eaten that dessert, but I was able to resist. Now don't get me wrong, there will be times in the future when I go out for something special that I may have dessert, or I may order pasta, and I will still have my occasional glass of wine, but I also know that these foods are now truly "every once in a while foods" for me. This has truly been Another Hayward Adventure!
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