I am proud that I have somehow worked John Waters into a vegan/green living blog! (Bonus points, ok personal satisfaction..., if you know the movie this picture is from!) Mr. Waters' presence was sadly missed on Pixiepine up to this point. (Maybe in the future I can write a post on using vegetable dyes to achieve the hairdos in his movies...beets here we come!).
Anyway. I have been following My Year Without Sugar for a while. This is a blog chronicling a person's New Year's resolution to give up refined sugars for a year. It worked so nicely for her that she is now past the year and has kept on going.
It made me wonder if I could do that. I know sugar is the devil and all that (yes, I did google "sugar is the devil" and get all kinds of fun stuff. ) One thing that stuck in my mind thus far in my reading is this information on Columbia University's website:
"100 grams of sugar, the amount in one 12-ounce can of regular soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40 percent for up to 5 hours!"
That freaks me out! Not to mention that most people don't go for a can, it's the 20-something ounce bottle of soda, the Big Gulp and its relatives, or several refills with a meal. Incapacitated!
I am wondering if I could go without sugar. I have already cut waaaay down on soda. The longer I go between sodas the more I feel the negative effects when I do have one. I can be having a great day, feeling good, and then indulge in a soda. Immediately my tummy rumbles, and eventually I feel wonky and cranky and whiny. Yuck. That certainly did not used to be the case, as Dr. Pepper was my #1 drink. I guess giving the body a break and then reintroducing such harsh ingredients is pretty telling.
I drink herbal tea with no sweeteners. I can drink coffee with soymilk only, but I am guessing my soymilk may have sugar in it. I can do no sodas. I juice my own fruits and vegetables. I think my major barriers would be:
*Oreo/Newman-O/ABC vegan cookie attacks- I have a heinous sweet tooth when it hits me.
*Baked items- I am not much of a baker, so crusts and cookies and such would be a challenge. I do like Ezekiel bread and other sprouted grain stuff.
*Sauces: pizza sauce, marinara, salad dressings, etc.- I already scour labels to be vegan, I dunno if I have the *mmmph* to cut out the sugars as well
*Alcohol? I have no idea what sugar is involved in a bloody mary or a glass of wine.
Hmmm...I think I will begin with cutting out sugary junk food (holy moly I will miss you, Starbucks soy treats...does an iced mocha have sugar?) like cookies and stuff. Then I might work up to the sauces and things. I have been making a goal to reduce the white flour, white pasta, etc., so this will go hand in hand. We shall see!
Thanks to My Year Without Sugar for getting me thinking!
4 comments:
I think about this whole sugar consumption thing a lot, too. Probably because I consume way too much sugar, like many folks. I did manage to give up sodas back in November and I'm going to stick with that, at least!
Wow..... that quote is a real eye opener!! What about truvia?? I use that to sweeten by oats and coffee..... would that count?? Maybe you could use it to sweeten things when you need that fix!
Good luck if you decide to go for it!
I gave up caffeine and sodas about 2 months ago when the doc told me I had an ulcer and I researched the stuff that was bad for it. My caffeine headache was horrid for a week but now I feel great! I used to love fizzy drinks, I would buy a 6 pack of diet vimto or something and drink them all in a couple of days!
I dunno if I could fully cut out sugar though because I love to bake, even though I have cut it back. I never use white sugar though, and try to sub in maple or agave syrup if i can.
Sugar is sneaky - it hides itself in so much!!
Little Chrissy! I love that movie. "Pecker, bring me back a soda!"
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