It’s been over three months since my post about cessation of dessert eating, so I thought I’d offer a bit of an update.
It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be to stop eating sugar. I’m aware that this might be a result of my conviction to the matter and that some people can have a real hard time giving up sugar (because of habits, addiction, etc.). Since giving it up, I have hardly had any sugar (i.e. refined sugar), but there have been times when I’ve been out of the house and in a pinch, I reached for a chocolate bar instead of a piece of fruit. However, each time that I do that, I’m harshly reminded just how bad it is to eat a chocolate bar (for me). Minutes after finishing the chocolate bar, my stomach almost immediately feels terrible and I wish I hadn’t eaten it. That’s happened a couple of times, but like I said, each time that it does happen, I’m reminded just how terrible a choice it is for me to reach for a chocolate bar instead of a piece of fruit or nuts (or nothing!), even if I’m glad that I’m living in Canada, the land of Coffee Crisp.
There’s only been one time that I’ve eaten something sugary and haven’t regretted it — a piece of tiramisu at a wedding. Each bite was heavenly. With that being said, I should clarify that this one of only a couple of times that I’ve opted in for dessert. I don’t remember the other time, but I remember that it made me feel more like I did after the chocolate bars, so maybe my palate has developed such that I can only eat dessert that is of high quality? I realize that sounds a bit pretentious, but it’s not unheard of for one’s palate to change with age.
Even though I’ve dipped into the sugar pot here and there, it’s still my intention to avoid dessert (and sugar, in general). These experiences with sugar since my “decision of cessation” have taught me just how much sugar can have an effect on my body (including my brain).
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A few other things I wanted to mention. Did you know that there’s sugar in bacon? I certainly did not, but when I began reading the ingredients of things to see if there was sugar in them, I was shocked to find that there’s sugar in bacon. And it’s not just the ‘conventional’ bacon. I looked through a bunch of “organic” bacon packages and there was sugar in them, too. It was news to me.
Also along the lines of sugar in things that we wouldn’t expect: potato chips. I used to eat Miss Vickies Jalapeño chips as a kid and when I came across the Kettle Brand of Jalapeño chips, I would choose those instead. However, upon turning over the package, I was floored to find that sugar’s an ingredient. It’s not just the Kettle Brand of chips, either. I looked at a bunch of other “healthier” options of potato chips and, surprisingly, sugar is in them, too.
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Lastly, I wanted to close with something I said a few years ago, with regard to diet:
One could read and try thousands of diets from Alicia Silverstone’s to Suzanne Somers’ and still never find the perfect diet. I think that this is the case because there is no perfect diet for everyone.
Jeremiah Stanghini 