(Maybe) Ditching My Sugar Addiction
Posted on Nov 11th 2009 10:00AM by Karla Carrington
On any given day you can see people in New York City who are, "not quite right." One morning on my way to work, one such individual was standing on the subway platform loudly proclaiming that the white conspiracy would kill us all. Thinking that he was another loon spouting black power rhetoric, I kept walking to catch my train. As I continued on my way, I heard him say, "Sugar is the silent killer. You thought it was salt, but it's really sugar." His words about the white conspiracy had nothing to do with race, but everything to do with the dangers of sugar. He said that salt was a diversion to keep us blindly consuming sugar in large amounts. I thought, wow, what an odd thing to preach about in a subway station. He was so adamant about sugar's dangers that I decided to see if there was any truth to what he had to say.
I do not need a study from Harvard to tell me that sugar is addictive. I know this personally as I now realize that I struggle with my own sugar consumption far more than I realize. When I started digging on the subject, I found quite a few things about sugar to be extremely surprising.
For example, refined sugar has been linked to everything from a suppressed immune system and premature aging, to hemorrhoids and gallstones. Sugar can even affect your skin. I already knew that it contributes to obesity and tooth decay, but never imagined that it had such adverse side effects.
That being said, I have decided to try and give it up completely. My first task is to go three days without it. I tried this once before but failed miserable as it was Christmastime. In order for me to have any success with this over the holidays, I have to start now.
My first sugar-free day will be Friday. The last time, I made it through two days, but not without side effects. I was irritable and found that I didn't feel as focused. I don't know what else to expect this time around but I do expect to stick it out this time. I'm about to find out just how sweet life can be without sugar. Wish me luck!
