Sugar!

Sugar - sweet, seductive and enslaving!
Even those of us that say we don't really have a sweet tooth, are ensnared by it, whether we know it  or not. It exists in about 60 different forms and aliases in packaged foods. There's very little you can buy at a supermarket, that has a nutrition label and no sugar in it, health food or otherwise.
I've been doing a lot of reading about sugar, thanks to a dear friend who first shared with me Dr.Robert Lustig's youtube sensation video - Sugar, the bitter truth. I am not a scientist, nutritionist, dietician or in any way an authority on this subject. All that I am about to share here is knowledge gleaned from sources like Dr.Lustig who I've come to respect and love for being so selflessly dedicated to the cause of public health and his crusade against sugar. He is one of the rarities of our time when majority of the responsible people in public health, USDA, FDA, policy makers are all simply spokespersons of the food industry - sugar, dairy, corn, meat etc.
This and the next few posts will be an attempt at journaling what I've learnt before I can forget. Comments, suggestions and feedback are welcome.
Firstly some videos for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3ksKkCOgTw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1cCXH-XGhI

https://www.youtube.com/watchv=ceFyF9px20Y&list=PLpjST35qoZmrbxePlsBYNUMO4QOH-cn_n&index=2

Please read the nutrition label of every single packaged food you buy. Pay attention to serving size mentioned at the top and then scroll down to Sugars.The serving size is usually a measly 3/4 cup or 1/2 cup , the package will have a total of say, 22 servings.

Each serving will have the specified amount of sugar. 

4 g of sugar is 1 teaspoon. 

For example, in a single serving of simple plain Cheerios cereal- 3/4 cup- the sugar content is 9g, slightly more than 2 tsps. An average person will have at least 4 servings in one go. That is about 8-9 spoons of sugar.Once you start observing and noting this, you'll be appalled at the sugar content of everyday foods - bread, pasta sauce, ketchup, cereal, even cough drops and such.

The cup is the standard measuring cup used in all recipes. Not any bowl or cup in your kitchen. 

Many years ago I used to naively think the entire sugar in the package is the one listed. Did not realize it is for one single serving.

Packaged foods should be minimized as much as possible.If you must buy, choose one with fewest, simplest ingredients.If you don't recognize it or find it hard to pronounce or spell it, forget it.

Sugar is hiding in several aliases like maltodexterose, invert sugar, beet sugar, evaporated cane juice etc.

MRI scans show that sugar activates the same pleasure centers in brain as cocaine or nicotine. Sugar is a drug, addiction is real. That's why we feel withdrawal - headache and restlessness when we miss our coffee ( caffeine too)  or a sugary snack. I worry about non packaged foods where sugar is hiding in unknown quantities. Sweets, snacks and savories - restaurant food like thai curry, papaya salad, Indian sweets etc.

So, to do something about this, a few cousins and I have started a 2 week sugar free challenge yet again. Last time, I did it alone, I think I lasted a week and then some social engagement swallowed me whole. This time, hopefully the group effort will help us all stay afloat. The enthusiasm from the group is infectious, I couldn't be more proud.

Why 2 weeks? 2 weeks is kind of the time the body needs to overcome sugar cravings, for the palate to readjust, detoxify and hopefully start thriving on non sugary foods. It is not to say that after two weeks it'll all be back to usual. This period is to build self awareness and hopefully some of us will discover at least a few habits that can be carried forward. Say, we no longer feel the need for a after dinner dessert or sugar in coffee/tea or that we can do very well without white rice - and so on.