As the story about sugar began to unfold in my mind, a memory popped into my head from my past. It seemed to correlate so nicely with this topic that I decided to add it here. For you see, when I was in college, I played the life of a party girl. If there was some sort
of social gathering happening, I likely would have been there. On one such occasion, a friend of mine at the time brought some cocaine to the event. I declined his offer to try some, but ever the curious mind, I saw this as an opportunity to learn why people use it in the first place. I therefore asked if I could interview him while he was partaking in this powdery endeavor. He agreed and I am forever grateful for his generosity. It was because of what proceeded to happen that abhorred me so strongly, that I would never feel inclined to try it myself.
of social gathering happening, I likely would have been there. On one such occasion, a friend of mine at the time brought some cocaine to the event. I declined his offer to try some, but ever the curious mind, I saw this as an opportunity to learn why people use it in the first place. I therefore asked if I could interview him while he was partaking in this powdery endeavor. He agreed and I am forever grateful for his generosity. It was because of what proceeded to happen that abhorred me so strongly, that I would never feel inclined to try it myself.
I gazed at him and asked questions with each step he took. He first prepared a line on a small glass mirror and then inhaled it up his nose. This did not seem very attractive to me, but I continued observing him. His smile and far away demeanor gave him the appearance of being in shear bliss. This only lasted for what seemed to be about 30 seconds. It may have been a minute or two, but whatever the actual time was, it wasn't long.
After his brief interlude with joy, things began to change. His nose started to bleed profusely. In my mind, I was certain this would be the end of his binge. Sadly, I was mistaken. He cleaned up, only to start the process all over again...and then yet again, until his bag was empty. His body suffered with nose bleed after nose bleed, all for the sake of a mere one or two minute high each time he took a snort. That scene has been ingrained in my memory and I am grateful for the lesson it taught me. It's too bad I didn't have the same kind of learning tool while I was young when it came to my own addiction to sugar.
We all know that sugar is not good for us, but most of us don't have a clue about how much of it is actually in our diet nor do we know how truly toxic it is for our bodies. I had the opportunity to learn for myself that whether it's cocaine or sugar, both are equally addicting and neither offer more than a brief high before doing serious damage to our bodies.
I began my journey of this latest lesson a few months ago when I was guided during a meditation to stop eating sugar. I knew it was time, but admittedly, I was hardly pleased about this decision. I went all day without taking a bite of a cookie or a piece of chocolate, but then 5:00 rolled around and I started to shake. My brain wasn't doing any better either. Incoming thoughts were piling up on each other and it was clear to me that the voice of ego was now in charge. "Maybe I should quit tomorrow. I could easily go to the store right now and get something sweet to eat. I don't think I can go much longer without sugar. What am I going to do?"
After his brief interlude with joy, things began to change. His nose started to bleed profusely. In my mind, I was certain this would be the end of his binge. Sadly, I was mistaken. He cleaned up, only to start the process all over again...and then yet again, until his bag was empty. His body suffered with nose bleed after nose bleed, all for the sake of a mere one or two minute high each time he took a snort. That scene has been ingrained in my memory and I am grateful for the lesson it taught me. It's too bad I didn't have the same kind of learning tool while I was young when it came to my own addiction to sugar.
We all know that sugar is not good for us, but most of us don't have a clue about how much of it is actually in our diet nor do we know how truly toxic it is for our bodies. I had the opportunity to learn for myself that whether it's cocaine or sugar, both are equally addicting and neither offer more than a brief high before doing serious damage to our bodies.
I began my journey of this latest lesson a few months ago when I was guided during a meditation to stop eating sugar. I knew it was time, but admittedly, I was hardly pleased about this decision. I went all day without taking a bite of a cookie or a piece of chocolate, but then 5:00 rolled around and I started to shake. My brain wasn't doing any better either. Incoming thoughts were piling up on each other and it was clear to me that the voice of ego was now in charge. "Maybe I should quit tomorrow. I could easily go to the store right now and get something sweet to eat. I don't think I can go much longer without sugar. What am I going to do?"
It was as though a roller coaster of emotional justification was spinning in my mind in order to persuade me to dive head first into a bowl of sugar. Between both my physical reaction, as well as my emotional reaction, it was clear to me that sugar was just as much a drug as any pharmaceutical or narcotic is—except sugar can almost be seen as worse, because it's legal and people don't realize how harmful it really is.
Thankfully, I did not give in to the childish rants going on inside my body. Instead, I sat in observation of it all. This was no different than quitting alcohol and I simply allowed the DTs (otherwise known as delerium tremens) to run its course. While I never had anything as significant as hallucinations during the withdrawal process, the rest of the DT symptoms were there and it disturbed me how significant a control sugar had on my body to induce such a reaction. The good news is that the shaking only lasted for that one evening. However, my psychological addiction was another matter. My mind refused to quiet itself from its begging for sugar for about six weeks. It truly astounded me to witness the length of time it took to move through this process.
Now, here is the interesting part in all this, I never was one who ate all that much sugar—at least, relative to the average American. I had a lifelong habit of eating one sugary treat for desert and I figured that was ok, since I ate so well the rest of the day. I don't drink soft drinks. I was never one to eat commercially processed cereals. I was the kid that came home from school and ate a bowl of vegies as my afternoon snack. Yet, sugar is hidden in so many things, I wasn't aware of how much I was actually taking in.
For example, when I was younger I ate granola bars. Those are healthy, right? Unfortunately most of them are loaded with sugar. I may not eat milk products anymore, but back in the day, I cherished my daily yogurt. This was another so-called healthy item, yet it too was loaded with sugar. I even recently discovered that the non-stir organic peanut butter brand that I was consuming had sugar in it. So, when I thought I was eating healthily, I really wasn't.
On average, Americans eat 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, while the average teenager consumes about 34 teaspoons a day. That is about 84 and 129 pounds of sugar per year, respectively. Much like with cocaine, when we eat sugar our dopamine level (which is the pleasure neurotransmitter in our body) is a happy little camper for a minute or so, but then when the initial high goes away our body tells us we need more and more and more. That is exactly what the sellers of these food products want—for us to eat more of what they are selling.
For example, when I was younger I ate granola bars. Those are healthy, right? Unfortunately most of them are loaded with sugar. I may not eat milk products anymore, but back in the day, I cherished my daily yogurt. This was another so-called healthy item, yet it too was loaded with sugar. I even recently discovered that the non-stir organic peanut butter brand that I was consuming had sugar in it. So, when I thought I was eating healthily, I really wasn't.
On average, Americans eat 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, while the average teenager consumes about 34 teaspoons a day. That is about 84 and 129 pounds of sugar per year, respectively. Much like with cocaine, when we eat sugar our dopamine level (which is the pleasure neurotransmitter in our body) is a happy little camper for a minute or so, but then when the initial high goes away our body tells us we need more and more and more. That is exactly what the sellers of these food products want—for us to eat more of what they are selling.
So, many of our processed foods like bread, cereal and milk (just to name a few) all contain sugar. They certainly don't have to have sugar in them, but sugar works like nicotine in cigarettes. If the maker can get you addicted to them, you will simply buy more of their product to satiate that inner dialogue happening in your body. The problem is that when we eat more, the sugar creates fat in our bodies, which further causes health problems for our blood sugar, our heart, mind, skin and frankly every single part of the body.
Furthermore, a fatty item doesn't just have to have granulated table sugar in it either. In the documentary Hungry for Change, they talk extensively how artificial sweeteners, including aspartame and others, are toxic for the body, causing a plethora of ailments. To add fuel to the fire, things that have "zero" calories or are "fat free" such as zero calorie soda pop, are actually just as bad as sugar-filled items, as the product turns into unhealthy sugars when it is consumed into the body. The more zero calorie soda one drinks, the more addicted we become. The more addicted we are, the more we consume, which, of course, means we will gain more weight. This so-called diet food is not the answer, it is in fact, our detriment.
Let's face it, diets don't work. They may appear as though they are working for the short-term when we lose 10 or 15 pounds, but the second we go off on whatever the diet du jour is, we gain even more weight than we had before. Be that as it may, when we shift our consciousness with food and have a better understanding and even a better relationship with what we are putting into our bodies, we realize that we are a part of Nature. When we are aligned with Nature and feast upon the delights that Mother Earth has so generously given us to eat, as opposed to what a chemist is offering us, we learn to respect the temple that is our body. Our body then acts in the healthful, happy way it was always meant to be.
Thank you for reading about my Organic Bliss!
**Note: I strongly recommend the movie Hungry for Change. It is certainly an eye-opener about our eating habits and our lifestyles in general. Here is the trailer for it. For the full version, it can be streamed online on Netflix or can be purchased at http://www.hungryforchange.tv/.
Thank you for reading about my Organic Bliss!
**Note: I strongly recommend the movie Hungry for Change. It is certainly an eye-opener about our eating habits and our lifestyles in general. Here is the trailer for it. For the full version, it can be streamed online on Netflix or can be purchased at http://www.hungryforchange.tv/.
Sources:
National sugar consumption statistics from NBC. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32543288/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/cut-back-way-back-sugar-says-heart-group/#.UbIQivmsiSo
Dopamine information from http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/sugar-is-a-drug
Artificial sweetener information from the film, Hungry for Change
National sugar consumption statistics from NBC. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32543288/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/cut-back-way-back-sugar-says-heart-group/#.UbIQivmsiSo
Dopamine information from http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/sugar-is-a-drug
Artificial sweetener information from the film, Hungry for Change
