My sweet addiction

I'm sure this is old news to y'all by now, but a few weeks ago a report came out about how sugar is terrible for you. Okay, nothing new, but I think this study maybe compared it to crack and how our bodies weren't made to consume as much as Americas do. (My memory is drawing a big blank here.. must be from all the sugar).

Sorry, that statement is not very scientific due to the fact that my one attempt to google it yielded nothing and then I gave up. But I did hear about it on Wait, Wait...Don't tell me and The Bobby Bones Show awhile ago.

I think I might be living proof of this study... even though I can't find it.  

I have a terrible relationship with sugar, especially in its chocolate and coffee forms. This probably was increased when I became a baker. I feel as if I lead a pretty healthy lifestyle... until you look at my daily intake, (which I never do).

Y'all, I think I am addicted to sugar.  I crave it all the time and seem incapable of cutting it out of my diet, even for one day. It also could be effecting my run, causing my energy levels to tank as soon as I lace up my blue and pink runners.

I know sugar is not healthy for me, but I cannot let it go most of the time. (Addict)! It's weird especially since when I learned all the terrible stuff High Fructose Corn Syrup does to, well, everything, I have significantly cut it out of my life. (I wish I could say 100% here, but that tricky little guy pops up in the most unexpected and unlikely places. i.e. if you buy honey from the store, there is a good chance it traces of HFCS in it because the bees might've been fed it). Why can't I do the same with sugar?

You can, Anna, you are just choosing not to do so.

True, subconscious-self, but it is so DELICIOUS.

Recently, my sister (sorry Leah I reference you in my blog like everyday) has had to keep track of her daily in takes of the various food groups, particularly protein. Last night, when I was complaining about uninteresting health-related things, she told me that maybe I should keep track too.

This feels like lot of work.

Plus, the odds of me actually following through on this seem very slim. But maybe I should. Maybe if I see how slanted my intake of fruits and veggies is, then maybe I would feel more motivated to eat an orange after supper instead of a girl scout cookie.

I have this problem, you see. When I tell myself I am no longer going to eat sweet things, guess what I crave even more? Yep. Sugar. That is why I have never tried giving up sugar for lent or even during the ordinary week days. Dumb excuse, I know, but there it is. But after I got back from my run last Friday, almost in tears over how terrible it was, I realized I needed to do something about it. Maybe, I need to trick myself into slowly giving up sugar.  

How does one do that?

Good question, I have no idea. 

I know I would benefit from cutting out cookies, but sugar is sneaky and, like HFCS, it likes to hide in places we don't really realize. I really want to start paying attention to those sneaky little guys. Sure, my coffee might have sugar-in-the-raw in it, but at least I put it there.

(Since I follow Runner's World on twitter, I am probably going to be full of article references from there now. Sorry.). Here is one about dangerous health foods. I admit that I have fallen into the trap of protein bars, yogurt, bran muffins, and fat-free salad dressing. Well, yogurt was maybe the one in which I was aware. I've always avoided yogurt with HFCS in it, but now I am starting to look at the straight-up sugar count. At home we've switched to a more natural brand and I think I might start getting Greek yogurt - that is, if I suddenly get find the urge to eat more yogurt. (I could use the protein, but dairy is also on my list to occasionally avoid).

Also, spring is coming and when it is warm outside, my eating habits are usually better. That is encouraging.

I found this article (also on Runner's World) about eating tips to help runners. Even if you aren't a runner, it still is pretty interesting. I like what they have to say about switching what you eat for breakfast. Even though I love me some breakfast, trying to rush out the door in the mornings does not allow me very much time to plan what I'm going to eat. Usually, I will have the same type of cereal or, if I have a lot of time, maybe I'll fry an egg. This morning felt significantly more cold than usual (since it's been feeling like summer for awhile and then suddenly it went back to spring), so I made sure I had time to make oatmeal. Filling my bowl with the warm cereal, almond milk, brown sugar (yeah there it is, but we didn't have honey), sunflower seeds, almonds, half a banana, and a few frozen blackberries, I am sure I made my father proud, (he is a the king of oatmeal-making and of any type of frozen berry). It felt great getting in all those extra nutrients from "new foods." 

Speaking of coffee (four paragraphs ago), I am really trying to cut back and teach myself to like plain-Jane lattes. It's going to be rough, but if I can teach myself to like coffee without sugar, that alone will be a huge win for my health.