Sugar Dreams

I have a problem with sugar.

I keep admitting it, over and over again, but never seem to truly internalize the concept. I give up processed sugar for periods of time, and feel great, when I do so. Then, I'll convince myself that it's ok, in moderation, so I'll have a doughnut. Or a piece of cake. Or some other innocuous sugar-delivery device. Inevitably, I fall off the wagon in spectacular fashion, and thereafter experience new levels of feeling crappy. Sounds like an addiction, doesn't it? Yeah, it does.

I stand in awe of people who do things like baking, or buying treats and actually having them in the house, because I know that stuff wouldn't last a day in my house. Did I mention I have a problem?

I've been struggling, lately - not completely off the rails, but not in that blissful, flow state I get into, when I'm completely abstaining from sugar. Stress at work, with looming pay/benefit/staffing cuts, isn't helping.

Part of the problem with jumping on and off the wagon is that I am now keenly aware of how much sugar messes me up. When you eat sugar on a regular basis, at least in my experience, you don't realize how it affects the way you feel. When I get off of it for a while, detox, if you will, and then start eating it, again, I notice the effects immediately. I can go for months, happily, ingesting no sugar, at all. As soon as I indulge, however, I want more. Right now. Lots.

I also particularly notice how it affects my sleep - probably because I have such a huge insomnia problem, as it is. I wake up, after too little sleep, dehydrated, flushed, and shaky. Hung over. My already challenged energy level plummets. I get logy.

Recently, I read this excellent NY Times Magazine article by Gary Taubes, about the toxicity of sugar. Generally, I tend to be on the polar opposite end of Taubes, who is more of an Atkins-esque, anti-carb, pro-saturated fat kind of guy, while I'm much more of a Michael Pollan-esque "eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants," holistic person. But I am in complete agreement with him, here. There are a lot of problems with the American diet, but processed sugar is way up there. It's a low-grade, yet omnipresent, toxic scourge on our society.

I have to yield to both my scientific knowledge (I was less than a year away from becoming a registered dietitian, before eventually switching to nursing,) and my personal experience.

Hi. My name is Maureen. I'm a sugarholic.