Hello, my name is Laney and I am a sugar addict. I can avoid M&Ms, I can stay away from gummy bears, but if you put Girl Scout cookies or ice cream or most of all a red velvet cupcake in front of me I just can’t say no.
My sweet tooth kicks in before I even finish dinner. I can literally eat my last bite and turn to J to see if I can convince him to go to Baskin Robbins. Anything can trigger it really and it doesn’t always have to be ice cream. An apple or a pink grapefruit will do the trick too (although let’s be honest).
The sick part about all this is that, I am relatively healthy in every other way. I eat salads and fish and hardly ever find myself eating fried food. I exercise at least five times a week, sometimes more. I don’t have a weight problem, but I do get tired a lot—suspect that has to with my blood sugar.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that Americans eat an average of 21 teaspoons of added sugar a day (meaning sugar that’s not naturally occurring, as in fruit or milk). The American Heart Association recommends a max of just six teaspoons (or 24 grams) a day for women. From heart disease to diabetes and cavities sugar has its consequences.
So for the next month, I’m going to avoid sugary desserts, snacks and drinks and try to remove as much added sugar as I can in the rest of the food I eat. This is going to be hard, mostly because even my healthy food like Trader Joe’s Greek Style Yogurt has 6 grams of sugar.
So any ideas and encouraging words are welcome. Here we go.