UNITED STATES—I just did something last week that I thought was NOT possible. I went an entire week without any sweets. NOTE: when I say sweets I’m referring to candy, cookies, cake, any baked goods or anything that is not a natural sugar. It was more of an experiment to see if I could accomplish it. What did I learn? I am very capable of making that happen. So what does it say about me? I don’t have to grab a sweet if I don’t want it, however, why is it sugar that is the one thing most Americans crave most?
Simply put: it’s addictive! Our bodies want it, our bodies need it and it’s something that trains our bodies to think it is good for us. However, we all know sugar can lead to a host of health problems like the development of Type II Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, weight gain, and a list of other things which can inevitably lead to other issues. Sugar is good in moderation, it is NOT something you can consume endlessly and not think it will have an indirect impact on your health, your mind and well let’s just say it: your wallet.
Those guilty pleasures we love might taste great going into the body, but then what? You have the guilt of eating a Danish, a cookie, a slice of cake that is just as heavy in calories as a complete three-course meal. What does that say? Yeah, when you put things into perspective you start to question the choices you’ve made in life. For me the biggest thing was the commitment factor. I said I wasn’t going to do it and I just stopped thinking about it and as a result the craving sort of went away with it as well.
See when you occupy the mind and focus your thoughts and energies on other things those cravings seem to dissipate into thin air. It also helps when you channel your focus on alternatives like fruit, nuts, veggies, things that are actually good for the body. Yeah, we always tend to tell ourselves we’re hungry, when in reality we’re not, but we are, we just WANT SOEMTHING THAT WE REALLY DO NOT NEED. We see the countless advertisements, we eat with our eyes instead of what the body needs, we want what we want, we cave into temptation and then what?
Ask that question, keep asking that question? How long do you want to live and what are you willing to sacrifice to ensure you extend your life span. I mean hell we can all go a day without carbs, fried foods, sugar, foods high in salt, it’s a choice we have to make. Sometimes it’s not easy, but if we make the commitment we will tank our bodies and ourselves later America.
There are seven deadly sins: greed, lust, pride, envy, wrath, sloth and gluttony. Gluttony is a dangerous one because excessive of ANYTHING is not good for us and I’m not just talking about food, but that argument is for another time and column people.
Written By Zoe Mitchell
