So, I’ve had an epiphany.  This being the season of epiphany, I figure it’s a good time.  So, here it is.

I’m addicted to sugar.

I have been for probably the last twenty five years or so.  I think shortly after high school, I began consuming sugar-laden foods and drinks to excess, and haven’t really stopped, even after being diagnosed with Type II diabetes two years ago.  Why couldn’t I stop?  I’m not sure, actually.  I suppose the availability of delicious high-sugar foods is a factor, and my lack of self-control when it came to good eating habits is the reason.  But, whatever the reason, I think it’s time for me to stop.

It’s ironic, since my family had pretty good eating habits when I was growing up.  We didn’t eat many sugary foods, fast food was a rare treat, and we never really had soda pop in the house.  But after high school, I really started in on the soda and snack foods.

Recently, I watched this video:

It’s by a Dr. Robert H. Lustig, and it’s from a lecture series available from UCSF.  In it, he talks in great detail about the effects of sugar on the human body.  He used a term I had never heard used for sugar – he called it poison.  That really struck me.  I had never been told that processed, refined sugar is toxic to the human body, in any dose.  But, it is.  The only caveat is that it is a toxin that causes chronic illness, and not acute illness.  Therefore, it is not regulated by the FDA.

I’ve always been told that “if you eat it, then you’ve gotta burn it” to avoid obesity. Simple behaviors, right?  Two classic behaviors – gluttony, and sloth.  If we see someone who is obese, we almost always hear in our inner voice, “There goes a glutton and a sloth.”

But, there is another way to state this phenomenon.  Dr. Lustig states “If you’re gonna store it, and you expect to burn it, then you’re gonna have to eat it.”  It’s a different way to consider obesity, and it’s biochemical in nature.  The video goes into detail about this point, and I hope you take the time to watch it.  It’s fascinating.

So, I’m embarking on an experiment.  I’m going to try to kick my sugar addiction.  I don’t know that it will be easy.  I’ve been eating high-sugar foods for a while now.  It’s available everywhere.  It’s cheap.

Thankfully, I’ve got a lot of good reasons to give it a try.  I have two wonderful children that I hope to see grow up.  If I continue eating high-fructose food, I’m destroying my chances of doing that.  My wife is very supportive.  In fact, she’s been trying to get me to eat healthier for years, but I have been too stubborn to listen.

So, I’m going to blog about this, and see if it helps.  I don’t really care if anyone reads this.  I’m sort of hiding it in a page (instead of my front page posts).  I’ll update it with my impressions of how things are going.  Let me know if you’re also addicted to sugar, and we’ll work on it together.  Wish me luck!

Joe Griego