Sugar, Sugar

How sweet it is.....

Sugar.

Am I an addict? For most of my adult life, I've told myself and others that I am a candyaholic. It's really my only major vice - I don't do drugs, drink alcohol in excess,gamble, eat fast or fatty food, or spend my nights glued to the TV. Surely one should be allowed a single vice in life right?

Sigh. Unfortunately the answer is no. At least not the vice of consuming sugar day in and day out. There are a litany of reasons I should not be eating sugar (most/all of these apply to everyone), here's just a sample:

• Packing on the pounds - contrary to popular belief, it's not animal fat we should be watching our intake of, it's processed foods, grains and refined sugars. These are the foods that are making us fat. The conventional wisdom has been feeding us the wrong line for the past thirty or forty years.
• Tooth decay - I had braces when I was younger and I reckon I have a nice enough smile now, but my dentist has made a pretty penny off me already and I'm not keen on paying him to pull my teeth and fit me for dentures at some point because my teeth have decayed from sugar.
  
• Disease - OK, my father is a diabetic (Type 1). He has to take insulin shots twice a day. He has had diabetes since he was 35 years old and has never been overweight. So his lifetsyle didn't contribute to his getting diabetes (except that he was really stressed at that point in his life), but for the vast majority of diabetics, this is not their story. Type 2 diabetes is almost always a result of poor lifestyle choices. I do not want to have diabetes or any other chronic disease and I have to take responsibility by leading a healthy lifestyle.
• Energy and Mood - One thing is easy to never notice is the difference in one's energy levels and mood when they are eating a diet that includes grains, sugars and/or fatty foods. One of the reasons I don't eat greasy food very often is because I always feel disgusting and exhausted afterwards. I'd say I have a greasy food binge about once every four months and that's enough to turn me off for a good while. Since I first went to visit an RHN back in 2006, I've been limiting my grain intake with a few transgressions along the way. I can notice the difference in my energy and my body (bloated vs not) when I'm on/off grains. Ah but sugar....because I have it on a daily basis, I often forget what an energy drain it can be. I have given up sugar before and can recall how when I finally gave into temptation I would feel sick from the sugar and low energy. We just never realise how much better we can feel if we're eating something (sugar, grains, fast food) on a regular basis because it becomes the normal. In this case, the normal is not good.
  

So, with all of this in mind and ready to lose the rest of the weight I've packed on over the years (I'm 30 lbs from my goal), I've decided I have to drastically reduce my sugar intake. At some point I believe I will have to give up refined sugar completely. But I have to be realistic, I have tried cold turkey before and it's not been especially successful. I'd either end up eating a tonne of fruit, replacing sugar with too much cheese, giving in and gorging, etc.

I've decided that my best bet is to go in stages. Stage 1 started today. I will limit my sugar intake to 8pm or later and, of course, be reasonable with my intake after that time - a hot chocolate or something of equivalent caloric count (around 150 cals). Why eat sugar at night? Well, first of all by not eating sugar (or grains) during the day, I'll maintain my blood sugar levels and eliminate cravings for sugar and reduce my overall hunger. By having a treat at the end of the day, I'll avoid being having cravings at times when candy is readily available, like when I am at work. I've never had problems sleeping because of sugar in the evening either, so this is not a worry. Also, since I'm using weight watchers pointing to track my eating, I'll be sure to keep enough points for the evening so I can have my treat. I still have 7 points left for today and it's 10 pm - that means I can have a hot chocolate and half a banana with a TBSP of natural peanut butter.

So, that's the beginning folks, stay tuned for Stage 2, where I'll move to sugar elimination on certain days of the week. I know that some will say this is not the way, that the only way is to go cold turkey. And maybe those people are right, but I'm going to give this a try first!

Come join in 'A Local M.E.A.L.'!

Over the past few months I've met a number of wonderful people who are passionate about food and brimming with enthusiasm. It has made the return to PEI that much sweeter to find a community of like-minded folks here. So, post-thesis, I determined I needed a new project and something to fill all the spare time I imagined I would now have. Well, as it turns out, time remains a hard-to-come by and precious resource, but it also turns out that many hands do, indeed, make light work (and make it fun!).

It took no effort at all to convince new and old friends to come together to plan a local food event. We determined the best way forward would be to host an informal evening gathering that would allow attendees to Meet, Eat And Learn (M.E.A.L). The event will include a Pecha Kucha style segment, with six to eight people speaking about some aspect of local food, as well as a chance to mingle and sample local foods after the presentations.

I'm really pumped about this first M.E.A.L. (we are already envisioning a series of these M.E.A.L.S.). We've got a great venue, an amazing planning team, and plans are underway to ensure those in attendance enjoy a delicious spread and inspiring/intriguing presentations!

Did I mention it's FREE?! What a great opportunity to come together as a community to learn and share stories about the very thing that sustains all of us from life's very beginnings until the end - food.

The event takes place March 24th at 6.30 pm at The Farm Centre, 420 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PEI.

For more information, check out our website at: http://alocalmeal.wordpress.com or our Facebook Event Page.

Freedom 35

It has recently come to my attention that I am at my best when armed with a 'plan'. There must always be a plan in motion or on the horizon, otherwise I find myself stressing at the lack of stress in my life. This, in turn, leads me to waste my free time eating copious amounts of chocolate and watching terrible t.v. shows like 'Dance Your Ass Off', which makes me wonder whether I should have pursued my childhood dream of being a dancer. Then I look soberly at my chocolate-enhanced thighs. No, I wouldn't 'fit' the requirements to be a contestant in 'Dance Your Ass Off', but I'm also not exactly lithe or graceful. And so, you see, disturbing things happen when I am without a plan.

In addition to these revelations regarding my need for a plan, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching and contemplation about life in general. As noted in my last post, these past few months have resulted in some rather monumental changes in my life. I've moved beyond plotting adventures that involve working holiday visas and trying to figure out what I'm passionate about. I have figured that part of the equation out. It's a big part of the puzzle and I am elated that my persistence and willingness to jump into the unknown paid off (and in spades).

But now I feel a bit adrift - I have figured out that I am passionate about food and writing, that I love helping people and sharing what I've learned with others, and that I need to see tangible results from my efforts (whether those results be someone giving me a smile of thanks or seeing an event I organized take place). And yet, I am in a job that does not fulfill these desires. Further, I am wholly enamoured with Steak Man whom is, without a doubt, a 'keeper' and, given my ripe old age, my thoughts have turned to things that I'd not given much consideration to before, like houses and dogs and children. Most days I cannot fathom how it is possible to 'have it all' and remain sane. Why, some days I don't even find the time to do my own dishes (rarely, but it does happen) and I've spent far less time writing for pleasure than I did pre-thesis. I keep asking myself - is it possible to have a family, have a career and still find time for yourself and your passions. I am far from having clarity, but some initial thoughts, observations and conversations have given me some valuable insights. Take, for example, a conversation I had with a father of two young children, who has a full-time job that he seems to love, blogs and tweets regularly, appears to have a loving relationship with his wife ( a woman who is a force unto herself as a writer, student, educator, and mother). One day, a few months ago, I asked him how he found the time to do it all. He replied that BF (before family) he taught English in an Asian country, spent most of his evenings drinking beer at the bars and hanging out with friends...now he doesn't booze it up and spends his days at a job he loves. Hmmm...me thinks I may be stumbling onto a quite obvious and simple answer to the question of how to have it all. Clearly, I need to cut back on the nights out at Asian bars.....

OK, joking aside, a lot of contemplation has led me to conclude that I must be bold and follow my passions. I have further concluded that in order to do this, I will have to take another leap of faith.... More to come on that front in posts to follow. But lest anyone (especially Steak Man) be concerned that I am going to take off, fear not, this is home now. I'd be doing my heart a disservice if I left, for everything I could want for is here. It is up to me now to carve out a fulfilling and meaningful life.