Tracy Reifkind's Training Food and Thought: No Soda Pop

So, as I'm sitting, waiting, in the barbershop while Mark is getting his haircut, there's a 7-Eleven store next door, and I see one person after another drive up, park, get out, go in the store, and come out with a Slurpee, Snapple, orange soda, Big Gulp, etc......every single person came out carrying a mindless cup of sugar.

Now, I have had, maybe, 2 sodas in over 3 years....soda's not my thing. And I'm not claiming I haven't had my share of "all out sugar binges", but, when I eat (or drink) sugar, I know what I'm doing, and what I'm choosing. Sugar is "dessert", and I'd rather eat it as such. I don't think most people know how much sugar is in everyday meals, not just soda. ?if you eat alot of processed foods you are eating alot of sugar, and crappy sugars at that. ?The bun that holds your burger has sugar. ?The ketchup on that bun has sugar (just throw another cup on top of your fries). That Chinese chicken salad? Yep, a ton of sugar in the dressing and the processed chicken? ?More sugar and salt. ?And unless you buy fresh ground peanut butter every jar of commercial pnb has sugar added.

But let's go back to the "dessert" thing......what is dessert? It's amazing to me when I stop to get a cup of coffee at any coffee shop and see almost every single person ordering a scone, muffin, cookie, "low carb" banana bread (etc.) in addition to their "Frappa Crappa"! I mean the Frappa Crappa IS?a dessert!

I eat my share of sugar for sure, but when I read a recipe for something as simple as a salad dressing and it calls for 1/4 c. sugar, or God forbid 1/2 c. sugar, that salad just turned into dessert! I will not make a salad dressing with more than 1-2 tbl. of sugar or honey, and even then I count that salad as a "sweet meal", choosing savory foods for other meals that day. I mean, I can make dessert out of a bowl of oatmeal with enough sugar, honey, sweet cream, butter, rasins, etc, lol! (that's how Mark eats it BTW) As far as I'm concerned a PBJ sandwich is dessert too! (about 500 calories in one small stinkin' sandwich)

These last few months I been more aware of what it takes to mantain a healthy bodyweight, and for me, I have to make trade-offs, I don't think most people think that way. I don't think anyone goes into a 7-Eleven thinking that the soda they're drinking is dessert, that it's pure sugar, and it'll probably ruin their appetite for "good food", or that the calories in a Big Gulp are equivilent to a meal.....I think, they think they're just thirsty. No thought.

I admit I overthink food, and sometimes obsess about this calorie or that calorie, blah, blah, blah...but I'd rather be overly conscious than unconscious. Mindful and not mindless....but that's just me....just sayin'!

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