The sweet-bitter side of sugar

Everyone loves something sweet, maybe except those who have been traumatized by sweet things and are currently suffering from one health condition or the other. When you think of something sweet, sugar immediately comes to mind and that is so because most of the delicious snacks and drinks we have today all have sugar as one of their ingredients. But the crazy thing about sugar especially the processed ones which we find in snacks and most beverages is that it gives only one "reasonable" health benefit which is a quick energy boost, but in return, it comes with a lot of problems.

The energy boost benefit is very true and that's what I have experienced, and it's the usual excuse I tell myself for consuming a lot of soft drinks back in the university, especially Coca-Cola. But one thing I did back then was that I mostly take a lot of soft drinks only around exam periods, because sugar helps to keep me awake at night and maintain focus. The effect is even higher in energy drinks which aside from lots of sugar also contain a high amount of caffeine. But these days, I tend to pay attention to the amount of soft drinks and snacks I take because if you're able to control just those, you won't have much problems with sugar.

I used to take a hell lot of Coca-Cola drinks when I was younger, and at one point I became addicted to it because I couldn't go a day without taking at least two bottles of Coke, and on some days it could be as high as five. I had to stop when I found out about the negative health effects of sugar and some of them are obesity, diabetes and dental problems. It's not surprising that I was quite obese as a kid and I also suffered from tooth decay at one point, I guess I'm lucky that diabetes didn't come in later to complete that ungodly trinity. A bottle of Coke has over 12 cubes of sugar, meanwhile, the recommended daily processed sugar limit is around 9 cubes or teaspoons.

And there I was, taking up to 5 bottles of Coca-Cola daily, which brings the total sugar amount to around 60 cubes! Anyway, at this point I'm aware that I have already taken a lifetime of sugar when I was younger, so I now limit the amount I take daily. I haven't had any soft drinks for over 2 months, I still take them but it's now once in a while. One thing that makes it easier to stay away from them is that I don't see them all the time, as compared to back in the university where you see them all around you. I will just be chilling on my own and suddenly, my classmate walks past me with a chilled can of Coca-Cola and boom! I see myself at the nearest shop asking for a can too.

But now that I'm no longer staying around the university area and I barely even leave my house, I'm no longer tempted to take soft drinks, "out of sight, out of mind." The only processed sugar I now have to deal with are those in snacks and the ones I add to things like custard. I still take snacks, mostly biscuits (fabs and nice biscuits wants to ruin me 😅) and meat pies, but those are just around 2 or 3 times a week. One thing that helps me combat my love for sugar is fruits, especially pineapple, considering that one is quite sweet as well. But these days I tend to take more of oranges, cucumbers and garden eggs, especially with a certain groundnut paste that is mixed with pepper, it's a superb combo!

So, whenever I find myself in the market, rather than buying soft drinks (which was my old habit), I now buy fruits, mostly cucumbers and oranges, I leave the purchase of garden eggs to my parents because they both love it a lot and it's from them I learned to love eating garden eggs too. My advice to anybody struggling with sugar addiction and can't stop snacking and taking lots of soft drinks is to slowly replace that addiction with another one. Anytime you're craving for something sweet, trying apples and pineapples, or even water melons! It can be very difficult to just outrightly stop an addiction (been there, done that), so it's better to replace it with an healthier option.

Thanks for reading

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