Counting Costs.
When I first had the idea to give up refined sugars, I was
excited and eager to get going.
But I knew that sugar had been such a powerful and ubiquitous force in
my life, and that I couldn’t embark on a refined-sugar-free life without
putting a lot of thought and energy into it.
For starters, I was addicted. Giving up sugars would mean withdrawal, lethargy, mood-swings,
continuous hunger. Did I really
want to go through all that?
I’ve never had any allergies and have always prided myself
on being able (and willing) to eat anything that’s put in front of me – a point
of pride that was tested to the max when I was living in Southwest China in the
mid-2000’s. I rarely read
nutritional labels, I just ate whatever I wanted, or whatever I had to
eat. Giving up refined sugar meant
I would need to adopt a level of vigilance about foods I purchased, foods I let
people serve me, and meals I ordered at restaurants that was going to be
entirely new to me. This was not
to be taken lightly.
Eating refined-sugar-free meant that I would have to do a
lot more cooking, and probably from scratch. I usually cooked simple meals anyway, and didn’t rely too
much on highly processed, prepackaged stuff, but this was still going to be a
big adjustment. Living with
chronic pain, cooking has been one of the hardest things for me to do. All the shopping, standing, chopping,
and washing can ignite some of the worst pain I know of in my upper back. Refined-sugar-free meant that I would
need to spend a lot more time doing this most painful activity.
I would also have to be much more careful about what I eat
away from home. What if I’m
invited to someone’s house for dinner and everything contains sugar? What if I went out to a restaurant and
there weren’t any clear sugar-free options? I’d never dealt with a dietary restriction before, would I
be able to adjust to avoiding something so ubiquitous as sugar?
But then I considered the benefits. If white sugar truly does increase
muscle pain, as I’ve read in numerous places, maybe the cooking wouldn’t be so
traumatic, maybe it would be worth it.
Besides, while using raw sweeteners like honey and maple syrup might cost
a little more money, wouldn’t I save money overall by not being free to buy
that muffin with my coffee or that candy bar at the check out? Wouldn’t I probably end up healthier in
the end, pain relief or no?
I counted some of the costs, and decided it was worth a
try. Time will tell if it is worth
it, and if I have what it takes to follow through with this crazy scheme –
which is truly not so crazy.
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