The Myth: No Sugar Added

When I hit the supermarket for groceries, I often experience an internal conflict because I have to decide what is affordable, but healthy. The packaging the food comes in is not to inform me and help me decide on food, but instead it is masterfully designed as a marketing tool to get me to buy. I’m always having to keep in mind that I am the only one concerned with my personal health.

If you read labels like I do, you’ll often see packages that say “sugar-free” or “no sugar added”. It’s a clever little trick that companies do, but the problem is it doesn’t tell us what we need to know about the food. Does the food truly have no sugar, or is it no refined sugar? Are there artificial sweeteners? Artificial flavors? What will the long-term effect be on a generation of people that are told they can eat as much as they want of something because it’s low calorie or low sugar?

This is why at the end of the day it is best to eat things that come straight from the earth – organic meat and dairy products; local and organic fruits and veggies; and whole grains, seed, and nuts. Anything beyond this, it has likely been processed to some extent. It’s not necessarily “bad food”, but you are taking a gamble.

Lately I been trying to retrain my taste buds to enjoy what comes straight from the earth with no refined sugar. What happened to the days when 100% fruit was truly a snack? Let’s get back to that. I’m enjoying some blood oranges this fine Saturday morning.

xoxo

Fifi