Seriously folks. The days — and evenings — of November and December can present a major challenge to our slow-carb resolve.

I want to enjoy some treats and not feel like a party pooper at every potluck, but I don’t want to wake up with a sugar hangover either. There’s a middle path in there somewhere and that’s what I’m going for.

Nuts get me out of a lot of jams, especially when I’m on the road or I know I won’t be eating on my regular routine.

So I’ll have on hand my favorite nuts: Raw pecans, cashews with tamari or some other interesting seasoning, and the lower-salt mix from Trader Joe’s that has macadamia nuts in it. When I’m really noshing for something sweet with my morning coffee or tea (I actually drink tea sometimes now!) I’ve found that a few raisins with a handful of nuts satisfies my desire for a cookie.

Actually this is standard fare. I just make sure these nutty friends come with me everywhere.

I pay close attention to my morning protein. How I start the day makes a big difference in the strength of my resolve in the afternoon. I plan to cook up a new lentil recipe and maybe a stew to have around, as I usually do.

I’ve also added an extra challenge or two to my exercise routine. Just one more round of squats or an extra 30 wall push-offs, and maybe a bit more walking.

The idea is to maintain some focus on what I know is working for me in the midst of all that sparkle and tempting sights and smells.

Then if I really go nuts, it’s not so far to make my way back.

Warmest wishes to you all,
Suzanna

A cow in a sugar cane field in the Dominican Republic

Which do you think is worse for your body and the planet: Sugar or beef?

The collective consciousness of environmentalism has a high focus on the price we pay to eat animals, especially cows. My recent expedition into the world of sugar as I reduced my sugar intake (and made substantial gains in my health and well-being) has led me to dig deeper. For the record, I do now eat small amounts of animal protein. I’ve been a vegetarian for long stints in my life, but I now understand that my body needs animal protein. Don’t miss the “small amounts” mentioned there — it’s the point of this article.

Before we go any further, I have another question for you. Do you check your sweetened stuff while you’re shopping, to make sure it has “cane sugar” rather than “corn syrup?”

BAD:
(Cane) sugar may be responsible for more biodiversity loss than any other crop, due to destruction of habitat, intensive water use, agri chemicals, and polluted wastewater discharged in production process.

BAD:
The Great Barrier Reef is being destroyed by pesticides and sediment from sugar cane farms.

BAD:
What you may already know: Commercial corn used for corn syrup has been found to contain toxic levels of mercury.

GOOD:
When I say I reduced sugar intake, I’m talking about foods that convert to sugar and/or raise insulin levels. That’s not just cane sugar and corn syrup. Fruit, too much and too often, can do it too. Potatoes, rice, and wheat are also heavy hitters. I’m being careful with all of those things. It has made a world of difference in my cognition, my weight, my energy, my strength and my mood. After a few months of much less daily sugar, I took a bite of a “cornbread muffin” in a Mexican restaurant and just about fell out of the booth onto the tile floor. Refined sugar packs a serious punch. It’s amazing how we get used to that.

WAY BAD:
When the FDA declared that there was no “conclusive evidence” that sugar was detrimental to the body in “current amounts” of intake, they estimated that Americans consumed about 40 pounds of sugar per year. Sounds like a lot. But the Dept. of Agriculture said we were consuming 75 pounds a year even then, in the ’80s. The estimate for today is — hold on to your hat — 158 pounds per year. Can you spell o-b-e-s-i-t-y?

THE ARGUMENT:
Beef or Sugar? Of course our choices don’t boil down to sugar or beef. The strongest statements we can make — through our food choices — are about diversity and local resources. This article was fueled by my recent experiences with friends and associates who seem to think that just not eating meat is the solution to the planet’s ills. I think we need to look a little further.

Solutions are elusive in an excess of options. The American culture pushes people toward excess in everything. Produce, buy, consume, waste — all in excess. This may be the most important piece of our puzzle today: Examine your own excess. There is even an excess in efforts for sustainability — when people become closed to important information and are ultimately only reacting with emotion. What is sustainable? If you swing too hard to a restricted diet, you’ll be frustrated and unsuccessful with your plan. Preaching your chosen restrictions to others may cost you friends. One of the hardest things a human can do is scrutinize her own habits. What do you reach for when you’re not really thinking about it? Is that your excess? Is that your sugar?

What you eat is a personal choice that has a ripple effect on your world. I want to eat something sweet now and then, and I’m sure I will. Animal protein remains part of my diet, in very small amounts.

Be gentle with yourself as well as your planet. Approach your food choices with the idea that balance is attainable. Mix it up. And create space in your life to enjoy long, slow meals with loved ones and friends. There, we can continue to discover how to live without the damage of excess.

Suzanna Stinnett

for Blog Action Day 2011

Read the 2004 report by WWF “Sugar and the Environment”

How cattle farmers are responding to environmental concerns: http://www.explorebeef.org/protectingresources.aspx

How the corn industry hides the mercury issue: http://www.naturalnews.com/025442_HFCS_Corn_Refiners_Association.html

What sugar may really be doing to our brains – NYT Article “Is Sugar Toxic?” http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html