Notes on Sugar

This surely could be a much longer entry, but this evening, it simply won't.

We 3 C's have cut down markedly on our use of Sugar and Sweeteners these past 10-15 years. It didn't happen all at once and rather happened gradually over time.

I suppose we should 1st set the scene. For 3 decades plus, we lived in a valley which produced huge amounts of Sugar made from Sugar Beets. We watched the ecological destruction of what was once a Natural Landscape. When I began teaching Environmental Studies classes in 1996, I noted with interest the health affects of people living in those areas. I was appalled. Plus, we watched the Plumes of the Sugar Beet Factories and smelled the Piles of Waste wafting over our town. For me, Bees became an inspiration. How could they do it so simply? And why were Humans intent upon such gargantuan enterprises and such ecological change? I began to watch our Sugar Consumption.

All 3 of us have faced blood sugar issues the last 12 years. Fortunately, that didn't happen at the same time. We each had time to face the realities of what we ate and the affect it has upon our Health. "We are what we eat." In the face of those realities, choosing to reduce the amount Sugar was and is very important. The Creator gave us this Body and this Lifetime; it seems like it is our responsibility to take care of it.

Simulataneously, we were switching to Organic Foods in the last 10-15 years. When we switched to eating Organic Foods, we discovered a remarkable difference in taste. At last, a Strawberry tasted like a Strawberry. An Apple was a sensory pleasure. We had forgotten what those Foods really tasted like. Since Organic Foods tasted just like they were supposed to, we didn't need to add Sugar or Spices to jazz them up. I do believe that Sugar and Flavorings used in Foods are masks to cover something that doesn't really taste like it is supposed to. Witness those labels.

Melanie also notes that we were increasingly eating "fresh" Foods grown by our very own Hands. Once again, Flavor was (and is) at premium. As we have moved to this Little Farm, we have experienced a marked increase in "fresh" Foods grown chemically free. An amazing amount is grown locally, most often by us. We do not know the actual percentage of the latter.

We steer clear of Artificial Sweeteners. Yuk. In fact, Melanie and I find them scary. If Nature didn't produce it or the Grandmothers wouldn't recognize it as Food, we avoid it. In the last 3 years, we have switched to almost exclusive use of Natural Sweeteners (only when needed). That includes mostly Honey and Sorghum Molasses, with some Rapadura (less refined Cane Sugar), Maple Syrup, Date Fines, and Agave. When we get the Good Stuff, we don't need as much. We use less of the Sweeteners and when we do, they become a Treat.

All along the path, we were doing careful research, reading all that we could find. Our antenna were up. The research was the underpinning for the change. And that change felt so right.

Should you eat at our House, you would find some differences in Taste. Hopefully, they would be Tastes that you would like. However, if you are hooked on the other stuff, the differences may be dramatic. Again, we looked at health issues and impacts on the Planet. The shift represents values important to us. They did not happen all at once. We are so glad we made the change.