Don't Call Me Sugar! Part 1 - Intro

Our family has been making changes over the years to move to a whole foods diet. As we learned the benefits of eating whole grains and unprocessed foods, we thought we were doing pretty well. However, a serious health issue brought us to our knees and searching for more details on how the foods choices were were making may be harming us.

Our oldest daughter has been diagnosed with childhood epilepsy. That is scary in and of itself, but due to her condition and a week of returning night seizures several years ago, we took the advice of some experienced friends and decided to work hard at eliminating all sugar from our diet as much as we possibly could.

After reading a book, Get the Sugar Out by Anne Louise Gittleman, it was all I could do to keep myself from thinking that every food held poison that would destroy us!! Once I got over the initial extremism that comes when I learn new things, I was able to begin making wise and better choices for our family.

Sugar is an addictive food, that is certain. Sugar is harmful, there is no argument. Sugar is also confusing and difficult to track since it can be hidden, transformed, and deceptively labeled. In a culture such as ours, it is vital that we understand the effects this substance has on our bodies, emotions, and habits.  Sugar is not evil, in and of itself, just as money is not evil, in and of itself. However, just as we are warned that money is not to be our master, we would be wise to have the same awareness and cautions with the beloved sweeteners that make this world go 'round.

I know that our society has overwhelmed us with sugar and sugar products to an insane excess, but I'm confident that our flesh has battled this indulgence from early times. The Lord created sweetness for us to enjoy, "My son, eat honey, for it is good, Yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste" Prov. 24:13.  He even uses our delight of His natural creation to draw us closer to His own commands, "How sweet are Your words to my taste ! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103.  As is our (sinful) nature, we have found a way to distort the good gifts the Lord has given us to indulge our flesh.  So much so that the Lord has to caution us as he gives us his gifts, "Have you found honey ? Eat only what you need, That you not have it in excess and vomit it. " Prov. 25:16; "It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one's own glory." Prov. 25:27

In this series of journal entries, I plan to share the resources that I've learned from as I've been making changes for myself and my family. I will post some neat lists and videos that bring to life the reality of how our bodies are affected by our daily choices.  I'll share the simple and not-so-simple ways I've been working to eliminate sugar from our diet and our desires. I hope to record the great ways our health has improved due to the nutritional changes we are making.

I'd like to devote a great amount of time to this, but in all practicality, I'm not able to put this in the Top Ten of Things I Must Do In A Day.  So, bear with me as I work to record my own journey and encourage any others who may be following along.

Until then, here is a fantastic video from a new blog that I've just started reading. It's a far better series on sugar than I could ever hope to produce. Give it a read and feel free to leave some comments here for discussion as you do. I haven't read it thoroughly, so I'm linking to it for source purposes right now. Though, it does look promising as far as helpful information goes. :)