The first taste is free...

I admit it: I'm slipping a bit. It just seems to be part of my personality that I will get a new project or topic I'm super passionate about, go full bore on it for a while, and then slowly let it go. I would be embarrassed to show you the number of unfinished craft projects around the house. Surely, some of you can identify with that. Right? Please?

Add on to that that work has been crazy busy lately and with the two half marathons I've done and the travel to them... I may have bitten off more than I can chew in terms of time and energy. My eating lately has been mostly in line with the principles I've been learning about; I've kind of been in survival mode with cooking and food prep. Not that I like admitting that, but there it is. I'm kind of a control freak if you haven't noticed.

This is something I care greatly about, though, and so I will persevere. I am continuing to plan healthy menus and cook the great, great majority of food at home. When I do eat out, I'm thinking carefully about what I'm ordering to make sure it's adhering to the principles in Food Rules. I plan only to be stricter with this this summer when I have more time to spend on it. Hopefully the learning and planning I do then will help me get through the more hectic times in the future.

Also, I had to return a couple of the books to the library unread since I ran out of time. As always happens to me, they all came in at the same time and I was drowning in reading material. Nice problem to have, though. I still have Bitter Harvest by Ann Cooper and have put the others on the hold list to come around again.

So, getting to the point, I originally wanted to make...

I was struck the other day by just how powerful the lure of sugar is for me, and probably for most Americans. I've been avoiding refined sugars almost entirely and using other sweeteners in moderation. While it was tough at first, I've adjusted to it and haven't really missed it.

The other day, I was at lunch with a couple of coworkers and they ordered Diet Cokes and on a whim, I did too. Drinking it reminded me of why I don't need it, but it did complement the meal (Mexican) nicely. What amazed me was how, instantly, I wanted more sugar. I wanted chocolate. I wanted more pop. I couldn't stop thinking about it and my body seemed to be crying out for it. It literally was instantaneous. I had heard that the Standard American Diet is essentially addicting and this demonstrated how true that is!

Not only did the effects last that day, but over the last two days, I've continued to crave sugar. I would kill for a cupcake right now. I don't like the idea that control freak me can be so controlled by food, but it's there. This is exactly why I don't keep that stuff in the house; I'd eat it all, all time!

Off to eat a piece of fruit to soothe the beast...