Day Three.

Around 1:20pm-

Great. Just when you think you're being safe, you get a stomach full of formaldehyde.


6:42pm-

So I feel that I need to take some time to explain what inspired this whole experiment. Like a vast number of life choices I've made [both good and bad], it all started because of a book. Skinny Bitch to be specific. For anyone who's heard anything about this book, you probably think that it is yet another fad diet book. That's what I thought and why I originally had no interest in it whatsoever. However, I eventually learned [thru the osmosis of pop culture] that it is actually a vegan lifestyle book written with frank and humorous honesty. Being an [almost] vegetarian [I eat turkey products and fish], I was intrigued. It was purchased and read all in less than one weekend.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who's even remotely curious about the things we put in our mouths on a daily basis. It not only covers the meat and dairy industries darkest secrets, but devotes an entire chapter to sugar. Granted, it makes sense that a diet book would frown upon consuming large quantities of sugar, but Skinny Bitch isn't as focused on the caloric aspect of such items, but rather the chemical aspects. Refined sugar is raw sugar cane that has been stripped of all the good stuff [vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc.] and filtered [thru filters usually made from charred animal bones, btw] before it's put in just about everything Americans put in their mouths. Now, this in itself doesn't sound too bad [aside from the senselessness of purposely making an empty-calorie ingredient] but then take into account that sugar has been linked to hypoglycemia, yeast overgrowth, weakened immune systems, ADD, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and mental disorders, then you might pay more attention. Other studies have pointed out that many of today's common diseases [most cancers for instance] were practically non-existent one hundred years ago, before our foods were pumped full of the sweet stuff.

Now here's the scarier part: alternative sweeteners are even worse. I won't cover every detail, but did you know that aspartame, the sweetener found in diet drinks, turns into formaldehyde when it mixes in with your digestive chemicals? Yep, as in the stuff they use to disinfect dead bodies. Upon reading that, I shrugged a sigh of relief that I don't drink any soda [a decision made after a year of WAY too many cavities], but then realized to my horror at lunch today that the yogurt that I'd deemed 'ok for emergencies' this week is sweetened with none other than aspartame [hence the topmost comment in this blog entry]. So now I'm a label reading fiend.

Now that you know the secrets of the sugar industry [or at least a few], I can better explain my guidelines for this experiment. As I've said, this has never been about weight. First, I have several people in my life that would scold me repeatedly if I lost any weight. And second, I could never stay motivated for something like this if it were only for reasons of vanity. [It's not that I'm all that noble, it's simply that I would rather have a chocolate fix than a thin waistline any day.] My motivation must come from someplace more interesting. Morally, I feel like the industry has become a bit greedy, sneaking sweeteners into EVERYTHING [we're talking even bread and potatoe chips]. Physically, I'm motivated by my general health. Granted, I'm hoping there will be some positive side effects that occur along with this experiment, but really I just want to become a bit more aware of what goes into my body.

All that being said, I've found a GLORIOUS LOOPHOLE! By reading labels and doing my research, it is possible to find sweet products that are not chemically enhanced [or filtered thru animal bones]. This is what I did this evening.

Can I take a moment and mention how much I LOVE Target? I do. It's an obsession really. I love them for their effort to supply me with healthy and environmentally-friendly options at a reasonable price. [Yes, Walmart shoppers would argue that the price is not that reasonable, but I'm willing to pay a few pennies more for health. Not to mention that I've never been hit on by a toothless trucker at Target while said event has happened TWICE at Walmart.] Anyway, I highly recommend that you take your next grocery run to Target. But here's the kicker: don't just run in and buy the brand you usually buy...browse a bit. It's fascinating the health food store quality products you'll find on the shelf next to your Cocoa Pebbles and Peter Pan peanut butter. For instance, tonight I purchased peanut butter, jelly, DARK CHOCOLATE, and Mac and Cheese, all organic, and none containing any refined sugars of artificial sweeteners. Yes, the bill was a bit higher than usual, but totally worth the fresh fruit I'll have for breakfast tomorrow and the sugarless PBJ sandwiches for lunch.

So perhaps you can have it all, even without the chemicals.