That’s a nice gesture… or is it?

It seems everybody is blaming sugar nowadays for our BMI and metabolic woes.

It is hardly news anymore, but it bears repeating: Added sugar, of any kind, is a bad idea.

The presence of a lot of added sugar, or things made purely of sugar, are prime indicator of NOT FOOD.

While the case of pops (so called “soft drinks” and carbonated drink products that contain little more than sugar) is open and shut as being NOT FOOD, there are many other items we ingest unthinkingly that deserve that mention as well.

At the risk of upsetting many, here are a few that you should stay away from, or at least be conscious that they are firmly in that category as well.

Doughnuts (Donuts) – This is a case of “the hole will make you bigger than the parts”. The only nutritional value you might be able to get from doughnuts is the fat. Then again, what kind of fat is used in industrial manufacturing of those things? Doughnuts are more aptly named donuts (“do nuts”) when surreptitiously brought to the office by a well-meaning (?) co-worker, and left for all to “enjoy”. The sugar boost you get (and the subsequent crash from the insulin spike) you get is sure to make you combative in meetings, and then very much unproductive when you need to be. Just say “thank you, but NOT FOOD for me” next time…

Muffins – Yeah, I know, there’s your full bran muffin, and your “healthy cranberry”, and your “heart smart low fat” stuff, but, really, this is just another calorie bomb loaded with easily digested carbs, fats, and loads of sugar. All too often automatically picked up as a breakfast substitute (though many omit the word substitute, that is really what it is), it is certain to give you a short-term boost along with your coffee. But it will be short-lived, and you’ll crash. Next time you meet one in a coffee shop, say “my fun, muffin, won’t be with NOT FOOD today”…

Cotton Candy – Ok, so you don’t run into this all that often, but in case you do, keep in mind that it is spun sugar, pure and simple. Well, not that pure, and perhaps not that simple, what with the coloring and such. I just felt like putting this one on the list today. So there: Next time you go to a County Fair, or circus, or any such event and are tempted to buy some, keep this in mind. Though a funny coloured tongue is always good for a laugh.

Chips – Well, if you thought this list is about sugar only, you were wrong. NOT FOOD comes under many guises. Never mind that potatoes have been selected over millennia for their starch content (complex carbohydrates, or long chains of sugars), unless you chop up a real potato yourself and bake it in an oven, what you get from chips is, well, anyone’s guess. Especially my favourite, which are so uniform in shape that there can be no doubt they are fabricated that way. And there’s the rub: When’s the last time you saw a tree in which bags of chips grow? Huh? With chips, you get fast carbs (too fast), loads of salt (too much), and so many additives (not necessary). Potatoes in a normal diet is not the worst thing you can do, but chips are definitely NOT FOOD.

That’s quite enough for one day. Especially right after lunch…

The idea is not that you must stop immediately eating such “things”; however, you should develop a perspective on their status as NOT FOOD, and be more mindful when they are proposed to you. Or you order some food and “just take the trio” (which usually consists of chips and a pop!).

Simply accepting the “donated” donuts, or grabbing a muffin with your coffee, or impulse-purchasing chips when you are grocery shopping in a hungry state are the behaviours you need to stop. And to do that, think “NOT FOOD” when you see those items. And move on. You can do much better with real, natural food.

Your taste buds, and the rest of your body, will thank you for it.

Photo from Pixabay.