I rarely go to a large public place anymore where I don’t see at least a handful of seriously obese people. I can’t remember the last time that I boarded a flight without seeing at least one or two folks who had to have seat-belt extenders. It’s sad and painful. Sad because there’s something so terribly wrong with our society that this is happening, and even worse because only 12 hours away by airplane, in many regions of Africa, many women have to sacrifice their own lives in order to feed their kids because food is so scarce.
So, in my little bubble, my glass-house in Los Angeles, where I’m surrounded by health nuts – there are almost as many hot yoga studios and pressed juice bars on every street, as there are CVS pharmacies (and that’s saying something,) but from my rarified universe, it’s easy to sit and judge, however, I’m off the opinion that the food and beverage industry has to shoulder at least some of the blame.
My almost-12 year-old daughter came home from a friend’s house yesterday gloating that the friend’s mother had taken them all to Starbucks where they’d each got a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappacino – and by the look of the photos they all posted on Instagram, it looked like they were holding the Venti sized drinks! I’m pretty free with what I let my daughter eat, because I know that if I restrict her in anyway, she’ll want to rebel eventually. I want her to have a really healthy attitude towards food, where she respects and really enjoys it. So, if we go to Starbucks, I’ll encourage her to pick a toasted sandwich or an iced fruit tea – NOT one of those drinks, and here’s why: The Caramel Crunch Frap (Venti) contains a whopping 84 grams of sugar!! A Snickers bar contains 38 grams of sugar hello!!s my point! We’re drinking candy!
When we were kids, we ate as much candy as we could get our hands on, but we knew is was candy. If you ate an entire Snickers bar, you kind of knew you’d eaten an entire chocolate bar, and you probably wouldn’t want any dinner. Which is why the war cry of moms used to be: “Don’t spoil your appetite.” Needless to say, my daughter could barely eat a bite of the gorgeous organic dinner I made for us all that night, and she felt dreadful. But, worse than that is what that sugar would have done to her insulin levels. Granted, my daughter won’t be getting another of these kinds of drinks for as long as I can hold her off, so it’s not an everyday thing, but for many people it is.
The amount of sugar that we are eating and drinking in seemingly “healthy” food/beverages is outrageous. I never stand in line at a coffee shop without seeing someone ordering a tray of those creme-topped extravaganzas to take back to work. And you know the men or women who are waiting for them at their desks probably don’t get too much exercise either. So – no wonder we are getting enormous.
The problem with obesity is that it’s not that we’re eating too much fat, we are eating and drinking way too much sugar. This sugar elevates our insulin levels and if we carry on doing this on a daily basis (with sugary “coffee” drinks, sodas, slurpees, and processed foods,) we are on a very fast track to full-on obesity. Even a 16 -ounce Vanilla Latte made with 2% milk, contains 34 grams of sugar, which is almost as much as that Snickers Bar. I don’t mean to slam Starbucks – I LOVE vanilla lattes and I love sitting in coffee shops, but where’s the part about these kind of drinks being a once-in-a-while treat?
Obesity tends to set in at an early age. If kids are fed on sugary drinks, and convenience foods, then it’s really not their fault. They will grow up to be obese – no question. And to re-educate a child who has developed a taste, actually an addiction, to this sugar high, is almost like trying to wean a kid off cigarettes. Why would he/she want to eat an apple, when they can get an instant hit from a giant slurpee? I feel sorry for these helpless children. We are not doing them any favors – we are sending them straight to the hospital.
And what about an adult who is obese? According to Dr Robert Lustig, author of Fat Chance – Beating The Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease, 75%-80% of obesity is caused by elevated insulin levels. I’m afraid that many people are locked in a vicious cycle that they can’t get out of? Perhaps we should treat this sugar addiction in the same way that we treat drug or alcohol addiction – that person needs to be educated, informed, encouraged and loved back to health and well-being. Easier said than done, right?
Of course, it’s not just coffee shop drinks – there are a few other seemingly “healthy” foods that you need to keep an eye on for hidden sugars:
1. Protein Bars (15 grams)
2. Granola (1 cup =24 grams sugar)
3. Instant/flavored oatmeal (1 single serving packet = 15 grams sugar)
5. Salad dressing ( 1tbsp = 6 grams sugar)
6. Sweetened Iced Tea (1 20-ounce bottle = 56 grams sugar)
As to the the issue of horribly sugary drinks. I still think it’s okay to drink them, as long as you frame them as a “dessert” rather than a quick cup of pick-me-up-coffee. Even better, make your own version at home in a high-speed blender with a little freshly brewed coffee, crushed ice, almond/rice milk, a couple of pitted dates, and a pinch of cinnamon – seriously delish!
