I am a sugar addict. I fully believe that sugar is a drug, and as I rarely drink alcohol, don't do drugs, and rarely drink caffeinated products, this is my one vice. And it's a big one. So when I took the time to read this 14 page article from the NY Times called The Extraordinary Science of Junk Food, I wasn't surprised that sugar {along with salt and fat} was called out as a huge proponent of the obesity epidemic.
This article kind of blew my mind though. It's one thing to assume that processed food producers rely on salt, sugar and fat to get people to buy their products. It's incredibly sad and another thing all together to see the hard evidence from the producers themselves that they have purposefully increased the amounts of these three ingredients in their foods to make their products more addictive, and thus sell more.
Just another reason to switch to a whole food diet idea, right? Sadly, it's a proven fact that our lives are just getting busier and more hectic, making a whole food diet free of packaged and processed foods difficult to adhere to. Immediately I called to mind some healthy foods that have been springing up more regularly that promote health in a fast way. Pre-portioned packages of fresh blueberries, carrots, celery, apple slices, and cups of fresh sliced fruit all ready to go are fantastic products to have on hand when you want to skip the more processed food options. Of course, you could make these all yourself by buying large quantities of these items them portioning them out, but the easiness of the packaged versions can't be beat when in a time crunch.
Washing, slicing, and bagging up your produce when you bring it home, then having it on the top shelf of the fridge is a great way to make healthy options readily available. I readily admit that my produce mainly stays hidden in the produce drawers of my fridge until it withers or rots, while I reach for my processed snack foods. Just another thing I've got to work on.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know about this article to get your gears turning. I am going to go grab a handful of baby carrots and a Greek yogurt with probably more sugar than I need ;)