New Breakfast

I have been lamenting the lack of yummy, yet filling, breakfast cereals for several years. I would love to eat Cocoa Puffs in the morning, but know that it will just make my hungry again at 9am. If my goal is to avoid hunger, I'd be better off not eating breakfast than eating yummy cereals. 100 calories with 2 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein won't keep me satisfied.

Finally, my prayers have been answered. Fiber One has introduced a chocolate breakfast cereal. 80 calories, 9 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein. It tastes just like cocoa puffs, but with enough fiber to keep me full until lunch.

I know that I could eat oatmeal, eggs, or other foods that would provide the same nutrition without the processing and sugar. Sometimes, though, I want food that's emotionally satisfying as well as nutritionally satisfying. I understand that I probably shouldn't look at food emotionally, but society and family have conditioned me to view food as more than simple fuel. I have removed some of the unhealthy links, but not all of them. Instead, I have learned to accept them and tried to find foods like this that satisfy both needs.

Sugar: Toxic?

There are many news stories floating around saying that sugar is toxic and to blame for every extra pound that Americans are carrying around. Many of the authors argue that if people replaced the sugar with fat, they'd be fine. They never say if there is a point where it does come back to calories, or not. Their argument, if extended would say that even if you only consume 800 calories a day, but all in sugar, you'd gain weight, but if you consumed 3,800 calories a day without sugar, you would maintain or lose weight.

I think they're trying to oversimplify things. Many of us consume a huge portion of our daily calories from sugar,  much of that in the form of added sugar to beverages. Beverages don't fill us up the way solid food does. The exception is milk, which our body digests differently than soda or juice. It's not the sugar that is toxic by itself, it's the over consumption of sugar and all other calories. For many people, cutting out the sugary drinks may lower their total daily calorie intake to a healthy level.

One 20 ounce bottle of soda contains 65 grams of sugar, which is about 15 teaspoons. That is more than double the amount the American Heart Association recommends for women. It's also 260 calories with no nutrition to go with them. Someone who runs 12 minute miles and weighs 130 pounds needs to run more than 30 minutes to balance that out. That's thirty minutes to negate the calories in a bottle of soda. It hardly seems worth it. If you want to see a good visual representation of how much sugar is in soda, check this site.

I am not saying that everyone should shun sugar, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup or other items that are basically sugar. Just watch your total calorie intake and cut out the low-hanging fruit. If you can cut 260 calories a day without feeling hungry, why not do that? If you can get a spaghetti sauce that doesn't have added sugar and unnecessary calories, why not buy that one? Read your labels carefully and choose what you eat and drink only after having all the information.

Cadbury Eggs

They are by far my favorite part of the Easter season. Reese's peanut butter eggs are a close second.

One of my favorite online comics xkcd tackled the issue of sugar in the eggs today. It's too awesome to not share.

Source: xkcd.com via Jocelyn on Pinterest