Well, yes and no. Is food literally poison? No, of course not. You won’t keel over and die after eating any one food.
But it is poisonous in the same way that things like alcohol and cigarettes are poisonous: one drink, or one cigarette, absolutely won’t do any damage. But smoke for 10 years? Or have several drinks a day for 10 years? You might start to see some long-term complications.
The same goes for sugar, and other foods with no redeeming nutritional qualities. One cookie or soda won’t have any affect on your overall health. But drink a soda or two every day for years, and you might have issues (and cavities!).
The effects of things like sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, etc., are cumulative. Meaning, the more you use them over time, the higher your risk of complications. But will one cigarette give you lung cancer? Of course not. Will one drink give you liver poisoning? Ridiculous. Will one piece of cake lead to Type 2 diabetes? Nope.
But does that mean these things aren’t poisonous? I suppose it depends on your definition.
And what does this mean for indulging with intention? Should you plan sugary treats like you would plan to have a cigarette or a drink? Well, in some ways, yes. There’s no reason not to treat sugary/carby/nutritionally empty foods like you would treat alcohol or cigarettes.
Indulge with intention, indulge carefully, and realize that while sugar and other nutritionally void foods aren’t exactly “poison,” they’re pretty darn close.
Welcome to another post in my Indulging with Intention series! Missed the last post? Read “How to Eat the Foods You Love — Forever” now.
I read a response to my my last post about the toxicity of sugar that argued, “Food isn’t poison.”
Well, yes and no. Is food literally poison? No, of course not. You won’t keel over and die after eating any one food.
But it is poisonous in the same way that things like alcohol and cigarettes are poisonous: one drink, or one cigarette, absolutely won’t do any damage. But smoke for 10 years? Or have several drinks a day for 10 years? You might start to see some long-term complications.
The same goes for sugar, and other foods with no redeeming nutritional qualities. One cookie or soda won’t have any affect on your overall health. But drink a soda or two every day for years, and you might have issues (and cavities!).
The effects of things like sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, etc., are cumulative. Meaning, the more you use them over time, the higher your risk of complications. But will one cigarette give you lung cancer? Of course not. Will one drink give you liver poisoning? Ridiculous. Will one piece of cake lead to Type 2 diabetes? Nope.
But does that mean these things aren’t poisonous? I suppose it depends on your definition.
And what does this mean for indulging with intention? Should you plan sugary treats like you would plan to have a cigarette or a drink? Well, in some ways, yes. There’s no reason not to treat sugary/carby/nutritionally empty foods like you would treat alcohol or cigarettes.
Indulge with intention, indulge carefully, and realize that while sugar and other nutritionally void foods aren’t exactly “poison,” they’re pretty darn close.