For a good while I've been aware of the importance of portion control, and it has personally severed me well to be mindful of how much I am consuming per meal/snack.
This morning while I was making breakfast the concept popped back into my head. I hadn't been thinking about portions much lately but while serving up our oatmeal I randomly decided to portion out the maple syrup.
I mean, maple syrup is a healthier alternative to synthetic sweeteners, but it's still literally pure sugar, so I know to take it easy on the amount I'm pouring into the bowl. I try to think of it as more of a compliment to the overall mixture rather than be it's defining flavor.
But I decided on 1 tablespoon, which is the size of the spoons we were eating with.
This morning while I was making breakfast the concept popped back into my head. I hadn't been thinking about portions much lately but while serving up our oatmeal I randomly decided to portion out the maple syrup.
I mean, maple syrup is a healthier alternative to synthetic sweeteners, but it's still literally pure sugar, so I know to take it easy on the amount I'm pouring into the bowl. I try to think of it as more of a compliment to the overall mixture rather than be it's defining flavor.
But I decided on 1 tablespoon, which is the size of the spoons we were eating with.
Seemed like a reasonable amount to me. Right after I poured it, and out of sheer curiosity for how much was actually suggested as a serving size, I checked the label.
A QUARTER OF A CUP OF SUGAR... IS ONE SERVING!?
Dang man, this syrup company really wants to ensure we go through a certain amount of their product. But seriously, this is absurd. The sugar content in this suggestion is .. 53 grams of sugar. For context, a 20oz bottle of Coca-Cola has 55 grams. Just because maple syrup is technically "healthier" content than a Coke, no one should be consuming that much sugar in a single sitting. Pretty sure Diabetes doesn't care which kind of sugar you're overdosing on.
Honestly, I thought a tablespoon was even too much which is why I looked in the first place. I expected to feel some level of ashamed because I would have read that the suggestion size was actually a teaspoon or, like, 3 eye droppers worth.
The feeling I am left with is familiar. It's the same reality I had to come to terms with years ago, which is that companies are doing what companies do - sell stuff and make money. I get it, but it also means that I can't rely on any companies to help me determine what is best for me and/or my health. If I didn't know any better, I would have just dumped 1/4 cup of sugar into my bowl of breakfast and thought nothing of it. I was just following the label's suggestions.
But because I know better - this kind of shit still stings. It feels reckless and damaging and not all that dissimilar to how the tobacco industry fought hard to claim it wasn't responsible for lung cancer. If you know better, then you can make that thing called "an educated decision" to avoid using it. Or at least you know exactly what you're getting yourself into if you do it anyway. After all, life is all about choices and then living with them.
I guess I don't have a succinct way to end this rant, but this issue will never cease to bother me and feel like it's just industry doing what it does best, pray on the uninformed and, you know, children. It fuels me to continue down my own path to better health, as well as share whatever information I can to others in communities and getting involved by being on committees like PreventGEN which strives to inform others of the many ways to prevent cancers, which in tandem prevents us from a plethora of other diseases.
As always, I hope that you are doing well and have an enjoyable week. <3
Honestly, I thought a tablespoon was even too much which is why I looked in the first place. I expected to feel some level of ashamed because I would have read that the suggestion size was actually a teaspoon or, like, 3 eye droppers worth.
The feeling I am left with is familiar. It's the same reality I had to come to terms with years ago, which is that companies are doing what companies do - sell stuff and make money. I get it, but it also means that I can't rely on any companies to help me determine what is best for me and/or my health. If I didn't know any better, I would have just dumped 1/4 cup of sugar into my bowl of breakfast and thought nothing of it. I was just following the label's suggestions.
But because I know better - this kind of shit still stings. It feels reckless and damaging and not all that dissimilar to how the tobacco industry fought hard to claim it wasn't responsible for lung cancer. If you know better, then you can make that thing called "an educated decision" to avoid using it. Or at least you know exactly what you're getting yourself into if you do it anyway. After all, life is all about choices and then living with them.
I guess I don't have a succinct way to end this rant, but this issue will never cease to bother me and feel like it's just industry doing what it does best, pray on the uninformed and, you know, children. It fuels me to continue down my own path to better health, as well as share whatever information I can to others in communities and getting involved by being on committees like PreventGEN which strives to inform others of the many ways to prevent cancers, which in tandem prevents us from a plethora of other diseases.
As always, I hope that you are doing well and have an enjoyable week. <3