If you've been a blog follower for the past few years then you've probably seen a theme slowly creep its way into my posts - namely that I'm trying to improve my health by changing my diet and exercise habits. It started back in
May 2013 where I declared that I was going to start training to run a marathon and needed to change my eating habits.
(I didn't end up running the race for a lot reasons that I won't get into here.) Fast forward to
October 2013 where I talked about giving up pop and other beverages in lieu of healthier options. And finally,
last month where I talked about joining a gym and starting to exercise regularly again.
All of this has been leading up to the major life change that I have started this month: I am giving up sugar. I am, and always have been, a self proclaimed sugar addict. And I do mean addict. I crave the stuff with an intensity that is terrifying, and no matter how many days, weeks, or months I've gone without it, one taste can send me headlong into a sugar binge where I find myself gorging on a bag of cookies for dinner and craving my next sugar fix.
Not only is this sugar addiction bad for my waist line. I've also start realizing it is bad for my health in ways I never imagined. I've been reading a lot of research lately talking about just how bad for us sugar really is, and how doctors are beginning to think that it is the underlying cause of most of the major health conditions in this country. People are starting to call sugar poison, and the more I read and learn, the more I have started to realize that I completely agree. So I've decided to cut it out of my life as much as possible.
And I don't just mean that I'm giving up pop and desserts. I mean.... I. am. giving. up. all. sugar. Let me tell you, this undertaking is not for the faint of heart or weak willed. Sugar is in EVERYTHING! It's rather scary once you start actually reading the labels and begin learning all the other names for sugar that the nasty stuff is hiding behind. I've slowly been working up to this change for several months, so by now all of the prepackaged processed foods have been eliminated from my diet and my kitchen. A dessert hasn't passed my lips for 5 weeks, and I'm entering my 2nd week of total sugar elimination. As the final step in this major life change I went through the entire kitchen a few weeks ago and got rid of every remaining item in the house that contained sugar and replaced it with non-sugar varieties where I could find them.
So, for this month's self-portrait, I thought it was only fitting to show myself pouring out the rest of the nasty white stuff...
If you're interested in learning more about the change in the way doctors and scientists are viewing sugar
this video,
this article, and
this article are good places to start.
This book is a surprisingly entertaining, yet insightful read on the topic, as well. I have a few more books on my list to read to learn more about this subject. If you are interested in learning more as well, give me a shout and I'll pass my reading list on to you.
Did you miss some of my past self-portraits? Clicking
here will take you to all of my self-portrait blog posts. Clicking
here will take you to my self-portrait Facebook album.
Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area.
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