Beautiful boundaries

As I've been perusing youtube videos and various websites about sugar addiction, I've discovered a common theme: "SUGAR IS POISON." And I wholeheartedly disagree. It is not sugar (whether in sweets or simple carbs like crackers, etc) that is to blame, but our abuse of it that has caused this problem in our culture. There are people who have a normal relationship with sugar who are able to take it or leave it, to eat it occasionally and enjoy it without letting it control them. More importantly, God created sugar for us to enjoy! He created sugar cane, He designed bees to make honey, He made fruit sweet so we (and other animals) would want to eat it.

But as our culture "advances," and corporations learn more about the addictive potential of sugary foods (salty/fatty foods have a similar effect), sugar content goes up and we crave more and more. Advertisements tell us that its an indulgence, a reward, that we deserve it- need it, even. Cake pops and candies dance around like ballerinas, chocolate seductively pours while the camera zooms in, women slowly lick the ice cream from their spoons in ecstasy. And we believe it. I certainly have. And instead of sweets being truly a "sometimes food," a term I use frequently with my kids, sweets become a daily necessity. I find myself having a hard time remembering the last day I DIDN'T have a sweet drink, a chocolate, candy, ice cream, a cookie, a scone, something.

I don't want to be a sugar nazi. Remember, I'm striving for BALANCE, discipline and FREEDOM. For now, eliminating as much sugar as possible from my diet is what is necessary. Total surrender. End the addiction. Change the behavior. However, true freedom to me means being able to go out to dinner, or have dinner with friends or cook for my family and enjoy the time without fretting about ingredients and inconveniencing people because of my specific dietary restrictions. Freedom means saying "no" to sweets most of the time and saying "yes" occasionally to a modest serving. Desserts can be a wonderful part of fellowship, whether its taking your kids out to ice cream, savoring pumpkin pie at thanksgiving, having a piece of birthday cake at a party or sharing a slice of cheesecake with your spouse. But for me, they have become the focus. The thought of not having any is terrible and I can't say no. And they are not something I have enjoyed occasionally, but rather all the time... usually daily.

Balance and boundaries. There are other wonderful things that become dangerous when boundaries are removed- take sex for example. Sex was created by God to be a beautiful act enjoyed within the boundaries of marriage to create intimacy, pleasure and of course children! Remove that important boundary and enter in heartbreak, STD's, unplanned pregnancies, affairs and pornography. Money, alcohol, television (to name just a few)... they can all be useful and enjoyable when appropriate boundaries are in place. Take the boundaries away and watch the problems arise.

Balance is tricky. Boundaries are vital. I am seeking to learn to implement and honor them in the area of food the same way I respect them in other areas of my life.

*Check out the "Ghiradelli Rendezvoux" commercial on youtube to see a great example of a company telling us we need sweets.