Every month the SUN magazine has a "Reader's Write" section where readers write about a certain topic, and they choose the best submissions and publish three or four pages in every issue. I make it part of my writing practice to write about each topic every month and submit my entry. This month's topic is: SUGAR
Sugar
For the SUN magazine
My mother was restrictive about what my brothers and I ate. No cereal with over 9 grams of sugar. No meat, but fish was okay. Definitely no soda or candy. Skim milk or water was the only beverage we drank. When it was my turn to bring snacks after my soccer game, my teammates complained that the Organic, whole wheat, fat-free Granola bars tasted like cardboard.
My mother allowed herself to indulge in foods that were forbidden to us, and she kept them hidden in the back of the cupboard or in her nightstand drawer. Occasionally I would steal a chocolate, or a package of fruit snacks—but not so often that she would notice.
For the SUN magazine
My mother was restrictive about what my brothers and I ate. No cereal with over 9 grams of sugar. No meat, but fish was okay. Definitely no soda or candy. Skim milk or water was the only beverage we drank. When it was my turn to bring snacks after my soccer game, my teammates complained that the Organic, whole wheat, fat-free Granola bars tasted like cardboard.
My mother allowed herself to indulge in foods that were forbidden to us, and she kept them hidden in the back of the cupboard or in her nightstand drawer. Occasionally I would steal a chocolate, or a package of fruit snacks—but not so often that she would notice.
One afternoon, bored and wanting a sugar fix, I found one can of all natural strawberry flavored soda. I snatched it out of the back of the cupboard where it was hidden, and ran to the only safe place I knew—the big bushes on the side yard. I thought about the consequences of my mom discovering her missing strawberry soda, and the punishment that would follow. Then, before I could stop myself I popped open the tab and chugged the entire can of soda as fast as I could. I remember the carbonation burning my throat and the thick strawberry sweetness. After the soda was gone, fear and guilt arose in my chest, just like the carbonation that I burped up. When I look back to the frightened, guilty little girl who I was, looking for a place to hide the empty soda can, I feel immense sadness for her.
I went through many years of being overweight because I indulged too much in sugar when I was given the freedom to eat how I wished. I struggle daily with my addiction to chocolate covered almonds, Starburst candies, oatmeal raisin cookies, and of course any kind of carbonated sugary beverage. People don’t take me seriously when I tell them I about my sugar addiction. But it is real, and I can’t control myself.
If I ever have children, I will let them have a healthy moderation of strawberry soda, fruit snacks, and chocolate chip granola bars.
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