if you’re part of the 61% of people who gained weight since the start of the pandemic and you want to do something about it but you don’t know how because comfort foods are somewhat essential to you: welcome to the club!
unfortunately i haven’t found an answer to this specific conundrum, yet. but i have this process. when i need to deal with stuff but i don’t know how or even where to begin, i read. and since i was worried about my sugar intake, i read a book about sugar.
no disclaimer here : gary tubes ‘the case against sugar’ did its job splendidly.
a crossover
it is at its core a crossover between the history of the ubiquity of sugar in our nutrition and the history of the science investigating the impact of sugar on our bodies. but most importantly it is the tale of how the former informs the latter and NOT the other around.
the value of science in our society
while the details about the sugar industry are as astounding as they are appalling (think the tobacco industry but worse), what struck me most about this book was what it revealed about the standing of science in our society.
as such, taubes’ book is – fully unintentional – a masterclass on how this supposedly objective, neutral and always imperfect tool can be twisted and turned to fit almost any narrative. and like any other tool, it is the intentions of the people that use it that will determine the morality of its outcome.
this is why it is so crucially important in my opinion to perpetuate a basic understanding of scientific principles and critical evaluation in the general population. because it’s only when you truly grasp something, that you can truly reckon with it.
science vs culture (and other forces)
that being said, the research on sugar should be unequivocal. it’s not good for us and it should be severely limited. and yet, we give to our children in more or less generous amounts. it is deeply ingrained in our culture. not to mention, all kinds of lobbying that is being done by all kinds of industries.
all of this makes it very hard to develop a relationship to sugar that is both healthy and sustainable.