“Eat to live, not live to eat.” That’s the new mantra now. It sounds so noble, doesn’t it? Like a line from a black – and – white movie starring someone with impossibly perfect cheekbones. The reality? It feels more like a full-time, unpaid detective job where the criminal is Sugar, and the scene of the crime is… well, Everything!
I used to think of a grocery store trip as a casual outing, maybe a chance to snag a free sample. Now, it’s a terrifying, fluorescent-lit labyrinth. My hand hovers over a box of something innocent-looking, say, “All Natural, Gluten-Free, Artisan Crackers.” I flip it over, my eyes scanning the ingredients list like a seasoned bomb disposal expert. Suddenly, “Dextrose,” “Maltodextrin,” or some other sneaky ‘ose’ pops up, and my internal alarm blares: Carbohydrate!!! It’s everywhere! It’s in the spice rub, the salad dressing, the canned tuna, and probably the air freshener in aisle seven!
I’m exhausted. My brain, once used for contemplating things like world peace or what show to binge-watch, is now solely dedicated to calculating net carbs and wondering if a single radish is going to throw me into a sugar-fueled freefall.
The little things – oh, the glorious, spoiled – society little things – are ghosts of a past life. The siren song of a Dairy Queen drive-thru on a hot day? Might as well be a viper pit. My beloved mid-afternoon Scooter’s coffee? That mocha latte is basically a milkshake in disguise, a sugary betrayal. Now, my “splurge” is a meticulously sourced, grass-fed ribeye, or maybe – if I’m feeling really wild – a second handful of raw spinach. Yay! I’ve become the person who brings her own unseasoned, unadulterated food to every social gathering. I look at a slice of beautiful, fluffy artisan bread and feel the same way a vampire must look at a clove of garlic. Tragic.
And wine? Forget the comforting, contemplative glass of Riesling after a long taxing day of, you know, battling cancer. Now, my unwinding ritual involves sitting quietly, perhaps communing with the universe in a sauna until I’m a puddle of detoxified determination: Who needs a Moscato when you have the quiet hum of an infrared heater? (Okay, I still want the Moscato, but my mitochondria have veto power now.)
It’s frustrating. It’s ridiculous. It’s a culinary prison guarded by nutrition facts. But then, as I chew thoughtfully on a stalk of celery – a vegetable I once relegated to the “dip delivery vehicle” category – a wave of something profound washes over me.
Gratitude
Every single label I read, every beloved indulgence I refuse, every hour I spend in stillness, is a choice. It’s purposeful, deliberate, and sometimes a humorous act of war – a fight not just for more time, but with more quality, more awareness, and a hell of a lot more raw vegetables. I no longer live to eat. I eat to live. And honestly, that’s the sweetest thing left on the menu.
