Meet Miss Food Police

Miss Food Police’s mission is to share how I transformed my attitude with food and how what I eat has taught me the importance of a real whole food lifestyle. My overall health would not be what it is today without this awareness. As a woman whose earliest memory of having an eating disorder was 5 years old to finally beating the battle at 31 and never looking back.

Sugar has come to the forefront as being compared to poison and we as a culture are sucking it down faster than our livers can process it. Many of you may have read a parts of my story in previous posts about my journey with food. I must say I could not agree more based on my own experience with sugar, alcohol and processed food. It is why I feel it is so important to share my journey and raise awareness to something that effects our health in such a mis-informed destructive way.

I firmly believe based on my own experience that my sugar consumption was a huge part of my eating disorders and my depression. Not only did the sugar make me want to eat more, but it also messed with my emotions. Mark Hyman, MD, quick low-down on sugar:

“There is no scientific controversy here. The evidence is in. Sugar causes inflammation. The insulin-resistant fat cells you pack on when you eat too much sugar produces nasty inflammatory messages (cytokines) … spreading their damage to the brain. In fact, researchers have suggested calling depression “metabolic syndrome Type II” because instead of just having a fat swollen belly, you also get a fat swollen (and depressed) brain. And psychiatrists are starting to treat depression and psychiatric disorders with anti-diabetic drugs like Actos! These drugs lower blood sugar, lower insulin, and reduce inflammation.”

Previous to creating a new relationship with food I took many of the prescribed drugs available for depression. These drugs are no longer part of my life and have not been for almost 20 years. Sugar has also been dramatically reduced, though there are times I fall off track, when I do my body and emotions are sure to let me know. I know I need to make food changes in order to feel better. I am a baker/chef by trade, I work with food on a daily basis. I am often asked why I am not fat, my answer is easy; I do not eat it. I do not crave it. I choose my poisons. Often too, as long as I don’t take that first bite, I am good. If my emotions are off already, that first bite leads to many more.

I am not afraid to admit I do not keep sugary foods in my home. I do have sugar that I use in my coffee, which is the one cup I have in the morning. If I did keep sugary items in my home, it would be like an alcoholic having a full bar. Whole foods do not lead me to emotional binging: sugar will and so does alcohol. Please consider the foods you eat, the liquids you drink…. be honest with yourself. I am not a Doctor nor a trained nutritionist, but I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the lack of sugar in my life is why I have stayed off those prescriptions I used to take and till now as I adventure through menopause.