Tag: health

No Added…. What ?

I was wandering around the grocery store the other day. My wife and I have always had the opposites attract dynamic between us and nothing illustrates this more than our different shopping techniques. She’s very task oriented in everything she does. Work, hobbies, chores, shopping….everything is a task that must be completed as quickly as possible so she can start a new task. Armed with her ear buds and list she grabs a cart and zig-zags her way through the grocery store as if on a mission. She’s very much a hunter-gatherer.

Meanwhile I wander and meander about going down aisles just to see if there’s anything new. The spice aisle might have a new chicken spice rub that I just need to try, never-mind the spice rack at home has 2 nearly full bottles of rubs that looked very tempting in the store but now sit unused for months. (note to self….might be time to clean out the spice rack)

The yogurt aisle is always beckoning me with new flavors. I usually just settle for the same ones I get every week but that confetti birthday cake flavor might just get an experimental tasting.

And so it was that I was meandering through the grocery store vaguely searching for something to replace my morning coffee. I enjoy a morning coffee but I must admit I don’t crave it in the summer-time. When I was working full-time quite often I was outside or in a cold warehouse and so coffee served the dual purpose of a hot morning beverage with a little jolt and it was something warm to hold onto. During the summer months I don’t crave hot beverages, in fact I much prefer cold, icy glasses filled with lemonade or tea. But this creates a problem in the morning and so my wandering ways of shopping led me to stop suddenly in the milk section. There before me appeared to be the answer to my morning beverage conundrum. Mocha flavored iced latte made with real milk & cream and get this…..zero added sugar.

The perfect answer to my summer-time morning beverage needs and all packaged neatly in a cardboard box. I know it contained no added sugar because it proclaimed this fact 3….yes you read that correctly….. 3 times on the front of the container. I was thrilled at the prospect of a morning iced mocha latte conveniently consumed in my own home without having to negotiate the line or drive thru at my local coffee shop. And so I purchased the cardboard container with real milk & cream and zero added sugars and felt quite proud of myself for once again my wandering ways had successfully paid off…..just like with the chicken rub in the spice aisle.

The next morning I was immensely enjoying my first iced latte and feeling quite smug that the beverage I was consuming had zero added sugars, when I began to wonder why it might be necessary to state that fact 3 times on the cover……oh container of iced mocha latte me thinks you doth protest too much or in this case you brag too much. And so I did what I rarely do but should do more often, I turned the container around and read the nutritional label.

Made with real milk and cream, no corn syrup and no carrageenan (whatever the hell that is) some protein, some carbs, some fat and then there it was…..I wish I could say it was in the fine tiny print but no right there in the nutritional table….7 grams sugar. To be fair they never said there was no sugar in their tasty mocha latte and it was quite naive of me to assume there wasn’t any sugar especially since it is quite tasty. In fact in the fine print next to the nutritional table they do say this iced latte contains 7 grams of sugar but no added sugar and their regular iced latte contains a whopping 29 grams of sugar.

A quick internet search revealed that no added sugars means that natural sugars may be present but no extra sugar was added during manufacturing. Which to be fair seems reasonable but again they seemed to be bragging about this fact by loudly proclaiming this 3 (!!!!) times on the front of the container.

I didn’t feel deceived, although I did feel slightly misled with the zero added sugars pronouncement. I’m not sure if I will purchase another container of iced mocha latte or perhaps I’ll wander the store again hoping to find another beverage for my morning summer-time enjoyment….now onto that spice rack.

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Peace and love,

John

How About a Walk

Daily writing prompt
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
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Some days getting out of bed seems difficult. It’s too cold, too dark, too early and the demands of the day feel far too overwhelming. Who amongst us hasn’t contemplated burying themselves deeper under the blankets, pulling them over our head and wishing we could stay there forever or at least until the sun comes out. But we know the longer we stay hidden under the blankets the further we fall behind in our daily responsibilities…..ugh, responsibilities….those things that people count on you to do. If only there were less responsibilities and more time wrapped in blankets dozing in that early morning slumber.

One way to trick myself to get up and moving is to begin the day with a morning walk. I do this even though I realize that I’m getting up earlier than I need to and I’m robbing myself of extra sleep under a warm comforter, but I feel it’s worth it. Living in the mid-west can make these early morning walks difficult and far less appealing than in a warmer climate. Depending on the time of year it’s still dark and cold, and the moon still glows reminding me that perhaps I’m foolish to be out so early. But with my earbuds in my ears and a winter hat covering my head plus enough layers to stay warm I set out to begin my day.

I find it fascinating to see the my neighborhood at this unique time, night drifting away and morning slowly announcing her arrival. I’ve seen deer browsing through our apple trees eating the fallen apples off the ground and even standing on their hind legs plucking them off the trees. They graze uninterrupted until they sense my presence, they freeze and stare at me for a brief moment and then silently hurry away bounding at an astonishing speed. Other nocturnal creatures scurry away as morning approaches like vampires avoiding daylight.

The birds are the first thing I usually notice, especially in the warmer months chirping and singing a beautiful natural wake up to the world. The singing of the birds means that sunrise is not far behind. Frequently as night disappears into daylight the sky is streaked in a mosaic of colors so wonderful I usually stop and appreciate the beauty before me as if standing before a work of art hanging in a museum, but this is a work of art I’m part of as it surrounds me and with it a new day presenting opportunities and possibilities that are endless.

Could I have these same feelings while burrowed under my comforter dozing in a morning slumber….probably not, and I find that my morning walk gets me going and feeling a positive vibe. I’m more likely to accomplish more if I begin the day with a walk although I have discovered that the morning nap after the morning walk is quite a wonderful feeling too.

Peace and Love,

John