Testing, Testing, 1, 2, Sweet

Over the years, I've posted several times about my love-hate relationship with sugar.  When you've got two diabetic parents, sugar intake tends to be higher on the radar anyway, but even without that factor, I've always battled with sugar.  Am I a sugar addict?  Does sugar hurt my body?  Should I avoid sugar completely?  Could I avoid sugar completely even if I wanted to?  Fight fight fight.  Question question question.

Is it just a coincidence that powdered sugar looks like cocaine?

A great advantage to having a couple months off from teaching is that you have time to really ponder such questions, and you even have time to do some experimentation on yourself.  Over the last month, I've allowed myself to eat as much sugar as I want.  No restrictions, no limitations, no boundaries.  So of course I went way overboard.  In front of the TV with nothing but a jar of Nutella and a spoon.  Baking cupcakes to my heart's content.  Sfogliatelle and frozen custard at the beach, plus plenty of Starburst and Twizzlers beside my books and iPod in my beach bag.

I shall illustrate my conclusion in the form of an equation:

Elizabeth + unlimited quantities of sugar = Crankiness + manic-depression + bloating + fatigue + dehydration + back pain + short temper + morning hangovers + loss of interest in anything that used to make me happy

So now I know without a doubt what too much sugar does to me.  The next step: limit my sugar intake for a similar amount of time and see what I feel like.  I'll do my best to make sure that all of the other variables remain constant, though I have a feeling that if limiting my sugar affects my mood/energy level as much as unlimited sugar did, other areas of my life may shift as well.

I will report back in one month!

Whimsical whirlpool or vortex of evil?