According to Dr. Oz, the average American consumes 150lbs of it a year! Twenty years ago it was about half that. Desserts and soda are obvious sources but other foods high in sugar include granola bars, most breakfast cereals, spaghetti sauce and yogurt. Sugar is in pretty much every processed food we find at the grocery store and as the statistic shows, we end up eating about 1/3 lb. of it a day (150grams)! Compare that to the recommended max intake of 45 grams a day (1/10 pound). 

Understanding what we eat is a very powerful tool if we want an active part in controlling our health. Last year I began making a conscious effort to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet. I started by avoiding all processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup. My good intention lasted about a week. As stated earlier, almost everything around us has added sugar. Even some products at Outpost became off limits to me in my pursuit of understanding sugar's addiction.

I think we are at the precipice of another food revolution. This past October, the Outpost Board sponsored a screening of the movie “Fed Up” which focuses on showing how large quantities of processed sugar affect our health and the corporate influence to keep it that way. And, based on attendance alone, the topic really resonates with our current Outpost owners.

As with other food movements, we the consumer can make a difference by supporting products that have other natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup or stevia. Even reduced amounts of processed sugar is a good start.

Today, I have relaxed my restrictions and I estimate that my average processed sugar intake is less than 10 grams a week. Although it is sad to pass on office cookie comradery I know I am setting myself up for a healthy future. Building stronger communities includes the food we eat and what we offer others.

I challenge you to reduce your processed sugar intake. How low can you go?

Doug Spencer

Board Director