I have no taste or smell because of the covid, and that made me think. We relate to taste as we do with most things in our lives, that is, in extremes. Taste is very important to me, I am a creator of recipes, and the lack of taste and smell means that I am no longer a creator of recipes. So what? Does that mean I’m nothing? Do only my recipes define me? I am a complex person, with multiple valences, and concentrating on only one of these valences limits me. I’m more than my taste. I know how to write, take photos, and now I cultivate other skills. It’s called learning. Below is a reflection on sugar, omnipresent, omnipotent and addictive sugar.
If I show you a colorful cake with lots of sweet cream and a picture of a terrorist, you will most likely want the cake and have a shiver of fear in front of the terrorist. But if I tell you that in 2010 sugar killed 3 million people worldwide and terrorism 7697 people, who should you fear the most? We have been taught the sweet taste since we were only a few months old, with the diversification of our diet. And then it’s normal for a child to want a snack of sweet biscuits, not carrots or apples. It’s normal for him to refuse vegetables and reach for dessert. Is it normal? “But I don’t eat a lot of sweets!” White sugar is added to absolutely all processed products: bread, sausages, cheeses, mustard, mayonnaise, preserves of all kinds, pickles, coffee … We no longer know the normal taste of food. We are addicted to the intense sweet taste. White sugar is a useless food, it does not benefit the body. Of course, we could eat it occasionally, enjoy its taste, like a glass of good wine at an event. But we can’t do that anymore. Because we are already addicted. Like an alcoholic who can no longer drink just a glass of wine on a birthday party, even sugar addiction is harder, because sugar is hidden in everything, we do not even realize that we have consumed and then we want more and we don’t know why. It’s a vicious circle with no escape.
So why are we afraid of terrorism and not sugar? Do you think that the risk of a gunman appearing in our neighborhood outweighs your risk of dying from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or depression due to hormonal disorders caused by sugar consumption? Well, it’s not. But we’re told the terrorist is bad and the cake is good, sweet, juicy. Get that salami for you and your baby. Take those cookies, because they are good, “healthy” and are a perfect snack for when “you’re a little hungry”. It’s too late for us to get rid of addiction, but at least be aware of it, stop being manipulated and try to reduce the amount of sugar we consume. We can make sauces at home, we can buy organic mustard that does not contain sugar, we can make bread at home, sweets as well, there are even homemade sausage or salami recipes. Gradually we will get used to the less sweet taste of food and we will discover new tastes and other flavors not encountered yet.