Geschatte leestijd: 2 minutenThe Diabetes Fund has opened an information center about sugar in the Amsterdam Leidsestraat on Monday. The fund named it “A temporary sugar detox clinic”.
The terrible sugar
First a warning. I’m writing this article with a massive hangover. It’s Wednesday morning, November 9th, and the results of the American elections are coming in. Cynicism is the prevailing feeling at the moment, and it will leave its mark on the following article.
After comparing sugar to cocaine became popular, the Diabetes Fund takes it a step further by opening a “temporary sugar detox clinic”. A promotional action to make people aware of the dangers of (hidden) sugars, according to the Diabetes Fund.
“About 80 percent of Dutch people consume too much sugar, about one and a half to two times too much. It’s hidden in so many products, and we are continuously tempted to make unhealthy choices,” the Diabetes Fund states.
Hidden sugars
I always have to make an effort to empathize with the non-blameworthy sugar junkies who apparently suffer from this addiction. An addiction that has “just happened” to them due to hidden sugars in dairy drinks, breakfast cereals, and tomato sauces.
Partly I understand. Especially when such examples are mentioned. The image being portrayed here is one of malevolent manufacturers who devise sneaky ways in dark corners to pump sugar into your blood. An image of ignorant victims who have no idea and cannot know what they are consuming and thus become addicted.
If it doesn’t fit your macros
Now there’s a selective group of readers who will have the same difficulty empathizing with these “victims”. This group consists of people you often encounter at the gym and who wear an average of 3 fewer items of clothing and have six more packs than other Dutch people in photos on social media. The Homo Rippedicus. I recently saw on TV that many Dutch people feel attacked in their sexuality when they are called Homo Sapiens, so many won’t understand that pun (told you, cynical).
Homo Rippedicus is the most recent step in human evolution. While Homo Sapiens eats anything that smells good and looks good, Homo Rippedicus uses handy apps like the FITsociety App to count nutritional values. Hidden sugars don’t exist for Homo Rippedicus, hidden fats and proteins don’t either. Homo Rippedicus is a mutant with a very special gift. Homo Rippedicus knows what he puts in his mouth.
Personal responsibility?
The more sugar you eat, the greater the chance of getting type II diabetes. In the Netherlands, there are one million people with type II diabetes, and 1,100 are added every day.
Prof. dr. Hanno Pijl
Where does it go wrong? At the same point it went wrong last night in the United States:
People who have to decide on matters they have no understanding of because they have never shown any interest. In this case, people who have never taken the trouble to delve into healthy nutrition and nutritional values. People who primarily act from emotion. People who prefer to blame others for what happens to them. After all, it’s much easier than taking personal responsibility. “Those bad manufacturers who hide sugars and those corrupt politicians who allow it.” And of course, those stupid Mexicans.
Yes, the world is bad, and everyone is trying to screw you over. The food industry is a cartel of drug dealers who want to addict the world to carbs. So be critical and above all, cynical:
Grab ’em by the protein.
