Consider the source

Courtesy of Firehow.com

Does anyone remember "Inside-out Boy," where the kid went up and over the swing set, only to find himself with a new world-view? After reading an article that popped into my mailbox this morning, I feel as if I am he, with a wacky Weltanschauung.


According to a researcher from Louisiana State University, you can have your cake and eat it, too: 


"Good news for candy and chocolate lovers: they tend to weigh less, have lower body mass indices (BMI) and waist circumferences, and have decreased levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome, according to a new study(1) published in Nutrition Research." 


Say what?!? Using that same twisted logic, substance abusers should receive a daily allotment of their drug of choice, pedophiles should be hired in schools, and cat burglars should work in jewelry stores.


Now, the kicker: "This research project was supported by the National Confectioners Association..." 


Is anyone surprised by this? In a world where fat people are stigmatized, ostracized, and legally defamed, and the TV runs gazillions of commercials for crap 'n' carbage, and more and more children are adding daily finger-sticks to their morning routines, we are told that candy is a positive part of a weight-loss regimen?


Let me see if I can make this as simple as possible: Candy. Bad.


Insulin is both a friend and foe. Without it, we die. With too much of it, we die. Well, to be more specific, we get fat, and then we die. Since everything we eat turns to sugar (glucose) in our bodies, insulin is necessary to keep our blood sugar at healthy levels. But some foods are worse than others. Some cause a sit-by-the-riverbank-with-a-bamboo-fishing-pole kind of reaction. Others ("Candy. Bad.") cause a Miami-Vice-speedboat-run-over-you-slice-you-to-ribbons experience. Too many of these, and we are doomed to a future of lancets, blood-sugar meters, dialysis, and wheelchairs. Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing Michael Moore. Erk.


Are sweets compatible with a low-carb lifestyle? Heck, yes. Check out a wonderful lady, Jennifer Eloff, and her blog and cookbooks full of low-carb goodness. Or Judy Barnes Baker, and her blog and cookbook. Both of these ladies make sweet sanity possible with a healthy, low-carb way of eating. 


So, to recap: Candy. Bad. Do not believe cods-wallop funded by an agency whose members make a living by victimizing the victims. Welcome to the erythritol/Splenda zone. They won't make you look like a bloated bloviator.


The Bionic Broad out.