It seems that more often than not, wherever I go around the nation, I either witness or am part of a quickie-carb revelation or incident. Inevitably, I’m left with an "ahah" experience — and of course, I must share it with you, dear readers.
So, here’s my latest adventure.
In theory, I’m taking a much, much needed vacation for a few days here in Santa Fe, New Mexico, catching the most amazing operas, window shopping, ogling the oodles of colorful jewelry, going to art galleries and museums (well, haven’t done the latter yet), and just dilly dallying around.
Anyhow, tonight, now that I’ve returned from the most amazing "Turandot," I just can’t resist blogging on this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog.
I wonder: Have I become addicted to spouting off my no-holds-barred (well, almost) observations about our ubiquitous hooked-on-sugar-and-simple-carb reality?
Well, as addictions go, blogging’s far better than candy and quickie cabs — which, I might add — are way too readily available here.
But now, it’s time to confess last night’s faux pas. Suffice it to say that my planning stunk when going to "The Barber of Seville." It’d been hours since I’d eaten, and I needed a snack, but no decent, healthy options were available at the opera house.
Ultimately, I opted for the huge hunger headache versus buying the only available food, which, of course, was some simple-carb crap — oat cookies loaded with brown sugar, a nutty chocolate bar, and a huge, white-bread sub filled with sugar-filled, processed meats. Ah, how annoying!
Yet again, I learned my lesson — the one I’m always espousing with great fervor to members of my KickSugar group.
I always tell them: Plan. Plan. Plan!!! That is to say, when you go out and about, especially if you don’t know the area, bring along some healthy nibbles or you could get trapped in a nutrition-deprived daze. (My favorite foods to carry along are almonds or macadamia nuts.)
Speaking of which, why oh why is it sooo hard to find healthy food at public entertainment places like stadiums, movie theaters, opera houses, and more?
And why oh why do they always have these large, obnoxious signs warning you, "DO NOT BRING IN ANY OUTSIDE FOOD UNDER PENALTY OF LAW AND IMPRISONMENT." (OK, I’m exaggerating a bit.)
Seriously, I’m half expecting that one of these days, a large, flabby, controlling staff person at a movie theater I frequent is going to make a huge stink, embarrass me in front of nearby patrons, and threaten to physically throw me out of the theater unless I toss my delicious take-out food into the garbage can.
First off, I’ll be really pissed off, because I won’t want to jettison my shrimp cocktail or veggie ratatouille or some other exotic dish that I got from this amazing nearby gourmet deli.
Then, I’ll get upset because I’m having a hypoglycemic reaction and I need to eat now, and I’ll probably have to ask for the manager and explain to him or her that if I eat any of the food sold at the concession stands — popcorn, candy, chips or other quickie-carb junk — that I’ll get really sick. (Maybe I’ll exaggerate and say that if I have any, they’d have to rush me into the hospital!)
Ultimately, I’ll miss the movie I’ve been dying to see. But then the manager will probably take pity on me and feel so bad that his movie theater doesn’t offer healthy food that he’ll give me a bunch of free movie tickets so, in the long run, I’ll be very happy. (I’m sure letting my imagination run wild here! Oh, and for literary justice, I’ll promise to give him a copy of my book, SUGAR SHOCK! when it comes out!)
Seriously though, you should see how I carefully sneak my scrumptious snacks into movie theaters so I won’t get caught!
Hey, have you ever been busted for bringing in your own healthy snacks or meals to a stadium or other establishment? It happened to someone in my KickSugar group a while back. The poor girl was really flummoxed, because they made her leave her carefully selected dinner in her car, and she has hypoglycemia and had to make do with inferior ball-game food fare.
Tell your tales of frantic searches for healthy foods in stadiums, theaters or other spots, when all you could find were chips, candy bars, soda, and other inferior carb nightmares.