Candy Craze!

I took two tootsie rolls out of my co-worker’s candy dish. It happened so quickly….I don’t even remember thinking about it and deciding to take them but there they were in my hand as I walked away. This must be how an ex-drug addict or former alcoholic must feel when she is tempted by the thing she has now been free of for quite some time; and no one is around. Oh, the memories. I used to eat 5-10 tootsie rolls as my afternoon sugary treat about twice a week; sometimes three times. The women at the Gift Shop in the hospital next to where I work always knew what I was coming to buy. If I missed a day they wondered if I was O.K.. No, this wasn’t many years ago. This was just last year! I would eat one slowly as I walked back to my office. Then I would hide the others on the side of my desk where no one else would see them so they wouldn’t ask me for any. What a rush! What a feeling! It seemed like so long ago….. and now here they were…two tootsie rolls in my hand…..Would I eat them now? Or, would I save them for a treat for later? Would I chew them slowly, savoring every taste? Or, would I chew them quickly? But wait? I thought I broke that habit? I thought my new motto was, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (I Corin 6:12) Could I eat just two and be satisfied or would I need more? Perhaps two would be enough this day, but would it be the beginning of the poor habit all over again and the next day I would find myself taking a trip to the Gift Shop? All of a sudden, before I knew it, just as quickly as I had picked them up and put them in my hand, I threw them in a trash can! A trash can with a top on it! I didn’t want to be trapped again; trapped by the sugar rush. I was enjoying my freedom. As you find yourself surrounded by lots of candy this time of the year, just remember, “Candy has a high glycemic index (GI), which means that it causes a high rise in blood sugar levels after ingestion. This is chiefly a concern for people with diabetes but, but could also be dangerous to the health of non-diabetics. (Wikipedia). Also, you may be surprised at the calorie content of some of your favorite candies- even the small packages: Hershey Kisses – 26 calories and 8 g carb each kiss; M&Ms plain, fun size, (18g), 88 calories and 12 g carb; M&Ms peanut, Fun size (18g), 93 calories and 11 g carb; Tootsie Rolls, 50 calories and 10g carb, or Midgee tootsie roll, 23 calories and 7 g carb; Reese’s Peanut Butter cup, miniature, (about 9 grams each) 44 calories and 5 g carb per cup; Snickers Bar, Fun size (17 g), 80 calories and 10 g carb; York Peppermint Patty, regular small patty, (14 g), 53 calories and 11g carb. (http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/carbcounts/a/candycalories.htm) Yep! It may feel like a candy craze these days, but will you be crazy enough to give into it or just a little crazy and stop when you know you have enough? “….To thine ownself be true”…..