I spent the holidays with my 96 year old grandmother who looks better than most in their 60s.  Little has changed with her since I was a child – she’s got all her hair, has beautiful skin, still exercises, cooks, cleans, makes her opinions known and eats like a horse.  She loves dressing up and needs nothing more than some red lipstick to get ogled by the single septuagenarians at her apartment complex.  The only thing about her that has diminished somewhat is her hearing which just means that the Shanghainese banter in the household is now a notch above the normal level of screaming that usually occurs.  Admittedly, I have rested on my laurels thinking that my grandmother’s genes will allow me to live on without worrying too much about my health. But, upon reading a recent article in the LA Times about the danger of consuming too much sugar and carbs, I have started to reconsider my eating habits.

Normally, I let any health bandwagons pass me by as I savor the pork belly bun or pastrami sandwich right in front me.  But I have come to the humble realization that grandma’s good health isn’t just about her iron genes, but her hard work in maintaining good habits.  And, one thing that stands out is her consumption of carbs and sugar.  As a Shanghainese, grandma is accustomed to adding sugar to her cooking and does enjoy her sweets.  But compared to me, her sugar consumption is like one chocolate sprinkle on a dozen donuts.  I confess, I am a heat seeking missile for all things sweet.  If it was about gaining weight, it would be easier – I would just continue to eat sugar, walk instead of drive to Bob’s Doughnuts at the Farmer’s Market and call it the day.  But sadly, as noted by the article, large amounts of refined sugars and carbohydrates are taxing to the body especially as age sets in and leads to much worse things than just weight – but diabetes and heart disease.

So as part of my New Year’s resolution, I will attempt to slay the sweet tooth.  It’s not about killing all processed sugar, but at least turning off the Pavlovian response to consume it like it’s Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas every time when the impulse strikes. I figure if I can learn to consume with a bit more moderation, I may be able to enjoy eating sweets that much longer and avoid having to strike it out of my diet altogether later.  Last thing I want is to develop all sorts of illnesses that compel my loved ones to start monitoring my diet and patting me down for contraband sweets hidden in my pockets.  So to begin the process, I will start to wean myself off of the following temptations:

1. Candy:  My mother used to feed me sugar cubes as a kid when I watched her fill her sugar box for coffee so I have a high tolerance for sweets.  My recent fix has been Maynard’s Wine Gums which are Britain’s answer to sophisticated gummies – dense and chewy with a subtle fruit flavor, they are frightening addictive.  I used to eat bags of this stuff at the movies like popcorn.

2. Homemade cookies:  As a Chinese kid, I was told it was rude to reject food especially if someone spent hours making it. So combine that inborn sense of obligation with a lust for sugar, homemade cookies are my kryptonite.

3. Ice cream:  Whether it’s old school Fosselman’s or italian gelato, I cannot say no to this stuff.  Again, going back to a strict Chinese childhood rarely are there truly happy, carefree moments.  Parents are too freaked about you running around unattended and any fun activity that involves you hurdling your body at a high speed is outside their comfort zone (hence no Chinese American cyclists, skiers, or snowboarders).   So most of your happy childhood memories will have to be confined to food and of course, ice cream is the pinnacle of simple kiddie pleasures.

4. Pie:  Being in the land of Los Angeles with 50s style pies within reach – at Dupars and House of Pies, I am cursed.  The pecan at House of Pies and the cream pies at Dupars are wonderfully old school – dense, rich, with a buttery homemade crust.  I will now have to capsize that sense memory and instead, think of their less appetizing entrees that resemble frozen Hungry Man dinners every time I drive by.

5. Donuts:  Fried sugary dough has found its way into every culture.  Chinese have their “you tiao” (fried dough sticks), Mexicans have their churros, Americans have their funnel cakes, and the list goes on…With a donut outlet practically on every block of LA – I suspect you could buy a dozen maple bars well before you found a 76 station to fill up your gas tank.  And with the Cambodians who have built a strong niche in the donut business and mastered the craft of insanely, rich and crunchy apple fritters, I have a hard time saying no to patronizing my fellow Asian immigrant brethren especially where sugar is involved.