Sugar

I'm amazed and maybe even a little proud of what I haven't eaten in the last twelve days.

No added sugar! Not from sugar cane, corn, or chemical laboratories. No high fructose corn syrup, no aspartame, no saccharine, no sucrose. The only sweeteners I've consumed are honey and maple syrup.

After feeling rather impressed with myself, I began to doubt my own claim. Could it really be true? What have I eaten that might have carried a little sugar into my body?

The French bread at the restaurant likely harbored sugar in its recipe. What about the wild elderberry jam I've been spreading on my toast in the mornings? The ingredients list (taped to the jar) says: sugar, elderberry juice, lemon juice, pectin. Whoops, 1 for 4 for the 100-mile diet. Digging deeper into the fridge, I discover dextrose lurking in the German style brats I bought from a pig farmer at the Troy Farmers Market.

I don't want to stop eating these local delicacies even after facing the facts. I'm happy to settle for close enough. I still can say I've drastically reduced my processed foods intake.