GOT HEARTBURN?

The price of Nexium can be $.50 to $1 each online.

The price of Prilosec, likewise.

Ultra maximum strength TUMS, $9.00.

The cost of quitting sugar is of course a negative number - I don't spend money on candy bars, cakes, sodas, cookies, etc.

And I don't spend money on Nexium, Prilosec, or Tums.

When I ate sugar, I was NEVER without TUMS within arms reach. I had constant heartburn.

Since I quit sugar, I have not bought any TUMS. I may have taken a handful of them in the past year and several months, when I was dumb enough to eat and go to bed too soon.

When I tell people this, they have a tendancy to go buy cookies. I don't understand.

Well, maybe I do - addiction is addiction.

When I was a kid, my stepfather was the only person I ever heard of with diabetes. Nowadays, it seems like nearly everyone has it. I decided I'd check if it was just my perception, and it's not. There's an epidemic of type 2 diabetes out there, and I don't want it.

Is it related to how we eat? All the non-food in our food? You bet.

This study, among many others, discusses the causes. It's pretty technical, but basically today's food has more calories and less nutrition and more sweeteners and less fiber.

To quote: "In this ecologic analysis, in which national data from 1909 to 1997 were used, we found a strong association between an increased consumption of refined carbohydrates in the form of corn syrup, a decreased consumption of dietary fiber, and an increasing trend in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the United States during the 20th century. Furthermore, our data are consistent in that obesity and the prevalence of diabetes increased proportionately to the increase in consumption of refined carbohydrates in the United States."

In a nutshell, our national diet is making us fat and sick.