Being Polite to Your Own Detriment

Sometimes it’s hard to say no when food is offered to you. You want to be polite, so you end up eating a little something extra that you hadn’t planned on. Recently I ate (and quickly regretted) a slice of sheet cake; this slice of birthday cake was just placed in front of me so I felt obligated to eat it (even though I’m not a fan of sheet cake). And while I removed most of the half inch thick slab of frosting, there still managed to be enough sugar within the cake and filling itself to give me a sugar headache. I felt light headed and tired and miserable; I paid the price for my inability to say “no thank you”.

We’re currently in one of the most dangerous food times of the year: the holiday season. We’re constantly surrounded by food; everyone just seems to want to feed you because food brings happiness to people. So there’s always an array of cookies, chocolates, toffees, caramels, candies and every other kind of bad for you sweet treat imaginable at family gatherings, holiday parties, at work or gifted to you to “enjoy”. [Pause.] It’s a lot of sugar.

I admit sometimes I can’t resist and will readily accept the offer of a tasty treat. I try not to go overboard but some of it is just so good that I’ll eat more than I should. I may hit my sugar limit and stop, or sometimes I may exceed that limit. I tend to exceed that limit more often if someone made something themselves, because it seems especially rude to decline that homemade treat (as though you think they’re a terrible cook), so you have to at least try it. Sometimes it’s just easier to accept what’s given to you, even though it’d be better for you if you just politely declined.