American entrepreneur and venture capitalist Bryan Johnson, renowned for his experiments in diet, exercise and medicine to promote longevity, is often seen sharing health and wellness insights on social media. His latest Instagram post highlighted two sugary foods from his childhood - breakfast cereals and sodas - which, while popular among kids, may not be the best for their health.
"It absolutely pains me to tell you I grew up consuming this," Johnson says. He explains that in the morning, he would consume sugary cereals which had "17 grams of sugar", sharing examples with a box of Oreo O's cereal and Loaded Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. "This was the mainstay in my house. Sugar cereal was what we had for breakfast every day," he shared.
The sugary breakfast was followed by a soda after school. "Then after school, we get soda at the local gas station. 64 oz (around 1.9 litres) was just about right," he said, holding up a glass of 'Double Big Gulp', a line of fountain drinks by 7-Eleven.
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Reflecting on his sugar intake, Johnson revealed, "Altogether, I was probably consuming around 100-150 grams of sugar every day. Now, I do not blame my mother or my community. They just didn't know. That was the norm, that's what these companies delivered."
Criticising the companies, he said, "They implanted the sugar in our lives and ruined so much of our potential life because we were feeding on their addiction. It is evil. It's awful and it has to stop."
The post resonated with many of Johnson's followers. Here's what some of them had to say:
A viewer commented, "Finally I get to feel in peace that someone can really speak loud and clear about all of this. Thanks for taking the precious time to create consciousness about all of this nastiness going on in the world as culture."
"What pains me the most is that often these products are advertised as child-friendly," wrote one Instagram user.
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Another commented, "Learning and doing better for the next generation!"
A user also shared, "I stopped consuming sugar, and it has been the best choice of my life."