Today, a man at the local gas station informed me that a chemical in the diet Dr. Pepper in my hand was proven to be harmful. He sternly added that studies show it causes cancer. He also advised that I should stick to “real sugar” because it is better for us.

I do not argue against his statements. Yes, sugar substitutes are not healthy. But when I mentioned that my doctor may argue with his logic, he cast me a sideways glance, and I laughed.  He asked, “why do you need diet anyway?” There I stood, a measly 127 lbs, 5’1” to his 6 feet, approaching 300 lbs. Again, I mentioned the sugar. After another sideways glance he reiterated that the chemicals are bad in diet sodas. He told me I would be better off sticking to the regular soda with real sugar.

He turned back to the cashier, collected his two packs of Winston-Salem cigarettes, and left me standing there with a smirk.