“Question: Since every food contains a natural sweetness, it this spiritually harmful to the person who eats it?
Reply: God our Master created this sweetness in each food, and there is no harm in eating of this with thanksgiving. However, one should always guard against attachment; for this is what is harmful to the soul.”
St. Barsanuphius and St. John of Gaza Letters from the Desert: A Selection of Questions and Responses trans. John Chryssavigis (Crestwood, NJ: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003) 193-194.