Breaking Your Sugar Habit With A 21-Day Sugar Detox with Dr. Christina Youngren

The holidays are in full swing and now more than ever we are tempted daily by goodies at the office, sweet treat samples at the mall, and more sugary drink selections than usual at our local coffee shop. If there would be a time of year to indulge your sweet tooth, this would be it. However, there are those of us who struggle not only during this time of the year, but all year long. According to reports from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average American consumes between 150 to 170 pounds of refined sugars in one year! That is ¼ to ½ pounds or 23-60 teaspoons of sugar a day. To put it in more perspective the average 12-ounce can of soda contains about 8 teaspoons of simple sugar. It is not surprising how quickly are sugar intake can creep up, even without being in the throws of the holiday season temptations.

With anything, finding the balance or “everything in moderation” is great in theory, but with all the temptations it can be difficult. Finding out if you have a sugar tooth that just won’t stop can be as simple as asking yourself these questions:

• Do you often need to eat something sweet after meals? Or as a reward after working out?
• Do you cave into indulging in sweets, despite telling yourself you will be good?
• Do you struggle to stop at just one cookie or piece of chocolate?
• Is it difficult for you to imagine not eating breakfast cereal, bread, pasta, potatoes, or rice most days?
• Do your energy levels crash in the afternoon?
• Are you able to lose body fat everywhere, but struggle to lose it off your mid-section?
• Do you often get irritable, foggy-brained, or moody if you do not eat every couple of hours?

If you answered yes to just one of the previous questions, you could be a sugar addict and the downside of too much sugar consumption comes with a price and your health is at risk. Health issues related to sugar consumption:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Elevated triglycerides and “bad” cholesterol, low levels of “good” cholesterol
• Gout
• Dementia
• Liver disease and fatty liver
• Mood disorders like depression and anxiety
• And much more

Good news, you can join me on Facebook Live and also taped through our website, for a FREE 21-Day Sugar Detox starting in the New Year! Don’t do it alone. We will go through all the steps to manage the whole process, benefits you will experience that will have life long effects, and suggestions to help curb your sugar habit, just to name a few. Follow me live on Facebook or check back to our website each week, starting Wednesday January 3.