Why to skip the sugar this Holiday Season

Who doesn't have a sweet tooth? Sweetening food to make it more palatable has been done since the beginning of time. The holidays, for some people, often means lots of food and especially LOTS of desserts.

Most of us are aware that sugar can take a toll on our body, but a tempting chocolate chip cookie or warm apple pie can easily wipe thoughts of minerals and immune systems out of our mind.

Many of us think we can just get through a few more weeks by telling ourselves "It's the Holidays" or "I was so good this year, just one bite won't hurt".  Yet when we notice those extra pounds packing on, followed by not being able to get our New Years Eve outfit to zip or button, we quickly wish we made other choices (and we start making New Year's Resolutions!).

The sugar most used and most abundant in foods (especially holiday desserts with all those colorful frostings and candies) is refined white sugar. The refining process of sugar involves stripping the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from it. Examples include: brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup, powdered sugar and of course, white sugar.

Some Pitfalls of Sugar

• Sugar is a source of calories, yet it is stripped of nutrients leaving the body to continuously crave the nutrients it needs.
  
• To properly digest excess sugar, the body will be required to use up its own store of nutrients (particularly many B vitamins).
  
• Sugar feeds the "bad" bacteria in our intestinal tract leading to overgrowth of yeast and fungus.
  
• Sugar feeds cancer cells.  Cancer cells need sugar as an energy source.
  
• Sugar suppresses the immune system making us more susceptible to colds, flu, allergies, etc.
  
• Excessive amounts of sugar entering the body leads to excessive amounts of insulin being released. Insulin carries glucose and nutrients into cells, however, if too much is being released then over time the cells become resistant. This is also known as insulin resistance and can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and many other chronic diseases.