Are you addicted to sugar and processed foods? If you are don’t feel bad, you’re not alone! The food industry has hijacked our taste buds and created a terrible health crisis. Sugar is in everything! It’s in salad dressings, soups, sauces, seasonings, bread, peanut butter, beverages, packaged foods, frozen foods, and so many other products. Sugar consumption has reached over 150 pounds a year for the average American. For comparison, our ancestors in the 1900’s ate an average of 4-5 pounds per year.

Sugar makes us FAT & SICK! It is linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, dementia, depression, anxiety, mood swings, aging skin, allergies, hair loss, and ADHD.

Some people believe that giving up sugar is a matter of willpower but that is just not the case. When we eat foods high in sugar, it releases the chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the reward and please center of the brain. Every bite of sugar releases dopamine making you feel good. Studies have shown that just looking at a cupcake can cause dopamine to be released and cause you to feel good. The more sugary foods we consume, the more we crave it and need it to feel good, and eventually we build up a tolerance. We need 2 cupcakes instead of one!

Quitting sugar cold turkey can result in some nasty side effects that can cause us to give in to the temptation just to feel better. Withdrawal symptoms include headache, bloating, nausea, cravings, muscle aches, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and diarrhea.

Here are five easy ways to reduce sugar consumption:

• • • Read labels. Keep added sugars under 25 grams a day.

• • • Eat more sweet vegetables and fruits.

• • • Replace sodas, sports drinks and juices with naturally sweetened water or tea.Switch out candies, cookies, and ice cream with wholesome snacks (apples with peanut butter, Greek yogurt topped with berries or peaches, carrots with hummus).

If you’d like to ditch sugar but need a little support, join my 14-Day Sugar Detox starting Wednesday, May 8th! To sign up, email carlye@illumehealth-wellness.com. Cost is $50 and includes the Ebook with program details, guidelines, grocery lists, meal plan options, recipes, and a private Facebook group for daily motivation, tips, and support.

What are you waiting for?? Get control of your cravings before summer begins!

Xo,

Carlye