By Nicky Vanvalkenburgh

Have you ever noticed the emphasis on sweets during the holidays? Yummy treats are offered to us left and right. They're hard to resist. Do you need a strong, compelling reason not to indulge in sweets? Perhaps you have a health concern, want to lose weight, or simply want to watch what you eat. If you need a little help or motivation to stay away from treats, consider the following:

1. Sweets are addictive!

Like potato chips, it’s hard to eat just one piece of candy, a cookie, a slice of cake or pie. Have you ever noticed the “lust” that sweets trigger? You eat one piece, and rage sets in. You want more. You must have it! You’ll do anything to get it. The urge is hard to resist.

The reason that sweets trigger “lust” is because the manufacturers have added taste enhancers that cause you to crave more and more. The reason they do is to get you physically addicted to their products. Of course, when you continue to eat and buy more sweets, it’s good repeat business for them.

2. Sugar is a sweet-talking moocher!

Nothing is worse than a freeloader. A moocher who takes from you, and never gives back. Unfortunately, sugar leeches vitamins and minerals from your body. To digest sugar, you need B-complex vitamins, calcium and magnesium. Complex carbohydrates (raw fruit and vegetables) contain enough of these nutrients to digest and convert into energy. However, simple refined sugars (white or brown) are difficult to digest. Your body must rob its own resources to digest them.

Where are these nutrients leeched? Vitamin B-complex is taken from your central nervous system. Calcium is robbed from your teeth and bones.

Over time, eating sugar will result in Vitamin-B deficiency. This will cause you to suffer from nervousness, forgetfulness, fatigue, anxiety, rage, depression, indigestion, lack of appetite, craving for more sweets, neuralgia and neuritis, muscle soreness, headaches, insomnia, and dizziness.

3. Sugar weakens your immune system.

When you eat sugar, it weakens your white blood cells, which are an important part of your immune system. White blood cells protect your body from foreign invaders (such as cancer cells) who attack your body and try to make you sick. When white blood cells are weak, they don’t have the strength to fight back. In other words, they can’t do their job. Ultimately, eating candy weakens your immune system.

Are you ready to fight back?

Being aware of the hidden dangers of sugar will motivate you to get fresh. That’s right; push that candy away. Just say no. Reach for something that is good for you. Bite into a tart green “Granny Smith” apple, enjoy a fresh tossed salad, a handful of juicy berries, a tangy tangerine, or fresh cut pineapple.

Keep healthy alternatives on hand so that you can resist sweets. If you can’t give up sweets, limit yourself to a small portion. Throw the rest away! Change your focus, so that you can resist those nutritionally empty, good-for-nothings who only end up hurting you. Decide in advance that you’ll be the one getting fresh… now that you’re wise to sugar’s sweet little game of deceit.

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