You may be addicted to sugar and not even know it. Stubborn fat, obesity and diabetes are avoidable if you make a few simple diet and lifestyle changes. 

By Dr. Thomas Polucki 

Does a salted caramel Frappuccino sound really good right now?

Do you have bread, pasta, chips, soft drinks or candy every day? 

Do you need a bowl of cereal before bed to get to sleep? 

If you answered yes to any of these, you may be addicted to sugar and not even know it. 

Over the past 20 years, the sugar industry has dramatically changed and the direct health effect on the American population is disturbing.

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U.S. corn production is heavily subsidized, making high fructose corn syrup much cheaper than cane sugar but with the same sweet taste. This low-cost sweetener has found its way into practically all processed foods, increasing the average person’s added (hidden) sugar consumption to one quarter of their total calories, more than 140 pounds of sugar per person, every year. 

This dramatic increase in cheap, non-nutritional, hormone-disrupting calories has caused a dramatic increase in obesity and diabetes among Americans in those past two decades. 

RELATED: Read more Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour news articles on KHTS’s website 

Little-known Facts About Sugar

• Table sugar is 50 percent fructose, “fruit sugar” and 50 percent glucose, “blood sugar.”
• Glucose is used by every cell in your body as quick energy, but glucose is not very sweet.
• Fructose is the sweet half of table sugar and has to be processed 100 percent by the liver, creating triglycerides, uric acid and the “bad” cholesterol VLDL.
• One third of the fructose consumed turns into fat, damaging the liver.
• Agave nectar, often sold as a so-called “healthy” alternative to table sugar, is 80-90 percent fructose.
• Most fruit juices are Pasteurized, destroying enzymes and some vitamins, leaving fructose water.
• Most soft drinks, juice drinks, energy drinks and sports drinks contain added fructose.
• Sugar causes a spike in the hormones insulin and cortisol, leading to an increased tolerance or resistance to these stress hormones, decreasing their effectiveness when the body really needs them.
• The inflammation and immune suppressing properties of constant sugar overload has been linked to heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes…

How to Pull That Sweet Tooth, Painlessly, Once and for All, before the Decay Spreads

1. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily.
   If you weigh 150 pounds, drink at least two quarts.
2. Avoid processed foods, especially soft drinks.
3. Eat more protein and vegetables.
4. Get 15-25 minutes of sweaty exercise a day.
5. Breathe more deeply, from the diaphragm.
6. Find an enjoyable but healthy option that helps you decompress from daily stress.

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Thriving Lifestyle Choices to Reduce Stubborn Fat, Obesity and Diabetes

If you would like some help with the easiest way to get to your ideal weight, here is what you could expect form the “Thriving Lifestyle Choices©” program in our office: 

First, we find the subtle chemical imbalances and hidden injuries that hold you back from high-energy health. 

Then we repair and restore healthy function naturally, without drugs, surgery, needles, twisting and cracking, or multi-level-market schemes. 

We’ll design your program based on your health challenges and goals by: 

• Discovering your personal nutritional requirements, finding the best foods for you, helping you lose weight permanently;
• Clearing the detoxification pathways, flushing out the poisons that rob your youthful energy and contribute to stubborn belly fat; 

• Re-establishing the disrupted chemical pathways, turning the clock back on how you think and feel; 

• Supporting the repair of connective tissues, getting you moving again as pain-free as possible to enjoy all your favorite activities.

These goals can help lower medical bills and risks for you and your whole family, and free up more time and money to do your favorite things with the people you love most. 

If this is what you are looking for, take my free, fast and confidential online survey at http://www.drpolucki.com/consultation/ and you may qualify for a free 15-minute phone consultation. 

About Santa Clarita Five Star Chiropractor Dr. Thomas Polucki

Dr. Thomas Polucki is a Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor and Certified Upper Cervical Chiropractor. 

Dr. Polucki provides Functional Medicine services in most cities via remote labs and Internet consultations. He sees patients by appointment at 25050 Peachland Ave., Suite 105, Newhall, Calif., 91321. Visit http://www.drpolucki.com for more information or call 661-753-9340 to schedule an appointment. 

Dr. Polucki also hosts the “Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour” on AM 1220 KHTS radio in Santa Clarita Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon. Click here to listen to the podcasts. 

The information in this article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.

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