{"id":30690,"date":"2025-11-26T14:42:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/?p=30690"},"modified":"2025-11-26T14:42:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:42:07","slug":"savor-the-season-not-the-sugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/26\/savor-the-season-not-the-sugar\/","title":{"rendered":"Savor the Season, Not the Sugar"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p class=\"postIntro\">Avoiding sugar during Christmas may seem counterintuitive, but it\u2019s one of the best ways to protect your health during a season filled with indulgence.<\/p>\n<p>From gingerbread cookies to spiked cider, sugary treats are everywhere \u2014 and that can lead to weight gain, fatigue, and increased risk for chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/17617461\/\">Research<\/a> even shows sugar triggers addictive responses in the brain, fueling cravings and mood swings.<\/p>\n<p>But skipping sugar doesn\u2019t mean skipping joy. Small changes like swapping festive cocktails for herbal tea, enjoying naturally sweet snacks like fruit or cinnamon-baked apples, or limiting desserts can reduce your sugar intake while still honoring tradition. The American Heart Association <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/en\/healthy-living\/healthy-eating\/eat-smart\/sugar\/how-much-sugar-is-too-much\">recommends<\/a> just 6 teaspoons of added sugar for women and 9 for men per day, a limit many far exceed during the holidays.<\/p>\n<p>Choosing mindful alternatives supports energy, immunity, and mental wellbeing. So this season, celebrate with connection and creativity, not just candy. Your body and mind will thank you in the new year.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_cta h2=&#8221;&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;]The American Heart Association <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heart.org\/en\/healthy-living\/healthy-eating\/eat-smart\/sugar\/how-much-sugar-is-too-much\">recommends<\/a> no more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for women and 36 grams (9 teaspoons) for men.[\/vc_cta][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;30724&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_cta h2=&#8221;&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;]Instead of centering holiday fun around sugary foods, try focusing on activities like holiday crafts, volunteering, or outdoor games with family.[\/vc_cta][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;] Avoiding sugar during Christmas may seem counterintuitive, but it\u2019s one of the best ways to protect your health during a season filled with indulgence. From gingerbread cookies to spiked cider, sugary treats are everywhere \u2014 and that can lead to weight gain, fatigue, and increased risk for chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":30731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[552,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2025-december","category-lifestyle-and-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30690"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30730,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30690\/revisions\/30730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ldblifestylebenefits.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}