Is Sugar as Toxic as Alcohol? Researchers Say Yes

In recent years, scientists have theorized that sugar can be as addictive as alcohol or tobacco.
You, of course, know how easy it is to get hooked on sweets — and how incredibly challenging and difficult it can be to break free of your sugar addiction.
(In fact, because breaking free from sugar is so tough, I’ve devoted an entire book to take you on a fun, empowering journey so you can easily let go of your addiction. Beyond Sugar Shock — which will be published in June and which you can pre-order now — is designed to hold you by the hand and guide you to what I call Sugar Freedom.)
So since sugar is addictive, should this commonplace but potentially harmful (even deadly) substance be regulated?
Acclaimed researcher Robert Lustig, M.D. and a team of UCSF researchers say yes.
They argue that sugar should be controlled like alcohol and tobacco to protect public health.
Indeed, Dr. Lustig, along with Laura Schmidt, Ph.D., Claire Brindis, D.P.H. and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), contend that sugar’s potential for abuse, coupled with its toxicity and pervasiveness in the Western diet, make it a primary culprit of this worldwide health crisis.
They maintain that sugar is fueling a global obesity pandemic, contributing to 35 million deaths annually worldwide from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
The authors then advocate taxing sugary foods and controlling sales to children under 17.
According to their statistics, reported on CBS New’s HealthPop, worldwide sugar intake has tripled in the last 50 years, and the average person is taking in a whopping 500 calories from added sugar in processed foods alone.
So what do you think? Should sugar be regulated?
A special thank you: Photo credit is due here (flickr) and here (DailyBurn).
Post your ideas here on this Sugar Shock Blog and/or on my Facebook Smart Habits Fans page.

Pre-Order Beyond Sugar Shock and Win a Complimentary Strategy Session

Would you like to shed weight, get more energy, boost your libido and get along better with loved ones?
Well, if you quit sugar, all of that can happen — and more.
Since my next book, Beyond Sugar Shock, is coming out on June, I’ve decided to make you an an amazing offer so you can get help now.
Be among the first 100 people to pre-order my book, Beyond Sugar Shock, and win a 20-minute complimentary Strategy Session with me.
And if you’re among the first 50 people to pre-order Beyond Sugar Shock, you’ll get a full hour with me.
Get help to win your sugar battle now!
Just pre-order Beyond Sugar Shock now and get help.
Then e-mail me proof of ordering the book, and we’ll set up your free session. I will begin offering complimentary Strategy Sessions in January.
I forward to hearing from you, and thank you for your support!

4 Tips to be FREE this Holiday Season

I’d like to wish all of you a very joyous, fun holiday season.
In addition, I’d like to share 4 quick tips so you can be FREE this holiday season.
As you go about your partying and celebrating, I invite you to keep reminding yourself of the
word F R E E.
That’s what you want to be, right?
You don’t want to feel driven and enslaved by cookies, cakes or candies, do you?
You don’t want to be trapped by your anger, anxiety, or depression, of course.
Instead, you want to feel joyous, confident, and bold, right?
You want harmony, peace of mind, and a sense of calm, right?
So here’s how to remind yourself to be F R E E.
F = Feel your power.
You have the final say as to what goes into your mouth. You are the master of what thoughts you allow into your brain. You are responsible for what you feel. So realize that you can choose what you eat, think or feel.
R = Run to the gym or up the stairs.
The biggest rush you can ever find is by working out. So hurry your butt to a place where you can move your body boldly and joyously. When you prance around, you will get a serotonin rush — no
need for a sugar or alcohol high!
E = Embrace whatever you’re going through.
No need to hide. If family members are pushing your buttons, just breathe through the emotions and know that you’ll become bigger and better because of it. Embrace the moment that will never come back again. Enjoy your loved ones to the utmost. This is a special time you have together.
E = Energize with Energetic Foods.
By this I mean, stay close to those alive foods — veggies, nuts, fruits, legumes and quality protein — that bring you good cheer and concentration. Those are the foods that will give you the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement that you desire this holiday season.
Hope these holiday tips helped.
Have a wonderful end of year, everyone. Enjoy lots of joy, fun, quality time with loved ones and much more.
FYI, if you have some time on your hands and want to join my Sugar Freedom Course, you can do the self-guided program at any time.

Beyond Sugar Shock is On the Way – See the Cool New Cover from Hay House

Beyond Sugar Shock, the follow-up to my first book, Sugar Shock, is on the way!
Check out the exciting new book cover, which the talented people at Hay House (my publisher) created. Isn’t it stunning?
Beyond Sugar Shock
So, what’s the difference between my first book, Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life– and How You Can Get Back on Track. and my second book, Beyond Sugar Shock?
To begin, you need to know how you’re damaging your body. So Sugar Shock dished the dirt about sugar and refined carbs.
Now, this book provides a simple Mind-Body-Spirit program that shows you how to gently let go of your sugar habit for good.
How will you benefit by releasing your sugar habit?
You’ll shave off unwanted excess pounds, get energy, be happier, boost your libido and get a life that I call sweeterlicious — my word for sweeter, delicious, scrumptuous and luscious.
Learn more about Beyond Sugar Shock here.
By the way, I’m honored and pleased that Joshua Rosenthal, head of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, was kind enough to write the foreword.
Please help me get the buzz going about Beyond Sugar Shock!
Share this with your friends on Facebook, blog readers, followers on Twitter, etc.

Dessert for Breakfast? Sugary Children’s Cereals

How would you feel if your kids had a Twinkie or even had cookies for breakfast?
Well, that’s exactly what she or he — or maybe even you — may be doing most mornings.
Suffice it to say that millions of children are beginning their day going into Sugar Shock.
So found a scary new report on popular cereals, Sugar in Children’s Cereal, from the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to using the power of information to protect human health and the environment.
The Environmental Working Group arrived at its frightening sugar findings after studying 84 popular brands of cereal, many of them marketed directly to children, to see if they meet either the federal government’s proposed nutrition guidelines or the industry’s looser nutrition guidelines.
And the EWG found lots about sugar, sugar, sugar.
Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, which has nearly 56 percent sugar by weight, leads the list of the 10 worst children’s cereals, according to EWG’s analysis.
In fact, the EWG found, a one-cup serving of the brand contains more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie.
Meanwhile, one cup of any of the 44 other children’s cereals has more sugar than three Chips Ahoy! cookies.
Here’s EWG’s list of the 10 worst cereals.
10 Worst Children’s Cereals
Based on percent sugar by weight
1.) Kellogg’s Honey Smacks 55.6%
2.) Post Golden Crisp 51.9%
3.) Kellogg’s Froot Loops Marshmallow 48.3%
4.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries 46.9%
5.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch Original 44.4%
6.) Quaker Oats Oh!s 44.4%
7.) Kellogg’s Smorz 43.3%
8.) Kellogg’s Apple Jacks 42.9%
9.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries 42.3%
10.) Kellogg’s Froot Loops Original 41.4%
Of course, this EWG report comes as no surprise to me, given that I often share information about sugar’s pervasiveness and its dangers, as I did in my first book, Sugar Shock.
So why should you care about your kids eating so much sugar for breakfast?
As the EWG points out, studies suggest that children who eat breakfasts that are high in sugar have more problems at school.
For instance, they become more frustrated and have a harder time working independently than kids who eat lower-sugar breakfasts, as the EWG noted. And by lunchtime, these kids who filled up on sugar for breakfast have less energy, are hungrier, show attention deficits and make more mistakes on their work.
Kudos to the Environmental Working Group for sharing this important news.
Click here to see the best and worst cereals, as discovered by the EWG.
Wondering what’s a good breakfast then? Well, for starters, why do your kids have to have cereal to start the day?
But if they do, make sure, as nutrition expert Marion Nestle, Ph.D., recommends that you pick:
Cereals with a short ingredient list
Cereals high in fiber.
Cereals with little or no added sugars (such as honey, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, brown sugar, corn sweetener, sucrose, lactose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup and malt syrup).
An easy breakfast for children would be a piece of fresh fruit (like an orange or apple), a cooked of steel cut oats (sprinkled with cinnamon), some plain milk (if they can handle dairy), and a hard boiled egg (prepared the night before).
Have you heard yet that my next book, Beyond Sugar Shock, is due out next year? Stay tuned for details.

Before You Indulge this Holiday Season, Consider Nearly 150 Ways Sugar Ruins Your Health

As 2011 winds down and we approach the holidays, we’re about to enter what I call the Season of Overeating and the Season of Sugar Gorging.
So before you over-indulge this holiday season, I urge you to learn the sour news. You need to know that when by continually chomping on delicious desserts, sugar can ruin your health in nearly 150 ways.
Suicide by sugar-pc2Below you’ll find an extensively researched list from my mentor and heroine, Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., author of Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction. Bear in mind that Nancy has been researching sugar’s dangers for more than three decades, and she found (and cites) medical studies to back up all of these claims on this list.
An avid researcher, Dr. Appleton is also the best-selling author of Stopping Inflammation and Healthy Bones. In addition, she lectures extensively throughout the world, has appeared on numerous television and radio talk shows, and maintains a private practice in San Diego, California.
Incidentially, to this day, more than 13 years after I quit sugar myself, I’m grateful to Nancy. In fact, her book, Lick the Sugar Habit, helped me quit sweets back in 1998.
Now review Nancy’s shocking list of nearly 150 ways that sugar can ham you before you continue to overdo it on sweets this holiday season.
144 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. (Reprinted with permission.)
1. Sugar can suppress your immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause juvenile delinquencey in children.
4. Sugar eaten pregnancy and lactation can influence muscle force production in offspring, which can affect an individual’s ability to exercise.
5. Sugar in soda, when consumed by children, results in the children drinking less milk.
6. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses and return them to fasting levels slower in oral contraceptive users.
7. Sugar can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage cells and tissues.
8. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, inability to concentrate and crankiness in children.
9. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
10. Sugar reduces the body’s ability to defend against bacterial infection.
11. Sugar causes a decline in tissue elasticity and function – the more sugar you eat, the more elasticity and function you lose.
12. Sugar reduces high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
13. Sugar can lead to chromium deficiency.
14. Sugar can lead to ovarian cancer.
15. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
16. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
17. Sugar interferes with the body’s absorption of calcium and magnesium.
18. Sugar may make eyes more vulnerable to age-related macular degeneration.
19. Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
20. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
21. Sugar can lead to an acidic digestive tract.
22. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
23. Sugar is frequently malabsorbed in patients with functional bowel disease.
24. Sugar can cause premature aging.
25. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
26. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
27. Sugar can lead to obesity.
28. Sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
29. Sugar can cause gastric or duodenal ulcers.
30. Sugar can cause arthritis.
31. Sugar can cause learning disorders in school children.
32. Sugar assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
33. Sugar can cause gallstones.
34. Sugar can cause heart disease.
35. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
36. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
37. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
38. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
39. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
40. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
41. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
42. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood.
43. Sugar can decrease the amount of growth hormones in the body.
44. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
45. Sugar increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which form when sugar binds non-enzymatically to protein.
46. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
47. Sugar causes food allergies.
48. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
49. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
50. Sugar can lead to eczema in children.
51. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
52. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.
53. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
54. Sugar can make the skin wrinkle by changing the structure of collagen.
55. Sugar can cause cataracts.
56. Sugar can cause emphysema.
57. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
58. Sugar can promote an elevation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL).
59. Sugar can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
60. Sugar lowers enzymes ability to function.
61. Sugar intake is associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease.
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body’s fluid retention.
67. Sugar is the number one enemy of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect children’s grades in school.
74. Sugar can cause depression.
75. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
76. Sugar can cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
77. Sugar can increase the risk of developing gout.
78. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in the blood much higher than complex carbohydrates in a glucose tolerance test can.
79. Sugar reduces learning capacity.
80. Sugar can cause two blood proteins – albumin and lipoproteins – to function less effectively, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
81. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
82. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness, which causes blood clots.
83. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance – some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
84. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
85. Sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
86. Sugar can lead to biliary tract cancer.
87. Sugar increases the risk of pregnant adolescents delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
88. Sugar can lead to a substantial decrease the in the length of pregnancy among adolescents.
89. Sugar slows food’s travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
90. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stool and bacterial enzymes in the colon, which can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
91. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
92. Sugar combines with and destroys phosphatase, a digestive enzyme, which makes digestion more difficult.
93. Sugar can be a risk factor for gallbladder cancer.
94. Sugar is an addictive substance.
95. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
96. Sugar can aggravate premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
97. Sugar can decrease emotional stability.
98. Sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese people.
99. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD).
100. Sugar can slow the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
101. Sugar can cut off oxygen to the brain when given to people intravenously.
102. Sugar is a risk factor for lung cancer.
103. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
104. Sugar can cause epileptic seizures.
105. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure (pressure when the heart is contracting).
106. Sugar can induce cell death.
107. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
108. Sugar can cause antisocial behavior in juvenile delinquents.
109. Sugar can lead to prostate cancer.
110. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
111. Sugar can cause women to give birth to babies with low birth weight.
112. Sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia.
113. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the bloodstream.
114. Sugar increases the risk of breast cancer.
115. Sugar is a risk factor in small intestine cancer.
116. Sugar can cause laryngeal cancer.
117. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
118. Sugar can contribute to mild memory loss.
119. Sugar water, when given to children shortly after birth, results in those children preferring sugar water to regular water throughout childhood.
120. Sugar causes constipation.
121. Sugar can cause brain decay in pre-diabetic and diabetic women.
122. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
123. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
124. Sugar increases neural tube defects in embryos when it is consumed by pregnant women.
125. Sugar can cause asthma.
126. Sugar increases the chances of getting irritable bowl syndrome.
127. Sugar can affect central reward systems.
128. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.
129. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.
130. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell cancer.
131. Sugar can cause liver tumors.
132. Sugar can increase inflammatory markers in the bloodstreams of overweight people.
133. Sugar plays a role in the cause and the continuation of acne.
134. Sugar can ruin the sex life of both men and women by turning off the gene that controls the sex hormones.
134. Sugar can cause fatigue, moodiness, nervousness, and depression.
135. Sugar can make many essential nutrients less available to cells.
138. Sugar can increase uric acid in blood.
139. Sugar can lead to higher C-peptide concentrations.
140. Sugar causes inflammation.
141. Sugar can cause diverticulitis, a small bulging sac pushing outward from the colon wall that is inflamed.
142. Sugar can decrease testosterone production.
143. Sugar impairs spatial memory.
144. Sugar can cause cataracts.
Go here now to find find Nancy’s extensive references, which back up the citations on this list.
To learn more about sugar’s dangers, I urge you to get Nancy’s book, Suicide by Sugar. I also invite you to read my book, Sugar Shock.
In addition, I invite you to learn more about sugar’s dangers by listening to a special Gab with the Gurus Radio Show on which I interviewed Dr. Nancy Appleton.
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Sugar Addiction Awareness Time: The Day Before Halloween

Tomorrow, millions of Americans will celebrate Halloween, which has become a National Sugar Overload Day.
This means that teens and tots all across America will gorge on candies galore.
So today, I invite you to boost your sugar consciousness.
Join us today for the first ever Sugar Addiction Awareness Day, thanks to organizer Jill Escher.
Granted, all across America tomorrow, people will hand out candies galore, forking over about $2.3 billion this year.
Let’s face it, it’s Halloween dilemma time, as the Los Angeles Times so aptly points out.
Join us for the first ever Sugar Addiction Awareness Day Gab with the Gurus Radio Show.
In this show, Sugar Addiction Awareness Day founder Jill Escher joins me. Listen now to find out how to:
Help your kids avoid going into huge sugar shock.
Talk to your kids before they go trick or treating on Halloween.
Deal with your kids if they come back home hyped up on sugar.
Get involved with Sugar Addiction Awareness Day.
Begin to break free of your own sugar addiction. (You’ll get some easy steps. In addition, you can learn about my Sugar Freedom Now Course here.
Gotta dash. It’s time for one of my big treats of the day — a fun class at Equinox, my gym.

Move Over, Halloween! Sugar Addiction Awareness Day Comes First

It’s that time of year again. We’re entering into what I call the Season of Sugar Overload, beginning with Halloween, where, as you well know, it’s considered normal and inevitable for most of you to consume lots of candies.
Yes, Halloween on Oct. 31 is National Sugar Overload Day.
Unfortunately, most of you — i.e., the average American — doesn’t need a National Sugar Overload Day to get license to over-indulge.
The average American consumes a whopping 22 teaspoons of refined sugar a day from hidden or overt sweeteners in packaged, boxed, or canned foods and beverages, according to recent statistics.
In my opinion, though, most of you are taking in far more sugar than that — you’re consuming more like 50 teaspoons per person each day.
Of course, you may think you don’t consume that much. Years ago, I didn’t realize I was that hooked.
But after releasing my sugar addiction in 1998 (on doctor’s orders), I learned that I was killing myself (and not so slowly) with sugar — specifically candies. For me, it was Halloween every day!
Now, I’m dedicated to dishing the sour scoop about sugar so that you can have a happier, healthier, more enjoyable life.
Which brings me back to this 22-teaspoons–day figure.
It’s easy to consume that much In fact, just add up the sweeteners you get from a bowl of most breakfast cereals, a can of soda, a granola bar and three small cookies, and you’ve already topped 22 teaspoons of sugar.
Anyhow, given the fact that Halloween is upon us soon, a group of us health experts, researchers, authors, nutritionists, physicians, and concerned citizens have joined together to help wake you up to sugar’s dangers.
We’ve banded together to celebrate the first annual Sugar Addiction Awareness Day (SAAD), which kicks off the day before Halloween, on October 30, 2011.
Jill Escher headshot new.png.opt160x198o0,0s160x198The mastermind behind Sugar Addiction Awareness Day is Jill Escher, who, like me, has personally triumphed over her sugar addiction.
She also wrote about her success (even offering tips) in her new book, Farewell, Club Perma-Chub: A Sugar Addict’s Guide to Easy Weight Loss.
Jill makes the important point that while Halloween may seem like an innocent occasion, but “the reality is that millions of Americans are hooked on refined sugars, and it starts in their youth.”
Chronic consumption of sugar can lead to a plethora of diseases, including obesity, cancer, and type 2 diabetes, as I point out in my book Sugar Shock.
Join our worthwhile effort. Just check out the helpful website, End Sugar Addiction Now, where you can see a collection of healthy and inexpensive Halloween ideas that can take the place of sugar.
You’ll also get some ideas for reducing sugar at home, in the schools, in the community and at work. The website also offers a list of resources about Sugar Addiction and an extensive Q & A section.
Those of us who support Sugar Addiction Awareness Day include:
Gary Taubes, award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat. Taubes is widely credited for writing groundbreaking pieces that have changed the way we understand today’s chronic diseases.
Nicole Avena, Ph.D, University of Florida. Dr. Avena’s pioneering research, using rodent models, has demonstrated the addictive qualities of highly palatable refined foods. (See a fascinating video here.)
Zoe Harcombe, nutritionist, obesity expert, and author of The Harcombe Diet and The Obesity Epidemic, and host of the podcast “Diet and Health Today.”
Ashley Gearhardt, doctoral candidate, Clinical Psychology, and with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. Gearhardt’s 2011 study revealing patterns of addiction based on brain scans of people affected with compulsive overeating was widely reported. (Watch this fascinating video here about “Food & Addiction: What it is, How it is Measured in Humans.”
Darlene Kvist, Licensed Nutritionist, host of the podcast “Dishing Up Nutrition.” Ms. Kvist has helped thousands of clients lose addictions, lose weight and regain their health through proper nutrition. Ms. Kvist is located in Minnesota.
Jimmy Moore, host of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb,” one of the most popular health podcasts on iTunes. Mr. Moore has interviewed hundreds of health experts, has written two books relating to the subject, and himself found recovery from sugar addiction through a low-carb food plan.
Jeff O’Connell, editor, fitness expert, and author of the recently published Sugar Nation: The Hidden Truth Behind America’s Deadliest Epidemic and The Simple Way to Beat It.
Fred Pescatore, M.D., weight loss physician and author of The Hamptons Diet. Dr. Pescatore, who began his career working with Dr. Robert Atkins, has been helping patients recover from Sugar Addiction and find permanent weight loss for decades.
Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., physician and author of Beat Sugar Addiction Now! Dr. Teitelbaum specializes in helping patients recover from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and other conditions related at least in part to Sugar Addiction.
Yours Truly. I’m author of Sugar Shock. The reason I’ve been not as active lately is that I’ve been finishing my next book, Beyond Sugar Shock, which is set for release next spring from Hay House. (I kicked sugar back in 1998).
Although in an ideal world, you’d have no refined sugar at all, I’m realistic.
According to the American Heart Association, adult women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons a day.
Adult men may have 9 teaspoons a day for adult men.
Meanwhile, the AHA’s recommends no more than 3 teaspoons for children.
As noted previously, today, most of you are vastly exceeding these maximums, with the average adult intake consuming about 22 teaspoons, and teens, about 34 teaspoons. (Again, I think most people consume more, but I’m using the often-cited stats.)
Sugar Stacks – colasTo illustrate sugar content of common foods, jsut look at how much sugar is found in soda, thanks to SugarStacks.com.
For instance, one 12-ounce can has 39 grams of sugar.
To calculate how many teaspoons that is, just divide by 4, and you come to nearly 10 teaspoons os sugar (about 9.75 tsp.)
Meanwhile, a Snickers 2 to Go bar — which you may seen in stores lately — contains 23 grams of sugar or 5.75 tsp. of sugar.
Bear in mind that only single sugary drink or candy treat can put a child well above the limit.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 25 percent of teens drank one can of soda per day.
A study in the journal, Pediatrics cites a much higher figure. According researchers, soda contributed about “67% of all sugar-sweetened beverage calories among the adolescents, whereas fruit drinks provided more than half of the sugar-sweetened beverage calories consumed by preschool-aged children.”
“On a typical weekday, 55% to 70% of all sugar-sweetened beverage calories were consumed in the home environment, and 7% to 15% occurred in schools.”
The researchers concluded that children and adolescents today “derive 10% to 15% of total calories from sugar-sweetened beverages and 100% fruit juice.” Plus, they taking in more and more.
“Schools are a limited source for sugar-sweetened beverages, suggesting that initiatives to restrict sugar-sweetened beverage sales in schools may have an only marginal impact on overall consumption. Pediatricians’ awareness of these trends is critical for helping children and parents target suboptimal dietary patterns that may contribute to excess calories and obesity.”
Join us on Sugar Addiction Awareness Day and in the coming week, which I’m dubbing Sugar Addiction Awareness Week.
This is a wonderful opportunity to help us spread the word that if you just cut back on your consumption of candies, other refined desserts, and processed carbs, you could easily shed weight, get more energetic, possibly halt or reverse such diseases as cancer and type 2 diabetes, and boost your libido.
And if you’re hooked, then get help from such resources as my book Sugar Shock, as well as the new book, Sugar Nation.
Please join the Sugar Addiction Awareness Hour on my Gab with the Gurus Radio Show. It will take place Tues., Nov. 1 at 2 pm EST, the day after Halloween, with a number of top experts. Stay tuned for details.
Also, stay tuned for some tips to deal with what I call Halloween Havoc.

Beyond Sugar Shock: Why I’ve Been Away a Lot — Coming Soon

You may have noticed that I haven’t been super active on this Sugar Shock Blog during the past few months.
That’s because I’ve been quite busy writing, rewriting, and wrapping up work for my next book Beyond Sugar Shock.
The subtitle is: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter.
This book is the follow up to my first book, Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life– and How You Can Get Back on Track.
Earlier, I announced Beyond Sugar Shock here and also here. And here is my my recent post about it.
Hay HouseBeyond Sugar Shock, marks the culmination of more than 13 years of researching and helping sugar addicts. (Of course, I also learned a lot by quitting sugar myself in 1998, on doctor’s orders.)
Beyond Sugar Shock is coming to you, thanks to my publisher, Hay House, which is the international leader in self-help and transformational publishing.
This book is designed to help you if you’re a sugar addict of any size or shape — overweight, obese, or even slim.
It’s also for you if you’ve been plagued by headaches, anxiety, crazy cravings, brain fog, fatigue, low libido, severe PMS, or other unexplained symptoms.
Beyond Sugar Shock will provide you with a simple six-week program, which allows you to release your sugar addiction easily and effortlessly.
For instance, in Beyond Sugar Shock:
You’ll get simple, fun Mind-Body-Spirit techniques to break free of your sugar addiction.
You’ll undertake simple, interactive adventurcises™ (my word for adventurous exercises), which will drive you to important self-discoveries.
You’ll get several dozen ways to stomp out your sugar cravings.
You’ll discover your sugar color code. (Yes, we’re all different in our relationship with sweets, and this knowledge will empower you to make the right choices for you.)
You’ll detox gradually so that your body, mind and spirit won’t go into shock as you move beyond your sugar obsessions and towards a better life.
You’ll get healthy meal plans and tasty recipes from a nutritionist and exercise physiologist.
And much more.
Hay House is releasing Beyond Sugar Shock on May 1, but in the meantime, you can sign up for a pre-recorded Sugar Freedom Now Course, in which you’ll get to learn some amazingly simple techniques to help you break free.
In addition, stay tuned for some special programs.
Stay tuned for a sneak peek at the gorgeous cover! And I invite you to get excited and spread the word to friends.