Category: Help for Sugar Addicts

You Can Retrain Your Brain to Prefer Healthier Foods!

Join the Conversation: Does this news excite you, too?
If you find it hard to say no to candies, cookies, chips, it may be because your brain is addicted to them, according to a new study.
In short, your brain is actually hooked on junk food, which, of course, leads to weight gain and obesity and other harmful dieases.
But promising news came out recently, which reveals taht you you can literally ‘reprogram’ your brain so that you not only break your food addictions, but you actually develop a preference for healthier non-fattening foods so you lose weight.
For my part, I’m simply thrilled by this exciting news.
You may wonder, though, is this just too good to be true? Not so!
Some definitive proof this is possible came from a September 2014 study by scientists at Tufts University and Harvard Medical School. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show how the brains of volunteers had been altered during a six-month experiment, during which they forsake high caloric foods for low caloric ones.
Thirteen overweight or obese adults between the ages of 21 and 65 were placed in either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received 19 hour-long support group sessions during the 24 weeks in which they were taught how to use portion-controlled menus and recipe suggestions designed for high-satiety. The foods consumed in this plan were low-glycemic index carbohydrates along with high fiber and high protein (known as the idiet.) FYI, these are the foods I recommend, too, as you can discover in Beyond Sugar Shock.
These foods” have “a slower digestion profile and reduction fluctuations in blood glucose that could reduce hunger,” according to the study. The control group received no such counseling or support.
What’s intriguing is that before the experiment began and six months later, on its completion, all study participants underwent the fMRI scans as they were shown 40 food and 40 non-food images. The foods were half high caloric and half low caloric.
While being scanned, the volunteers rated the desirability of the images they saw on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being undesirable and 4 being extremely desirable. Those who had gone through the six months of intervention measured significantly less response in the striatum region of their brains (an area governing reward processing) when shown the high caloric foods and more responsivity when shown the low caloric images.
It was as if the brain charges they previously got from these foods had been disconnected. They also achieved significant weight loss, whereas the control group lost little weight and still had no control over how their brains craved certain unhealthy foods.
One of the study co-authors, Sai Krupa Das, Ph.D., who is with the United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center, observed how the weight loss program they used with high-fiber, low glycemic foods worked hand in hand with behavior change education to bring about the remarkable changes in weight and brain activity related to cravings.
“The weight loss program is specifically designed to change how people react to different foods, and our study shows those who participated in it had an increased desire for healthier foods along with a decreased preference for unhealthy foods, the combined effects of which are probably critical for sustainable weight control,” according to Dr. Das. “To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of this important switch.”
Sources: “Training your brain to prefer healthy foods.” Tufts University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-09-brain-healthy-foods.html.
“Pilot randomized trial demonstrating reversal of obesity-related abnormalities in reward system responsivity to food cues with a behavioral intervention.” Deckersbach T. Et al. Nutrition & Diabetes. September 2014. http://www.nature.com/nutd/journal/v4/n9/full/nutd201426a.html
iDiet program. https://www.theidiet.com/content/food
Join the Conversation: Does this news excite you, too?

Are You a Mindless Eater? Get Help Now in the Mindful Eating Summit (I’m one of the Guests)

It’s my honor to be included in the Mindful Eating Summit, which is presented this week by my friend and colleague, Susan Albers, Psy.D, author of Eating Mindfully and a Cleveland Clinic psychologist.
For this amazing Mindful Eating Summit, Dr. Albers has interviewed 20 of the world’s top leading eating experts, who share information that you won’t hear anywhere else.
In the Mindful Eating Summit, the experts (of which I’m one) teach you how to boost your nutrition, end mindless overeating, and stop feeling guilty when you eat.
You’ll have a chance to learn tools, strategies and techniques you can apply right now to eat healthier.
Plus, you’ll discover the cutting edge science that is shaping the world of nutrition and how you can apply it right now.
Here are a few of the presenters in the Mindful Eating Conference, all of whom offer their own rich, in-depth perspective on health, wellness and mindfulness:
Dr. Brian Wansink Director of Cornell Food & Brand Lab and best-selling author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
Evelyn Tribole Award-winning registered dietitian an author of Intuitive Eating (co-author)
Dr. Jim Painter Producer of Portion Size Me, a documentary about fast food and health and featured on CBS’s Early Show
Margaret Floyd, author of Eat Naked.
Dr. David Katz, author of Disease Proof and contributor to O, the Oprah Magazine
Dr. Daniel Siegel, Professor of at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center.
Dr. Alan Christianson specializes in natural endocrinology with a focus on thyroid disorders.
Jonathan Bailor, author of The Calorie Myth
Trudy Scott, author of The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution and the upcoming Anxiety Summit in November
And yours truly.
MindfuleatingyouWhen you sign up for the Mindful Eating Summit, you’ll also receive a free ebook, The Emotional Eater’s Tool Kit, so you can start taking charge of your eating right now.
The Mindful Eating Summit is presented by Susan Albers, Psy.D., a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic who specializes in eating issues, weight loss, body image concerns and mindfulness. Dr. Albers conducts mindful eating workshops across the country. She is author of six books about mindful eating, including EatQ: Unlock the Weight-Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food.
Catch all of our interviews now. Just sign up for the Mindful Eating Summit.

Confessions of a Health Expert: Special Thanks to Sean Croxton

We’d like to hear from you. What is your Big Confession? It feels great to do! Join us! Together, let’s move on to create a glorious life. Talk to us now.
Last week, before heading out of town to hang out with some fellow health experts, I made what I consider My Big Carb Confession.
I finally came clean about how for months after my Mom passed away, when I was walloped by grief, anguish and symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), I quit walking my clean carbs talk.
What a relief it was to finally admit that I’d had a relapse! That freed me up to plunge into my big plans.
Indeed, admitting to you that I had flopped has now unleashed a new enthusiasm and excitement in me to serve you. In fact, not only am I back to eating cleanly (and have been for a year), but I’m also working on an exciting new book to help you Tame Your Cravings™.
In case you missed My Big Carb Confession, here’s a summary of what I shared:
After my mother died, for months, I did lots of what I now call Heartbreak Eating™ or Heartbreak Bingeing™ of refined carbs, as well as salty cheeses and oily nuts. (FYI, this wasn’t just emotional eating. Heartbreak Bingeing — which is fueled by colossal,gut-wrenching, profound pain caused by huge loss, abuse, or even betrayal — is far more intense, frenetic, and frantic than emotional eating.)
Although I cavorted with carbs in a big way — shoveling in movie popcorn, onion rings, and corn nuggets — I did, however, continue to steer clear of my old sugary favorites, which I’d quit in 1998, as I reveal in my books, Sugar Shock.and Beyond Sugar Shock.
My Heartbreak Eating had led me to pack on 20 extra pounds. .
What’s more, for months, due to the intensity and ferocity of my grief, PTSD, and anguish, I kept ignoring what I know well, which is that processed carbohydrates quickly convert to sugar in your bloodstream, which is why, for years I’ve been calling them quickie carbs, fast carbs, culprit carbs and much-like-sugar carbs.
In short, all those fast carbs I’d been inhaling had been sending me flying in and out of Sugar Shock, or more accurately, Carb Shock. Hence my many symptoms of depression (and how!), mood swings, crying spells (lots of them), insomnia, and big brain fog.
Of course, grief over the loss of a loved one is tough enough to face, but when you eat crappy carbs, you exacerbate your many ailments, which is what happened to me.
Anyhow, for about a year, I’ve been back to eating cleanly, thanks to lots of healing work and workshops, including grief counseling, therapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), energy work and many cool tactics, which I’ve created or discovered to help me confront those Crazy Carb Cravings™.
I’m also happy to report that I’m close to my weight loss goal. I’ve shed 18 of the 20 pounds I gained doing Heartbreak Eating, and I’m now working off the additional inches to get back to my previous slim, toned figure.
Making My Big Carb Confession.was a huge deal for me. I was embarrassed to admit that I fell offf the wagon and that I was no longer doing what I encourage others to do.
Sen Croxton UW For months, I’d been thinking about coming clean about my carb relapse.
That’s why I need and want to thank the amazing Sean Croxton, whose Confessoins of a Health Blogger post finally gave me courage to make My Big Carb Confession.
I urge you to get on Sean Croxton’s mailing list. Sean is a passionate health and fitness professional, who is dedicated to revolutionizng the way the world thinks about health.
His Underground Wellness videos and Underground Wellness Radio are quite popular, and I encourage you to listen to these exciting programs, where you can catch Sean interview such top names in health and fitness such as Paul Chek, Mark Sisson, Dr. Robert Lustig, Julia Ross, and Cynthia Pasquella..
Anyhow, thank you, Sean, for inspiring me to join you in making My Big Carb Confession.
We’d like to hear from you. What is your Big Confession? It feels great to do! Join us! Together, let’s move on to create a glorious life. Talk to us now.

Join us for The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign

Join the conversation. Please tell us what you’re doing as part of The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign. How will or are you being kind and sweet to others?
When was the last time you did something really kind and sweet for someone else with no expectation of getting anything back in return?
Have you noticed that when you give freely to other people or organizations that you tend to forget or at least ignore your pressing problems? Plus, you feel so good for being so generous.
Now, for those of you who ned to weight , your frustrations about about the number on your bathroom scale won’t seem all that important when you’re focused on giving.
Plus, if you’re a sugar or carb addict, your plight will fade away or at least greatly diminish when you do something sweet for someone else or several something elses.
In fact, being kind and sweet makes you feel so good that it’s a lot easier and more enjoyable to eat healthy, wholesome, unrefined, natural foods that don’t contain a lot of sugar, gluten, salt, fat or other additives.
Anyhow, I’m so excited to invite you to join me for The 31 Days of Kindness Challenge.
Although I’d love to be able to claim this fabulous idea as my own, I can’t.
This great suggestion for The 31 Days of Kindness Challenge. comes from speaker/communicator Ryan Avery,, who is co-author with Jeremey Donovan of Speaker, Leader, Champion: Succeed at Work Through the Power of Public Speaking, featuring the prize-winning speeches of Toastmasters World Champions.
Ryanaverys31daycahllengeFYI, please note that I’m personalizing the experience. Although I plan to do kind and sweet things every day for 31 days (and probably longer) and I’m printing out Rya’ns list, I won’t t follow his guidelines exactly. Rather, I’ll use them as suggestions.
Ryan-Avery-Keynote-Speaker-300x300Furthermore, with Ryan Avery’s blessing, I hope, for my fans, I’d like to rename this The 31 Days of Kindness-and- Sweetness Campaign, because you’ll be focused on giving or doing something kind and sweet instead of stuffing your face with something sweet.
Now, let me tell you how I plan to kick off tomorrow, day one of The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Chaallenge.
At last, I’ll write a thank you letter to the amazing pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig for the valuable work he’s done to raise people’s sugar consciousness and to improve the health of the planet.
More importantly, though, along with my thank you note, I plan to make a donation to his Institute for Responsible Nutrition, whose mission is to reverse childhood obesity and type 2 obesity.
Institute for REsponsible Nutrition rewbztj9dvkvr8ifs30aThis is something I’ve been planning on doing for a while. In fact, my envelope (without a stamp attached yet) has been ready for weeks. So tomorrow, thanks to Ryan Avery’s polite nudge, I’ll finally do this.
As you probably already know, the remarkable Dr. Lustig is acclaimed for his powerful Sugar: The Bitter Truth lecture, which has had nearly 5 million views on YouTube.
You can watch Dr. Lustig’s lecture below. (By the way, Dr. Lustig will be participating in my upcoming Sugar World Summit. Stay tuned for details.)
In addition to watching the video below, I urge you to get Dr. Lustig’s remarkable, bestselling book, Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.
So will you join me in The 31-Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign?
To participate, first get guidance from Ryan Avery, who offers great ideas on how to join in.
Then, will you join me by kicking off your involvement in The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign tomorrow by making a tax-detuctible donation to Dr. Robert Lustfg’s important Institute for Responsible Nutrition?
Join the conversation. Please tell us what you’re doing as part of The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign. How will or are you being kind and sweet to others?

7 Lessons I Learned Because I Lost My Cell Phone — Again!

Join the Conversation. Have you ever lost your cell? What did you do? How long did you go without it? Talk to us now.
I lost my cell phone a few days ago.
Thankfully, this is the first time in several months that my iPhone has gone missing for so long.
But more than a year ago, while my poor mother was being ravaged by cancer and I was helplessly watching her dying — a very painful time — I lost my iPhone repeatedly. Every few days, I couldn’t find it. A few days after she passed away, I even lost it twice in one day. I was that upset.
(In fact, after losing my iPhone the last time, I finally bought a new one, but then the old one surfaced while I was moving. Alas, I still can’t access photos of my Mom in her final days, because in my grief, I spaced out and punched in the wrong pass code too many times.)
Back to my cell phone that went M.I.A.. this week.
This week, apparently my joy, excitement, and desire to serve others distracted me.
Somehow, my cell phone went missing while I was getting more and more thrilled that so many big names have agreed to participate in the Sugar World Summit.
I am so excited!
This virtual Sugar World Summit — which I’ve scheduled to begin exactly two weeks before Halloween — or what I call Sugar Overload Day — will present world-renowned experts on sugar, carbs, stress, emotional eating, mindfulness training, addiction science, cravings, weight loss and more.
In this Sugar World Summit, our gurus won’t just tell you The Sour Scoop. They’ll give you some Sweet Solutions, too, as I announced here.
Back to my missing iPhone. I haven’t bought a new cell phone yet, because I keep thinking it’ll turn up, but searching my car, desk, bedroom, kitchen and living room hasn’t helped.
I’m also waiting to talk to a friend of mine, who has an uncanny knack for helping me find missing things. (She’s off dealing with some personal issues.)
Anyhow, It’s been very strange to be phone-less.
No calling friends or family members while on a walk.
No calling friends while parked in my car.
No calling business colleagues if I get a hot idea.
No digging up phone numbers of important people.
No tweeting cool stuff, something I started doing recently.
The case of my MIA Cell Phone is intriguing me. In fact, NOT having my iPhone has taught me five main things.
1. I multitask far, far too much — like most of you? There’s no need to be on my cell phone while going for a wonderful walk along the ocean, when I can focus fully on waves crashing against the shore.
2. I’m entirely too reliant on my cell phone. This is not a necessary appendage!
3. I’m also entirely too dependent on my iPhone camera, on which I’ve taken the some beautiful sunset photos. (See one here that I previously downloaded to my computer.) But why don’t I buy a real camera instead, as I’ve been planning?
4. I need to totally unplug more often. Although I turn off my cell several times a day, that time without it is very cleansing. Darn am I being productive!
5. I need to get more in touch with nature and less attached to my cell.
6. By disconnecting from electronics, I’m reconnecting to my purpose, passions, and peace of mind. This is perhaps my biggest lesson. I’m really enjoying the calm of not being so attached to my cell phone. It’s a welcome relief during this time of book deadlines and Sugar World Summit planning.
7. While I’ve been without a cell phone, I’ve become quite creative in the kitchen. Instead of chatting on the phone with friends, I’ve been concocting a variety of culinary dishes (all sugar-free, of course) that taste pretty good, if I may say so myself. (More later about that.)
So now I have an idea. I was thinking about giving in and buying another iPhone, but today it hit me that I’m going to give myself a Cell Phone Challenge.
You see, I’m on tight deadline now for my next book — I’ll tell you more shortly — and I decided not to let myself buy another iPhone phone until I’m finished writing the book. Now that may be another three weeks or more, but how’s that for incentive to finish the book?!
If I finish the book, I get a cell phone!
If not, I have to go without my iPhone. Dislosure: I do, however, have a helpful land line.
Join the Conversation. Have you ever lost your cell? What did you do? How long did you go without it? Talk to us now.
Special thanks to the TeleComBlog.com and to Matt Klassen. Forgive me if I shouldn’t have used this art from your story. I’ll take it down if you ask.

What’s Your One Word Theme for 2014?

Happy New Year to you, dear readers.
In this first blog post of 2014, I invite you to come up with one word that encapsulates your theme for the new year.
In 2014, what will the one word be that succinctly conveys your mission and passion, which will drive you forward to spectacular heights and glorious achievements?
Sunsets 12-27-13 003For 2014, my word is love.
I’m dedicated to love myself (even when I do things that aren’t in my best interest), love the Universe or Divine Guidance (God), love Nature (such as the nearby ocean), love my dear departed mother and father, love my family and friends, love my signficant other (well, the man that’s on the way!), and love for people, whose lives I have changed or am changing through this Sugar Shock Blog, my talk(s), or my books, Beyond Sugar Shock and Sugar Shock.)
And I also love, love, love Zumba (on the way to a class shortly), spinning, bicycling, and traveling.
I also love wonderful synchronicity. (Some people made this love symbol near the beach when a man was abouit to propose to his honey so I quickly took the shot in between a dying cell phone.)
Join the conversation.
Question: What is your one word for 2014 that will lead you to meaning and magnificence?
Post your comment here.

How to Skip Overeating This Thanksgiving: 3 Simple Tips for a Sweeter, Slimming Holiday

Every Thanksgiving, being grateful often takes a back seat to over-indulging at family gatherings.
Gulping down fast-acting, processed carbohydrates, sugar-loaded desserts, and gluten-rich foods is far more common than pleasurably savoring the various culinary concoctions.
20101117-stuffingFor many, Thanksgiving means they’ll go into Sugar Shock and Carb Shock (as I dub it), and develop “Grain Brain,” as Dr. David Perlmutter puts it in his book of the same name.
In fact, I predict that on Thanksgiving, most Americans will overeat, especially those culplrit carbs.
It’s simply a given that you’ll over-indulge on this holiday. One gym even suggested that you “work out before you pig out.” Aargh!
It’s time to ignore the insidious programming that drives you to overeat on Thanksgiving.
Even if you’ve stuffed yourself at previous holiday feasts, instead this Thanksgiving you can achieve Sweet Freedom.
To begin the Sweet Freedom Thanksgiving Funcise (Fun Exercise), think ahead to the day after Thanksgiving,
Choose now not to get an upset stomach. Plan now not to pig out. Select the smarter choice — to savor the sweet holiday experience.
This Thanksgiving, you can easily shift your attention away from those cunning carbs and desserts, which most Americans over-consume and which ample research shows can contribute to more than 100-plus diseases and ailments, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and even an early death.
It’s time to take back your Sugar Power and Carb Control. This Thanksgiving, you can avoid being overly tempted by:
Cranberries, a super-healthy food that’s generally downgraded by adding gobs of sugar.
Yams or sweet potatoes, whose inherent nutrient-goodness is often destroyed on Thanksgiving by adding unnecessary brown sugar and marshmallows.
Stuffing, which generally contains gluten galore. (Use Dr. Sarah Gottlieb’s awesome gluten-free, sugar-free recipe instead.)
Pumpkin pie, which is a far cry from the delectable, nutritious, fiber-rich vegetable and weight-loss ally, as Dr. Jonny Bowden points out. The dessert you usually get a Thankisviing is weighed down by sugary, fatty ingredients; features a gluten-rich crust; and is slathered by whipped cream.
Gravy-sodden turkey.
Here’s a three-part simple way to skip over-indulging this Thanksgiving and take leisurely, sociable tastes instead. (I recommend you take two to four small bites maximium of each dish.)
But before you dig into those tantalizing carb creations, just ask yourself these three simple questions:
Would I rather overeat [fill in name of food(s)] tonight and feel sluggish, fuzzy-headed, and cranky tomorrow (for up to three days afterwards)? OR would I rather have a slim, healthy body and mind? (If you have weight to lose, this thought can stop you from over-indulging.)
Would I rather overeat those carbs or sweets or enjoy the good company of family and friends on this special day?
Wouldn’t I rather feel better about myself by shifting my focus from the carb-food to gratitude, which, of course, is supposed to be the whole point of this celebration? Remind yourself that night of list of “5 Things for Which I’m Most Grateful.”
This simple, three-part mental exercise can take your attention away from those potentially harmful carb substasnces and instead put you on the path toward feeling good and enjoying your life -– not just on this holiday but during the whole holiday season ahead.
Have a sweet, joyous and healthy Thanksgiving.
New to this Sugar Shock Blog? Connie Bennett is a former lethargic, dejected sugar-addicted journalist, who reluctantly quit sugar on doctor’s orders in 1998 after being pummeled by 44 strange ailments (brain fog, heart palpitations, mood swings, etc.). Now, 15 years later, the energetic, uplifting Connie spreads the word that Life is Sweeter When Sugar Doesn’t Seduce You™. She is recognized as the Sweet Freedom Coach, and she is a life coach, health coach, blogger, and motivational speaker, who has helped thousands of sugar and carb addicts worldwide. Connie is author of two bestselling books, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock, which have been praised by many acclaimed health gurus and celebrities, including America’s Favorite Doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz, as well as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Daniel Amen, Brian Tracy, Bernie Siegel, Mark Sisson, Marci Shimoff, John Assaraff, JJ Virgin, Katie Dolgin (“High Voltage”), and Jimmy Moore.
Subscribe to this Sugar Shock Blog and like Connie on her Facebook fan page.

My Most Popular Blog Posts: What Did I Forget?

Here’s a list of my some of my most popular posts on this Sugar Shock Blog. Please check back, because I’m still adding to this list. (It’s taking a while to compile all the hot posts since I founded this Sugar Shock Blog in early June 2005,.
Weight Loss Assistance
CLS May Reduce Stubborn Fat Around the Middle
How Not to Pig Out on Thanksgiving;
Musings and Commentary
Shame on Reporters Critical of Cookie Monster’s New Moderate Habits
Holiday Help
7 Tips to Squash Your Sugar Cravings this Holiday Season
5 Ways to Indulge Over the Holidays Without Gaining Weight
‘Tis the Season to be Stressed: 7 tips to Relieve Holiday Stress
Relieve Holiday Stress: Holiday Gift to You from Debra Berndt and Me (Audio Program)
5 Tips to Soften Halloween Sugar Shock
The Sour Scoop About Sugar
Sugar at “Safe” Levels Can be Deadly;
The Inside Scooop about Agave (I don’t recommend it)
iHigh Fructose corn Syrup: Some Scary Facts to Consider Before You Gulp Down Soda & Other Foods (with 3-minute video)
146 Reasons Why Sugar is Ruining Your Health (Guest column from Nancy Appleton)
Reformed Sugar Addict Alec Baldwin Interviews Dr. Robert Lustig;
The Fallacy of Diet Foods
Study Shows Diet Sodas Are Linked to Weight Gain
Tips to Let Go of Sugar or Pile off the Pounds
Delay Away Your Sugar Cravings (Creatively Procrastinate)
7 Tips to Help You Squash Your Sugar Addiction
Slipped? Destroyed Your Diet? 7 Tips to Get Back on Track
Humorous Takes on the News
Michelangelo’s David Returns to Italy After Touring the U.S.
Help to Shop
Stumped when Shopping? Some Sugar-Free Foods By Brand
Social Media
The best time(s) to post on social media
Get Social Media Secrets with Mitch Meyerson
Woo-Hoo, Feel-Good Tunes
Listen to Woo-Hoo, Feel-Good Tunes
Listen to Guests on My Gab with the Gurus Shows
Lose Weight with Best-Selling Author & Spiritual Activitist Marianne Williamson (she spoke about her then-new book, A Course in Weight Loss; she wasn’t running for Congress yet;
Anita Moorjani: On Cancer, Near Death & Treasuring Our Magnificence
Other Health Posts
Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar): Do You Have It?
Anita Moorjani: On Cancer, Near Death & Treasuring Our Magnificence;
Hyperactivity and Mental Woes Linked to Soda Consumption
Take Charge of Your Stress & Sleep: Two Keys to Live Life Well
Salt: The Forgotten Killer: — The AMA & CSPI Urge Crackdown On the White Powder, But What About The-More-Dangerous Substance, Sugar?
Other
Are You Among the 85 % of People With Low Self-Esteem? It Can Lead to Weight Gain & More
My Sweet, But Stringent Standards & Disclosures
Did I leave out your favorite posts? Let me know which one(s) to include.
Connie Bennett is a former sugar-addicted journalist and the author of two bestselling books, Beyond Sugar Shock and Sugar Shock, Connie’s sour-to-sweet story began in 1998, when she quit sugar on doctor’s orders. Her doctor blamed all 44 of her strange ailments (baffling brain fog, ferocious fatigue, horrible headaches, embarrassing mood swings, severe PMS, etc.) on her habit of eating hard candies, red licorice, refined crackers, and other quickie carbs. While releasing her sugar and carb addiction, Connie created many simple tactics to make letting go of sweets an easy, exciting adventure.
Since 2001, Connie has been helping thousands of sugar addicts worldwide through her Sugar Freedom Now Course, speaking, and coaching (she is a certified life coach, certified health coach and EFT practitioner). She founded this Sugar Shock Blog on June 7, 2005.
Subscribe now to this Sugar Shock Blog to get juicy tidbits, tips, and musings on healh, wellness, personal empowerment, social media, and more.

Why do Millions Have Collective Forgetfulness on Spooky Sugar Overload Day (Halloween)?

It’s that spooky time of year again.
Not because of neighborhood kids masquerading as ghosts, goblins and ghouls.
Halloween candyBut because of scary candies.
Beginning Halloween, through the end of the year — for a whopping two-plus months — millions tend to completely “forget” the fact that too much sugar can trigger harmful effects on your children’s health, including obesity, of course. .
On Spooky Sugar Overload Day – my phrase for Halloween — millions develop collective amnesia about how rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other crippling sugar-triggered ailments are skyrocketing.
And every year, at this time, I watch in astonishment at how cool, chic and accepted it’s become to hurl your neighbor’s kids into Sugar Shock.
For instance:
This year 74 percent of households in the United States are expected to hand candies to trick-or-treaters (80 percent of households with children will do so), according to the candy-promoting National Confectioners Association. http://www.candyusa.com/FunStuff/content.cfm?ItemNumber=5137&navItemNumber=4569
Of those sugar pushers, 72 percent of those households will give away two or even three) pieces of candy per trick-or-treater.
Let’s put this in simple terms: On Halloween night alone, the average child in your neighborhood may mindlessly scarf down between 5 to 50 teaspoons of sugar and hundreds of calories.
In short, Spooky Sugar Overload Season starts with Halloween.
Factor in all the sugar that most people will gobble up during Thanksgiving dinners, holiday parties, as well as Christmas or Chanukah vacations.
All this sugar gorging begs these questions:
Why has it simply become un-American NOT to hand out candies on Halloween?
Why is it outright weird NOT to give your neighbors’ kids sugar-filled treats, which will surely send them into Sugar Shock? (Think anxiety, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, temper tantrums, crankiness and much worse.)
Why is candy-giving expected even though just about everyone knows that too much sugar (candies) can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes and other diseases, which, in turn, can kill you?
Thankfully, a small but growing number of us are urging parents to give out safe, fun toys instead.
Unfortunately, though, it’s far easier to find candies than it is to locate sweet, sugar-free toys such as glow-in-the-dark insects, spooky fingers, Halloween-themed stickers or pencils, rubber worms, creepy fingers, action figures, kazoos and whistles, baseball cards, plastic animals, spin tops, and party favors like engine whistles, key chains, pen, and stickers.
Furthermore, let’s face it, these cool Halloween options cost more than sugar-filled, or high fructose corn syrup-laden candies.
Right now, I urge you parents to take charge. This Halloween, just become more mindful.
Every time you dish out candies, think about just two things.
You are an “enabler” – as drug addicts are to other drug addicts. Your neighbors and you could be paving the way for neighborhood kids to crave candies. For that matter, you could be addicting or re-addicting their parents, too. (A number of coaching clients confessed to me that they stole their kids Halloween candies!)
You could be contributing to soaring rates of obesity and other diseases in your neighborhood.
Do you really want to have that on your conscience?
Instead, why don’t you find ways to help your children and your neighbors’ kids to observe Halloween in a safer, healthier way?
For instance, you could:
Offer your kid(s) a healthy meal with ample protein, fiber and fat before she or he cavorts around the neighborhood.
Give away one candy per trick-or-treater. (Don’t let kids grab a handful of sweets.)
Hand out small bottles of water. That way, you’ll help trick-or-treaters stay hydrated.
When your child or children come home from trick-or-treating, have fun together doing high-intensity play or dancing for at least 10 minutes.
Hug your kids and figure out one or two other ways to give them lasting sweetness.
About the Author:
Connie Bennett, CHHC, CPC, ACC, is a self-mocking former sugar addict and author of two bestselling books, Sugar Shock! and Beyond Sugar Shock.
Her first book, Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life– and How You Can Get Back on Track, was praised by Dr. Mehmez Oz and many others.
Her latest book, Beyond Sugar Shock: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter, has been endorsed by numerous luminaries, including Wayne Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Bernie Siegel, Joe Vitale, Marci Shimoff, Kathy Smith, John Assaraf, Colette Baron-Reid, Janet Bray Atwood, Donna Gates, Alex Jamieson, and Dr. JJ Virgin.
Connie is also a certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, widely published jouirnalist, columnist, and and essayist (AOL News, eDiets.com, The Los Angeles Times, www.SheKnows.com, etc.), as well as an in-demand speaker, entertaining TV and radio show guest (“CBS News Sunday Morning,” “Oprah & Friends Radio,” “The Howard Stern Show,” etc.).
In 1998, Connie was a tormented sugar-addicted journalist, who secretly “used” candies galore just to make all her deadlines. When she was bombarded by brain fog, heart palpitations, severe PMS and 41 other baffling ailments, Connie finally turned in deperation to a doctor, who ordered her to quit sweets. Much to her surprise, all her ailments went poof!, and the journalist was reborn, filled with determination to spread the sour news about sugar.
Now sugar-free (mostly) for 15 years, Connie — now known as The Sugar Liberator — had helped thousands of people worldwide to break free of sweets and discover that Life is Sweeter Naturally™.
Get free gifts at www.Connie-Bennett.com. Then discover if you’ve been brainwashed to become a sugar addict by taking The Sugar shock Quiz at www.SugarShockBlog.com.

Sugar at “Safe” Levels Can be Deadly

Inevitably, the damning research about sugar keeps pouring in.
Indeed, another study reveals sugar’s deadly dangers — even when consumed in “safe” amounts.
Talk about scary.
The mice died more often, as shared by
Science Daily. Not only that, but they had fewer babies.
For the study, University of Utah researchers gave mice a diet of 25 percent extra sugar and ran a sensitive toxicity test. (When you give a mouse 25 percent extra sugar, it’s the equivalent of a healthy human diet, plus three cans of soda daily.)
Although the mice didn’t become obese, the females on the sugar-added diet died at twice the rate of the control group. In addition, the males on the sugar-added diet produced 25 percent fewer offspring than the control group and acquired fewer territories, according to a University of Utah news release.
“These findings represent the lowest level of sugar consumption shown to adversely affect mammalian health,” states the study abstract, published today in the journal Nature Communications.
Does this finding scare you enough to make you want to quit sugar?
If so, I invite you to get help in my latest book, Beyond Sugar Shock: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter. I’m honored that this book, from Hay House, has been praised by a Who’s Who of health and empowerment experts, including Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Christiane Northrup, and Dr. Daniel Amen.
If you get Beyond Sugar Shock, let me know what you liked most about it.