Category: Sugar Shockers

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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Delay Away Your Sugar Cravings (Creatively Procrastinate)

Here’s an article I wrote to help you those of you, who are sugar addicts or junk food junkies, who need help to sweetly say, “No, thank you!” when offered those tempting, unhealthy “treats.”
Delay Away Your Sugar Cravings™: Creatively Procrastinate to Ditch Your Sugar Addiction & Excess Weight
By Connie Bennett, MSJ, CHC, ACC, CPC
Whenever people meet me, join my Sugar Freedom Now program or work privately with me or read my book SUGAR SHOCK!, they almost immediately ask me (either in person or via e-mail), “How can I overcome my sugar cravings?”
It can be challenging to say “No, thank you!” when your favorite, tempting dessert is right there, in front of you.
Because it’s what you do in that very first one or two minutes that can make or break your diet, I’m determined to help you get over that “Must-Have Sugar Now! hurdle.”
Let me share a tactic that helped me on many occasions (back in 1998) and that now helps my clients and Facebook Smart Habits Noww fans.
One of the most powerful and effective strategies is so simple that you’ll wonder why you never tried it in the first place.
It’s this: Simply DELAY before you put any sugar or dessert foods in your mouth. That’s right, DELAY before you something that you’ll later regret such as when you look at your scale a day or two later or when your pants don’t fit anymore or when you become edgy and unfocused after your Sugar High.
Let’s be honest: If you do mindlessly nosh on those fast-acting sweets or much-like-sugar carbs™ into your mouth, won’t you become feel headachy, wiped out, spaced out, moody, depressed or even angry at yourself (and maybe your loved ones)?
Let me introduce you to the Delay Away Your Sugar Cravings Method™ (also called Do Creative Sugar Procrastination™).
Think about it: Most of us excel at putting things off or procrastinating, right?
We have every good intention to clear off our desks, donate old clothes, organize our drawers, ditch (recyle) those not-needed papers, help kids with their homework, throw out the garbage, etc.?
Clearly, all of us have things we’ve been planning to do but we just haven’t got around to doing it.
Well, I invite you to take a positive look at procrastinating. It can be a wonderful, Won’t-Have-Sugar-Just-Yet Strategy.
I hit upon this incredible simple technique back in 1998 when I reluctantly kicked sweets and refined carbs on doctor’s orders. To this day, I continue to be amazed at how easy, effortless, and darn effective it is to just delay.
What’s so wonderful about this Delaying Now Method is that people of all ages—unless maybe you’re a tot—can easily cultivate this tactic.
So, here’s how to do it: Just promise yourself to delay eating that tempting “treat” for a certain amount of time, say 10 minutes. You can do that, of course!
In other words, you will Delay Away Your Sugar Cravings for 10 minutes at a time. Then, you can delay over and over again — for another 10 minutes — for a while, like an hour even. It’s that easy!
Now think ahead to the next morning when you’re so relieved and proud of yourself that you didn’t cave into your cravings.
Here are 7 ways Delaying or Creatively Procrastinating becomes your ally to help you pull the plug on your unwanted sugar addiction. (Delaying is one of the “7 D’s” that I developed to help “Sugar Kickers.”)
First delay 10 minutes before you eat that cookie, candy bar or brownie that’s calling out to you. When you do that, you begin to detach from your destructive impulses.
When you delay for 10 minutes, then another 10 minutes, and another 10 minutes, your cravings will subside while you get involved with other things. At that point, you’ll also be able to put your cravings into proper perspective.
When you Delay Away Your Cravings, you’re taking powerful, positive, health-promoting action by simple inaction. Yes, doing absolutely nothing can be pivotal when you kick or cut back on sweets and quickie carbs. See how simple this is?
When you delay, you turn procrastinating into a useful, proactive skill. Procrastinating becomes a good thing!
When you delay, you can take time to find out which foods—if any—you’re really craving. Is your body really needing cookies, cake, and pretzels? Of course not! Your Amazing Body might instead be begging you for water, fresh vegetables and fruits, high-quality protein or healthy fats?
When you delay, you can get in touch with your true feelings. By putting your sugar binging on hold for 10 minutes or more, you can figure out what the heck is really going. Ask yourself, “Why do I feel like I must have these sweets now?”
When you delay, you’ll be so proud of yourself! You’ll be filled with a longer-lasting joy than the very short-lived, self-defeating immediate gratification you’d get from a cookie. What is your real goal? Are you seeking to shed excess weight, get more energy, concentrate better, improve your health and boost your libido? So delaying gives you a chance to think about what you really want rather than suffer the consequences of your moment of weakness.)
In short, simple delaying or creatively procrastiating is one of the most effective tools a successful Sugar Kicker can use.
Tips to Delay Away Your Cravings or Creatively Procrastinate
It’s time to learn how to put this in action. Shortly, you’ll become a Delaying Artist or a Creative Procrastinator.
The next time you want something sweet (that’s processed) or something white (as in a refined carb), delay for 10 minutes. That’s it — just 10 minutes. You can do that, right? Feel free to set a timer or look at your watch, clock or cell phone to keep you honest, so to speak.
Now, imagine that you’re stepping outside and leaving behind your obsessive sugary thoughts. Now, get going with some project you’ve been delaying.
After 10 minutes, if you still want sweets or quickie carbs, Delay Away another 10 minutes. Be creative while you delay. You may want to do the dishes, put away your clothes, organize your closet, color your hair, organize your CD collection, meditate, work out, fix your nails, etc. Doing these things can help you pass the time and pull the plug on your food thoughts.
Then challenge yourself for even longer! Wait 1 hour or even 2 hours, or maybe even the whole evening. Do something really fun in the meantime. Jump into that project that you’ve been putting off doing. Fill your time with satisfying activites that help you “forget” about the sweets calling out to you. (If you pick going to a movie as a way to delay, do NOT stop at the concession stand! Bring along your own water or snack.)
Finally, write about your experience in a journal or notebook. Just jotting down your feelings can be eye-opening, as many of my Sugar Kicker clients have revealed to me, and as I personally discovered years ago.
Ultimately, when you just delay or creatively procrastinate, you can learn a lot about yourself and the power of a focused mind.
To this day, I’m thrilled that I hit upon this Delay Away Your Sugar Cravings Tactic back in 1998 so that I could learn that Life is Sweeter Without Refined Sweets™.
Copyright © 2011, Connie Bennett, Sugar Shock Blog, Stop SUGAR SHOCK!™
Connie Bennett is the “Sugar Freedom Now Coach.” She is a former sugar addict and author of the bestselling book, SUGAR SHOCK! (Berkley Books), which has been praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Joseph Mercola and others. Her next book, The Beyond Sugar Shock Diet, will be published in 2012 by Hay House. Connie is also founder of the Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction in 6 Weeks Program (also called Sugar Freedom Now Course). Learn more at www.BreakFreeWithConnie.com. Connie’s Sad-to-Sour-Sugar Story began in 1998, when she reluctantly kicked sweets and quickie carbs on doctor’s orders, and all 44 of her ailments disappeared, including throbbing headaches, severe PMS, and mood swings. Nowadays, Connie jokingly dubs herself a “Sugar Shrew No More!” She has coached thousands of people around the world to Break Free of their sugar addiction and other unhealthy habits. Connie is a certified life coach, certified health counselor, certified vision board coach, popular radio host (Gab with the Gurus), journalist and essayist, who has contributed to many publications and websites and has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning, Oprah & Friends Radio, and The Howard Stern Show. To get free kick-sugar tips and other updates, sign up for her free Motivating Morsels e-zine. This article first appeareed on the Sugar Shock Blog. Connect with Connie on Facebook in the Smart Habits Fans page or the Gab with the Gurus page.
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The Dark Side of Sugar

Learn more about the Sour Side of Sugar in this fascinating article on DailyRx.com from reporter Laurie Stoneham.
FYI, I’m one of the experts quoted in this story, “The Dark Side of Sweet: Sugar is everywhere and it may just be killing you.”
Read this important article on DailyRx now.
Then, tell us: Does this article help inspire you to quit the stuff — or at least reduce your consumption?
If you’re stumped as to how to let go of your sugar habit, join me next Thursday week in a free teleseminar.
Sign up here for the program, Fast-Track Secrets to Release Your Sugar Addiction & Shed Excess Weight.
Now, tell us why do you want to quit your sugar addiction?

Calling Sugar-Free Bloggers: Join Our Growing Community

Calling all Sugar-Free Bloggers!
I want to tell the world about your blog so we can spread the word together about the health benefits and Sweetness of Being Sugar-Free.
If you have a sugar-free blog, just share your URL here and provide a one-or-two-sentence description of your sugar-free and/or weight loss journey and goal for your blog.
If your blog is listed below, please give some information, too.
If you haven’t created a Sugar-Free Blog yet, I invite you to start one to publicly chronicle your sugar-shunning journey. Blogging can help you stay on the healthy path and create a life you love. Plus, you can help yourself and others at the same time.
So join the growing community of Sugar-Free Bloggers.
Here are a few Sugar-Free Bloggers I’ve found so far.
* Dana Kennedy: A Year Without Candy – www.yearwithoutcandy.com – Read my previous post about Dana’s exciting blog.
* David Vanadia: www.vanadia.com/stopbeingsweet
* Amy F.: http://myyearwithout.blogspot.com
* Maureen Flores: My Sugar Free Sweet Life – www.maureenflores.com
* Angie: http://gluten-dairy-sugarfree.com
* Amy Green: http://www.simplysugarandglutenfree.com
* Alex: http://spoonfulofsugarfree.com/about/
If you’re a blogger, who writes about being being sugar-free from time to time, you’re invited to join us, too. Here are some bloggers like this:
* Australian media personality and journalist Sarah Wilson: http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/category/i-quit-sugar/
* Susan Mernit: http://www.susanmernit.com/blog/2008/07/why-i-quit-sugar-and-how-this.html
* Amy Beth O’Brien: http://www.amybethobrien.com/home/i-quit-sugar/
If I’ve forgotten your blog, don’t fret. Just post a comment, I’ll add it to this master list.
I look forward to joining together to spread the word about the joy of sugar-free living.
By the way, have you seen the amazing story from Gary Taubes, Is Sugar Toxic?
Guidelines to be Included: Please note that blogs to be listed here advocate using healthy products only. We will not feature blogs that promote the use of artificial sweeteners, agave, honey, sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
Sugar-Free Bloggers, hope to hear from you soon!

Did You Attend My End-of-Summer Tele-Party? Listen Now

As we now move into fall, I invite you to ask yourself: Are you tired of battling your sugar habit?
Are you fed up with your excess weight?
Have you had enough of those annoying numbers of your bathroom scale?
Are you ready to let go of your mood swings, brain fog, low libido and more?
Then listen to my complimentary Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction, End-of-Summer Tele-Party!
Just sign up below and learn how to listen to my free program.
Warmly,
Connie
Connie Bennett, CHHC, CPC, ACC, Sugar Liberator™ & Smart Habits Girl™, Author, Sugar Shock! (Berkley Books, Penguin Group) & Beyond Sugar Shock! (Upcoming/Hay House) & Founder, Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction in 6 Weeks Program.
Now, sign up below so you can listen to my complimentary Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction, End-of-Summer Tele-Party.

The Rats Who Preferred Sugar Over Cocaine

Here’s a Letter I Sent to My Mailing List, which is now making its way around the Internet.
Have you heard about the rats who found sugar or saccharin more tantalizing than cocaine?
That’s right, in a fascinating study, most of the critters studied — a whopping 94 percent — wanted
sugar or saccharin, NOT cocaine.
Sugar_humans_600 – cartoon
Anyhow, today, while doing some research for my next book, Beyond Sugar Shock — the follow-up to my first book Sugar Shock — I was reminded of this fascinating study from Dr. Serge Ahmed, a scientist with the University of Bordeaux in France.
Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Serge while on a ferry en route to a Food Addiction conference on IslandWood, Bainbridge Island to give fitness guru Jack LaLanne a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Incidentally, LaLanne, who turns 96 on Sept. 26, has been sugar-free for more than EIGHT decades.
(By the way, you can listen to a special radio interview I conducted with Jack here.)
Back to the glorious commuter boat ride with Dr. Serge Ahmed.
Just imagine: There I am, grateful to have the good fortune to hang out with one of the most fascinating scientists, who is studying my top area of interest, sugar addiction!
In fact, I’ve been so intrigued by the topic that Chapter 9, “Proof Pours In: New Studies Show That You Can Become Dependent on Sweets,” was the first one I wrote for my book Sugar Shock.
So there Serge and I are on the ferry. After practicing my rusty French on him, I asked Serge (in English this time so I wouldn’t miss anything) about his sugar addiction research.
Serge ahmed Now, just imagine Serge speaking with his adorable French accent.
He told me, “Connie, I was so surprised. We discovered that sugar may be as addictive as cocaine.”
You had to see Serge’s face to get a sense of this monumental discovery.
His eyebrows lifted. His eyes grew big. His face registered shock. He moved his hands about dramatically.
The next day, at the conference, Serge laid out his findings in more detail to the attendees of this event, called “Food Addiction: The Obesity Epidemic Connection.”
The title of Serge’s presentation told it all. It posed the question, “Is Sugar as Addictive as Cocaine?”
Ultimately, Serge and his research team discovered that intense sweetness “is much more rewarding and probably more addictive than intravenous cocaine.”
Or, to put it another way, the French scientists’ findings “clearly demonstrate that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward, even in drug-sensitized and drug-addicted individuals.”
In the booklet presented to Food Addiction conference attendees, Serge concludes: “When society finally discovers that refined sugar is just another white powder, along with pure cocaine, it will change its mind and attitude toward refined food addiction.”
Hoebel At the same conference, I also had the pleasure of meeting renowned addiction researcher Dr. Bartley Hoebel of Princeton University’s Neuroscience Institute, whose work I mentioned in a recent AOL News story about Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Garlin kicking sugar. What a treat!
As I discussed in my book Sugar Shock, Dr. Hoebel — who has been studying sugar addiction for 10 years — found that sugar can act on the brain in ways similar to drugs of abuse.
Dr. Hoebel’s rats even went into withdrawal symptoms within a half hour of being administered the opiate blocker naloxone.
Their “teeth started chattering,” Dr. Hoebel told me.
“They waved their heads back and forth. Their forepaws quivered. They acted anxious in a maze test. These are all signs of sugar withdrawal. They weren’t as pronounced as what we see with morphine, but it was withdrawal.”
What happened? Well, Dr. Hoebel thinks that “sugar triggered production of the brain’s natural opiates
or morphinelike compounds.”
Wait a minute!
But the rats didn’t have drugs. They just had sugar!
The rats would rather go into sugar shock than have cocaine!
So why am I bringing up these addiction studies?
Because, if you have an overpowering sugar habit, I want you to know that this addictive feeling is NOT all in your head. You actually can get hooked.
But more importantly, I’m here to bring you hope. You CAN cut out your pesky sugar or carb cravings.
Certainly, you can try on your own, but, well, it can be really tough, and frankly, I wouldn’t wish this cutting-loose-on-your-own on anyone!
That’s why for over 12 years — ever since I kicked sugar myself — I’ve been developing a program to
help you Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction — and to help you release your habit easily.
Alas, back in 1998, I used to be like those sugar-clamoring rats. (Are you, too?) But, thankfully, that’s history, and I no longer crave sugary foods. You heard me right. You should know is that I do NOT miss the substance. Honest!
So, my mission these days is to show you that you don’t have to be consumed by these gotta-have-
sugar-NOW feelings. You can achieve Sugar Liberation!
And, if you allow me, it would be my honor to take you to that delicious state of Sugar Freedom.
Just think: When you remove sugar from your diet (or at least cut back on your intake), you will get benefits galore! For instance:
* Your weig*ht could easily peel off
* You could become more cheerful
* You may concentrate better
* You may say bye-bye to severe PMS, infertility or a horrible menopause.
* You could get along better with loved ones.
* You could have a revved-up libido.
* You may have lots of energy — more so than you’ve had in years.
* And more.
And those are just a few of the many benefits!
Given that I used to be hooked on sweets myself, I don’t want you to be like those sugar-craving rats!
So it would be my honor to help you Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction in 6 Weeks.
Please note that next Tuesday, I again begin holding my Break Free Program, and I’d love to have you.
If you act by 1:59 pm EST next Tuesday, you can get in at the Pre-Fall Early Bird Rate. You’ll be shocked at how little you’ll pay for what you get. For instance, in this program, you’ll get:
* 6 live, hour-long teleseminars/webinars, during which you learn some 50 ways to combat sugar cravings, identify your Sugar Color Code, discover how to find Serene Sweetness™ and much more.
* 6 half-hour coaching sessions, where you get your questions answered, a fresh perspective on your personal situations, etc.
* 4 to 6 bonus programs with top experts in health and wellness.
* Short, inspiring audio messages from me each of the 42 days (actually, there are more.)
* A private, members-only website with lots of quality content, including three weeks of meal plans, a shopping list, recipes and access to fascinating audio downloads.
* And much more.
You may think that this program will run you around $400 to $700. But I’m offering this Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction in 6 Weeks program for the ultra-reasonable rate of $147. People hae been asking me why it’s so low (only about $3.50 a day for the 42-day program).
Most importantly, by offering this for such a reasonable price, my goal is to help as many people as possible around the world. I have other reasons, too, which you’ll learn about later. Sign up now and learn why else it’s priced so low.
It would be my pleasure to serve you and to guide you to Sugar Liberation. “See you” soon?
Warmly,
Connie Bennett
Author, Sugar Shock and (Beyond Sugar Shock, upcoming/Hay House)
P.S. Sign up now for this Pre-Fall Special of only $147 by Tues., Sept. 15 at 11:59 EST tonight. Just go to www.BreakFreeWithConnie.com
Special thanks to Mike Adams and NaturalNews.com for the above cartoon, which you can read about here.
You may republish this Sugar Shock Blog post, but please provide the following credit:
Connie Bennett is author of the bestselling book, Sugar Shock!, which has been praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Marilu Henner and many others. She is now writing her next book, Beyond Sugar Shock, for Hay House. Connie is a certified life coach, certified health coach, experienced journalist, host of the Gab with the Gurus Radio Show, wwhich is available on iTunes. Connie is also a former sugar addict, who is now dedicated to helping people around the world to Break Free of their Sugar Addiction and Other Bad Habits (what she calls Babits™). Connie is founder of the acclaimed Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction in 6 Weeks Program, which next begins Tues, Sept. 14. Act now to take advantage of the Pre-Fall Special at www.BreakFreeWithConnie.com

Kelly Ripa, Kim Kardashian, Seth Green, Eva Langoria Parker Go for Over-the-Top Cakes

Many of us would-be, health-conscious people strive often (or at times) to cut culprit carbs and shove candies, cookies, cakes and chips out of our lives for our emotional or physical health.
But who can blame Tori Spelling, Kelly Ripa, Kim Kardashian, Eva Langoria Parker, Guy Ritchie, Flavor Flav, Seth Green, Spencer Pratt and Kid Rock for using creative, elaborate cakes to memorialize major occasions?
I don’t mean to unnecessarily entice you with these images (to your left), but I’m amused, entertained and intrigued by these over-the-top, sugary concoctions that People Magazine shares with us in a snazzy photo essay.
My sugar-free — albeit sometimes jealous — funny bone nudges me to poke fun of this sugar-filled hoopla in this way: Well, let them eat cake!
(For the record, my comment was NOT intended to be malicious — it was intended as a silly remark.)
Hey, sometimes you just have to laugh at — and just accept — our nation’s habit of celebrating events with sugar-filled cakes.
For the most part, this is a trend you just can’t buck.
So I invite you to set some limits for yourself at your next beautiful cake-celebrated event. I urge you to have just one teeny, tiny piece — and to have it after a good meal with healthy foods — protein, carbs (veggies) and fat (like olive oil). I challenge you to partake of one tiny slice!
Cake tori-spelling-660 Speaking of challenges, it’s quite a challenge to figure out how to observe important milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, bar mitzvahs, christenings and graduations without cute cakes.
So, now I’m presented with a challenge. Given that I don’t eat sweets, how the heck should I celebrate my 12 years off sugar on April 15?
I invite your suggestions. Because frankly I’m at a loss! Please send in your ideas!
In case you’re new to this Sugar Shock Blog and you’re wondering why I would want to pass up such delectable treats as those shown here, consider this: Would you rather suffer from 44 horrible ailments or skip the sweets and feel great?
That’s the choice had to reluctantly make back in 1998, when my doctor ordered me to quit my sugar habit. To learn about my sad-to-sweet story, read it in Chapter One of my book SUGAR SHOCK!
Now, have a healthy snack or meal and then check out this cake-filled People Magazine photo essay.