Salt, Sugar, Fat: Michael Moss Reveals How the Food Industry Addicted Us

Join the Conversation. What most surprised you from this fascinating interview with Michael Moss?
Salt, Sugar, FatLately, I’ve been planning the Sugar World Summit, which will feature some of the biggest names in sugar educationn, carb addiction, health, wellness, mindful eating, and personal empowerment.
For instance, in this virtual event, which will take place two weeks before Halloween, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Robert Lustig, JJ Virgin, Dr. Richard Johnson, Colette Baron-Reid, Sarah Wilson and many others will join us to give you The Sour Scoop or Sweet Solutions.
Anyhow, while preparing for the event, I came across this fascinating NPR interview with Pulitzer-Prize winning investigative journalist Michael Moss, author of the extraordinary book, Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us..
In his fascinating book, Moss takes an insightful look at the $1 trillion processed food industry, which most health experts believe has triggered the obesity epidemic and put millions at risk for such chronic health conditions as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Thanks to his many revealing interviews with leading food scientists and top food industry executives from companies such as Kraft and Coca-Cola, Moss explains how most Americans have become so dependent on processed food.
Get shocked now, thanks to this intriguing NPR interview.
Join the Conversation. What was your biggest A-hah?

The Sugar World Summit Begins October 17: Save the Date

Join the Conversation: What expert would you like to hear in the first Sugar World Summit? Let us know now.
Sugar-World-Summit_w_Date.fw_Save the date Friday, October 17, 2014.
That’s when the frist Sugar World Summit — a virual event — will take place to educate, entertain and motivate you to Take Back Your Sugar Power.
The Sugar World Summit begins Friday, October 17 — exactly two weeks before Halloween, or what I like to call Sugar Overload Day.
Dr. Lustig During this once-in-a-lifetime virtual event, you’ll have access to world-renowned anti-sugar pioneers, scientists, researchers, New York Times bestselling authors, educators, and wellness gurus, who specialize in weight loss, emotional eating, compassion, mindful eating, and cravings.
We’re also planning a few surprise celebrity guests.
Sign up below now to get exciting details delivered directly to your in box.
In this Sugar World Summit, you’ll get both The Sweet News and The Sour News.
You’ll not only find out about sugar’s dangers, but you’ll also discover sweet, simple tools to help you let go of your addiction to sugary foods and much-like-sugar carbs (or what I call auickie carbs or culprit carbs.).
Among those who’ve already agreed to participate are:
Dr. Robert Lustig, ‎ pediatric endocrinologist and New York Times bestselling author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity & Disease. His “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” lecture has had more than 4.6 million hits on YouTube. Photo shown above.
Dr. Mark Hyman, chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine, medical editor at the Huffington Post, on the Medical Advisory Board at “The Doctor Oz Show,” and New York Times bestselling author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet..
JJ Virgin, P.h.D., C.N.S., celebrity nutritionist, fitness expert, New York Times bestselling author, whose new book, JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet: Drop 7 Hidden Sugars, Lose Up To 10 Pounds, Just 2 Weeks, is being published days after the Sugar World Summit.
Dr. David Perlmutter, “Empowering Neurologist,” Linus Pauling award-winner and author of the # 1 New York Times bestselling Grain Brain.
Sarah Wilson, acclaimed Australian blogger, TV personality, journalist, author of I Quit Sugar and founder of the popular I Quit Sugar Community
Dr. Pamela Peeke, internationally recognized expert, physician, scientist and author of the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunger Fix: the 3 Stage Detox and Recovery Plan for Overeating and Food Addiction
Jimmy Moore, popular low-carb blogger, co-author with Dr. Eric Westman of Cholesterol Clarity. He shed 180 pounds and peeled off 20 inches by quitting sugar and going low carb.
Dr. Richard Johnson, a practicing physician, acclaimed clinical scientist and author of The Sugar Fix::What You Don’t Know about Fructose and HFCS Could Kill You.
Serge H. Ahmed, Ph.D., CNRS Research Director, Principal Investigator & Team Leader, Addiction, Compulsion and Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome, Université de Bordeaux. He’s done fascinating research on addcition, sugar and cocaine.
Dr Pedram Shojai, former Taoist monk, physician of Chinese medicine and founder of founder of the popular site, Well.org,
Trudy Scott, nutritionist, food-mood expert and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution
Kristin Neff, PhD., Associate Professor, Human Development and Culture, Educational Psychology Dept., University of Texas at Austin and author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
Roberta Ruggiero, founder of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation and author of Do’s and Don’ts of Hypoglycemia. An Every Day Guide to Low Blood Sugar.
Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., CNS, leading nutritional expert and bestselling author of 30 books, including Zapped: Why Your Cell Phone Shouldn’t be Your Alarm Clock and 1,268 Ways to Outsmart the Hazards of Electronic Pollution and Get the Sugar Out, Revised and Updated: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet
High Voltage (Kathie Dolgin), author of Sugar Savvy and founder of Energy Up Voltage Approved, Inc. (EUVA), a nonprofit organization to fight teenage obesity and to prevent type 2 diabetes and other diseases, particularly among teenage girls.
Sign up now for this exciting Sugar World Summit so you won’t be left out in the cold this holiday season with all those tempting “treats,” which can trick you into weight gain, mood swings, low libido, heart disease, and more.
So why would you want to quit or cut back on sugar? Well, you could: :
Easily shed your dreaded excess weight.
Leave behind your depression and get filled up with good cheer, passion and enthusiasm.
Have enough energy to keep up with your kids or perform well on the job..
Tame Your Cravings™ for sugary, salty or fatty unreal foods.
Banish your horribly annoying brain fog and begin to concentrate with a razor-sharp focus..
Rev up your libido so you’ll be thrilled with your time alone in the bedroom with your beloved..
Ditch those debilitating female ailments (either PMS or menopause, depending on your time of life.)
And much more.
Connie-headshot (2)Connie Bennett is a former sugar-addicted journalist. After kicking sugar on doctor’r orders in 1998, all 44 of her ailments vanished. Connie is now known as The Sweet Freedom Guide, and she is a transformational speaker, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was praised by many experts such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and Dr. Daniel Amen. Her first book, Sugar Shock. was praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz. Connie’s next book will be out later this year.
Join the Conversation: What expert would you like to hear in the first Sugar World Summit? Tell us know now.

Berries Benefit Your Brain

Do you regularly eat luscious strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries?
BerriesExciting new findings reveal that berries can boost your brain power.
Researchers writing in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, conclude that eating more blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and other berries may help prevent age-related memory loss and other mental status changes.
Berries benefit your brain in several ways. They’re already known for their high levels of antioxidants, which are compounds “that protect cells from damage by harmful free radicals,” found the researchers, Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Ph.D., and Marshall G. Miller.
Research also shows that berries alter the manner in which neurons in the brain communicate. “These changes in signaling can prevent inflammation in the brain that contribute to neuronal damage and improve both motor control and cognition,” said ACS, a nonprofit organization chartered by Congress.
This new study adds to the growing body of research, which has identified neurological benefits associated with consuming berries.
This sweet berry news emphasizes the fact that if you don’t eat refined sugar, you can still enjoy sweet foods — and benefit at the same times. Now that you have more reasons to eat berries, here are two ideas on how to consume them:
Try adding a modest portion (1/4 or 1/2 cup of blueberries, raspberries or other berries_ into a tasty, healthy, sugar-free Berry Cacao-Cado Protein Shake (as I did this morning).
Make your own yummy, sugar-free berry dessert, thanks to the new Dessert Bullet, as I shared earlier on this Sugar Shock Blog.
Join the Conversation: What’s your favorite way to eat berries? Share your thoughts now.
Special thanks to Natural News and reporter J.D. Heyes for the heads up about this new research.

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.

Curb Your Cravings by Tapping: Excerpt from Nick Ortner’s New Book

If you’re grappling with sugar or carb cravings and weight challenges, I highly recommend that you start tapping, a simple, but powerful process.
You can learn about this remarkable technique in Nick Ortner’s new book, The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living. Thanks to the publisher, Hay House, I’m now presenting an excerpt so you can discover more how tapping can help you to break the hold that sugar, carbs or food has over you.
At the end of this Sugar Shock Blog post, you also can get the link to Nick’s and my Gab with the Gurus episode.
Losing Weight and Letting Go of Fear, Guilt, and Shame around Food
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. — Thomas A. Edison
“Tapping,” is said to be a combination of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology, and works with the body’s meridian points. Meridians, the basis of the ancient Chinese medical system of acupuncture, are defined as energy channels that carry the vital life force, or qi, to the organs and others systems of the body.
Running up and down either side of the body, each meridian is associated with a different organ—stomach, gall bladder, kidney, etc. Each meridian also has what’s called an “endpoint,” a specific location where you can access the energy channel on the surface of the body. This point can be manipulated using acupuncture needles or simple touch (acupressure) to balance or unblock the energy flow through that particular meridian.
“EFT,” or “Emotional Freedom Techniques” is a single tapping sequence that is designed to hit all the major meridian endpoints, and starts with the hand, then moves to the inner eyebrow, the outer eyebrow, underneath the eye, under the nose, the chin, the collarbone, and the side of the rib cage, then ends at the top of the head.
When you’re experiencing a negative emotional state—angry or upset or fearful—your brain goes on alert. Your adrenaline pumps, your muscles tense, and your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar all rise to give you extra energy to meet the challenge; your body is preparing you to fight or flee.
The ongoing fight-or-flight response leaves us worn down, sick, upset, overweight, and stressed out. What tapping does, with amazing efficiency, is halt the fight-or-flight response, or stress response, and reprogram the brain and body to act—and react—differently.
Why Does Tapping Help with Weight Loss? The Stress Connection
The stress response can cause a massive cascade of events in your body, including:
On average four times less blood flow to your digestive system.
Lower absorption of nutrients.
Less enzyme production in your gut. (As much as 20,000 times less! This is one of the reasons why, when you eat a meal while you’re stressed, you’ll often feel bloated and uncomfortable.)
Decrease in gut flora population.
Increase in cholesterol.
Increase in cortisol and insulin levels.
The last item is particularly important for weight loss, because when your cortisol is consistently elevated, it’s hard to lose weight or build muscle. In fact, you’re more likely to gain weight, particularly around your midsection. When you lower your stress level (and obviously it’s not just stress about food, but lowering stress about everything and everything) your body will respond. You’ll lose weight, increase the absorption of nutrients, increase enzyme production (so you won’t feel bloated), increase healthy gut flora population, lower your cholesterol, and lower your cortisol and insulin levels. What is this magic diet? What do you eat? Whatever you want! Just relax while you’re doing it. . . .
EFT for Food Cravings
Another problem I often turn to is food cravings, because those are also easy to witness and measure.
Working with food cravings in front of a live audience follows a similar trajectory every time. First, we all have some good laughs as I introduce a bag of candy, chocolates, cookies, or other treats people often crave. I pass around the bag and have people pick their favorite. I have them look at it, smell it, and do whatever else it takes to bring their craving levels up. Then I ask for a few volunteers who want to work live onstage to reduce those cravings.
I first ask the volunteers to describe the intensity of their craving on a 0-to-10 scale—and what, in particular, they are feeling or noticing about the candy or chocolate. I immediately get answers like this:
“The craving is a 10. It smells so good . . . can I have a little bite? I love Snickers, and I’m so hungry!”
“It’s an 8. I didn’t eat much at lunch, and this would really fill me up.”
We all have some more laughs, as it becomes obvious that the volunteers are desperate to eat these treats!
And then we begin some very general tapping, and we tap through the points for several rounds.
This generally dulls the edge of the craving—that almost crazed desire for the food—and it’s what you can use yourself whenever you’re having a craving. Start with the most general and basic tapping to calm the body down. The next question I usually ask is, “If there was an emotion behind this craving, what would it be. If we don’t get to the root of the craving, to what’s causing it in the first place, it’s likely to come back a few hours or days later. Sure, you can tap it down each time. But why not handle the emotion right up front and get rid of the craving once and for all?
As people tune in to the emotions behind the craving, that’s when the laughter often turns into tears. Many of us use food to suppress or dampen negative emotions, events, and the overall stress in our lives.
As my friend Carol Look likes to say, “It’s not about the food!” The food is covering up or masking what’s really going on underneath. When you address the underlying patterns, emotions, events, and beliefs, that’s when your relationship with the food can shift toward something much more healthy.
Now, catch the Gab with the Gurus Show with Nick Ortner, who discusses the wonders of tapping.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gabwiththegurus/2013/04/24/nick-ortner-on-the-tapping-solution/scrub/120

Embrace Cravings as Your Allies, Not Enemies

Are you hit by cravings in the morning, afternoon, and night, as well as in between?
How-to-fight-sugar-cravingsAnd do you detest when your cravings for sugar, carbs or something rich get the best of you? Especially when the number on the scale keeps getting higher?
What if you changed your attitude about your cravings?
What if instead of dreading them, you welcomed them and even invited them in?
Just think how much easier your relationship with food would be if you embraced your cravings as your allies!
You want to welcome your cravings, because they’re giving you valuable messages. And once you decode your cravings, you’ll be able to give yourself what you really want.
Confused? Discover 20 messages your cravings may be telling you.
Just read my new article on Heal Your Life, “Craving Sugar and Carbs? Make them your allies instead!”

Sugar Freedom Now Course: Join Us Now

Today, it’s my pleasure to share with you the new artwork for my Sugar Freedom Now Course.
This is the companion program to my new book, Beyond Sugar Shock, which you can pre-order now from Amazon and get in a few days!
Special thanks to talented Enrique Brooks, who was referred by my wonderful Facebook friend, Lynnis Woods- Mullins II.
What do you think of this new design? I’d love to hear what you think.
By the way, the next Sugar Freedom Now Course begins next Thursday, May 17.
If you act fast, you can join us this week and get in at the early bird rate. So join us now.

Praise for Beyond Sugar Shock: Thank You Dr. Dyer, Dr. Amen, Brian Tracy & More!

Buzz is now quickly building for my upcoming book, Beyond Sugar Shock, thanks to 43 (so far) acclaimed thought leaders and distinguished health leaders, including Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, Brian Tracy, Dr. JJ Virgin, Dr. Christiane Northrup.
I’m so honored, grateful, and humbled that so many amazing wellness experts, empowerment gurus, and even fellow sugar-educators have come on board to endorse Beyond Sugar Shock, which I wrote to help you sugar addicts and carb addicts easily and effortlessly let go of your sugar and carb addiction.
In this Hay House book — which is officially published June 1 but you can order now on Amazon and get your copy within days — I gently take you by the hand and bring you along on a fun, compassionate six-week Mind-Body-Spirit adventure so you can easily release your sugar addiction using a variety of simple, but powerful tools and tips.
By book’s end, you’ll be leading — that’s my goal — a life that’s sweeterlicious (the word I coined to convey sweeter, delicious, scrumptious, luscious, and sensuous).
JoshuaRosenthalBeyond Sugar Shock has a foreword from one of my mentors, Joshua Rosenthal, the pioneering founder and director of the remarkable Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the largest nutrition school in the world. (I attended IIN in 2005-2006 and am now a certified health coach.)
Now, here are the endorsements received to date for Beyond Sugar Shock.
Wayne Dyer 614″I have taken the advice and guidance that Connie offers here and used it to reclaim my own well being. We have unknowingly and unwittingly become a nation of addicts, and here in this book you are given a blueprint for living a life of perfect health. Follow the easy-to-apply guidelines, and then you will be able to look in the mirror and say, `I AM finally living a healthy life.’ There is no greater feeling and it is your birthright. You were not designed to walk around in shock. A much needed book. –Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, internationally renowned author and speaker and bestselling author of more than 30 books
BernieSiegel2
“If you are ready to love yourself and your body, abandon the wounds of your past, and free yourself from unhealthy addictions, then read Beyond Sugar Shock. Then, combine the information it contains with your new-found inspiration.” –Bernie Siegel, M.D., author of A Book of Miracles and Faith, Hope & Healing
“We are born loving sugar for its sweetness and its ability to help us store up fat for lean times. Times are no longer lean for most and too much sugar is ruining our health and our lives. Beyond Sugar Shock gives you everything you need to bring more sweetness and health into your life….. without the risk of sugar!” — Christiane Northrup, M.D., ob/gyn physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers:Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause (Photo above)
Daniel-amen“Sugar is NOT good for your brain. It increases erratic brain cell firing, promotes inflammation and is clearly addictive. Beyond Sugar Shock can help you get sugar out of your life and replace it with health and vitality. It is a powerful program full of easy tips and tactics.” –Daniel G. Amen, M.D., bestselling author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, Magnificent Mind at Any Age, and Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Get Your Sweet Success Gifts Now

Today, you can order new book, Beyond Sugar Shock, which you’ll receive on Monday from Amazon.
In honor of my book becoming a reality after holding various incarnations of my Sugar Freedom Now Course for 10 years, I’m now offering you a series of fun Sweet Success Gifts.
In these short, audio gifts, you’ll get to listen to former sugar addicts tell you about their lives when they were hooked on sugar.
They’ll even share their rock-bottom moments with you.
Next, you’ll discover how their lives have been remarkably transformed.
Bear in mind that I’m not even asking you to quit sugar yet. I’m just inviting you to discover how your life can become much sweeter just because you’re quitting sweets.
The first short and sweet audio gift features chiropractor and fitness trainer Dawn Strickland, whose remarkable story will wow you, I predict.
You can read more about Dawn on page 75 of Beyond Sugar Shock, which you can pre-order here.

Kick Your Sweet Tooth to the Curb: Thanks to Vital Juice

Do you have a sweet tooth?
Feeling a prisoner to your sugar habit?
Get some help now, thanks to Vital Juice, whose talented editor Maridel Reyes, interviewed me.
Read this package of articles now:
Vital Juice
Sweets Surpise
Kick your sweet tooth to the curb.
How have these sugar articles have helped you?
What’s your biggest Ahah!?
Let Vital Juice know on their Facebook fan page.
Then make sure to share your thoughts on our Facebook fan page, too.