Author name: Connie Bennett

Connie Bennett is a former carbs-addicted journalist, health coach, and bestselling author of I Blew My Diet! Now What?, Sugar Shock, and Beyond Sugar Shock.

Blood Sugar Blues, Comments, Rants, Raves & Musings, Tantalizing Tidbits

Mom Berated & Fined $10 for Not Giving Child Grains

Have you heard about the Mom, who was berated and then fined $10 for not including grains in her child’s school lunch?
Seriously! A mother had to fork over $10, because she didn’t add gluten to her kid’s allegedly healthy lunch.
To make the lunch more well-rounded, the school then added some gluten-filled Ritz Crackers.
Ritz CrackersI’m saddened, appalled, and disheartened to discover that children — many of whom may be allergeic or sensitive to gluten, grains and sugar — may be encouraged to eat the very foods that they should avoid.
Admittedly, this is only one such instance (and overseas, too), but I believe this incident exemplifies the problem worldwide.
Both adults and children here in the United States and abroad are often being brainwashed or programmed to eat potentially dangerous, processed grains.
Small wonder then that millions of children and adults worldwide are suffering from obesity, type 2 diabetes and early death.
To learn about the dangers of gluten on your brain, I invite you to listen to this recent Gab with the Gurus Show, during which I interviewed Dr. Perlmutter, author of the bestselling book, Grain Brain.: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar — Your Brain’s Silent Killers.
Listen now at your convenience.
New Health Internet Radio with Gab With the Gurus on BlogTalkRadio
Special thanks: I’m very grateful to Weighty Matters, Boing Boing,, as well as Mark Freuenfelder and Dr. David Perlmutter, for the heads-up about this sad carb catch.
Join the Conversation
What do you think of the fact that a school fined a mom for not giving he child grains for lunch?
Post your thoughts here.

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Crush Your Cravings

Rubbed Kale with Butternut Squash (Sugar-Free Recipe)

Since December is Winter Squash & Tomato Month, I’m pleased to present you a Tasty Sugar-Free Recipe for Rubbed Kale with Butternut Squash from the San Francisco-based Paulding & Co.
Please note that Sugar-Free Recipes will now be a regular feature on this Sugar Shock Blog, because readers and many health-conscious people often want wonderful recipes for sugar-free dishes that contain NO added sugars, NO agave, NO evaporated cane juice, NO maple syrup, NO honey, etc.
Winter Squash Month Recipe
Rubbed Kale with Butternut Squash
Yield: 12-15 servings
1 butternut squash, about 3 lbs. (also great with Red Kuri squash if you can find it, or kabocha squash, neither of which have to be peeled)
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 bunch very fresh kale
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oi
Sauce:
1/8 cup coarsely chopped fresh ciilantro
/8 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 large garlic clove (minced)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
Salt to taste
2-3 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350°F. Top and tail the squash, halve it crosswise, put each piece flat-side down on the cutting board, and peel with a sharp chef’s knife.
Remove the seeds with a spoon, and cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Place in a large bowl, toss with the 2 tablespoons olive oil and season lightly with salt & freshly ground pepper.
Spread on a parchment-paper covered sheet pan. Roast 20-25 minutes, until the squash is tender and starting to brown. While the squash roasts, strip the kale from it’s ribs (easy to do by just running your fingers along the rib on both sides, bottom to top), wash it well, and cut into fine ribbons.
Mix with the olive oil in a large bowl, and rub and massage the kale until it softens, about 2 minutes.
Make the sauce by combining the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse to puree to a sauce consistency.
Combine sauce with the softened kale. Toss the hot squash with the sauce and kale, and serve.
Paulding lotoThis recipe is shared with you, courtesy of Paulding & Co. Founded by the mother-daughter duo Terry and Tracy Paulding, this San Francisco-based company specializes in creating innovative event ideas for families and corporate entities through public cooking classes and exercises.
Connie’s Disclosure: Please note that I have not yet tried this recipe although it sounds fabulous, and I am not getting any compensation for posting this recipe. I urge you to share it with friends.
FYI, what’s wonderful about this dish is that you can serve it warm or cold. This means you can cook more than you’ll need and have a tasty dish for a couple of days afterwards.
Playwork (my wrord for homework): Try this recipe, and please let Sugar Shock Blog readers about your experience. How did it taste? What was it like to cook it? How did it taste? What did your loved ones think?
Wnat to contribute a healthy, wholesome Sugar-Free Recipe?
Please note that all Sugar-Free Recipes posted on this Sugar Shock Blog contain NO gluten, NO added sugars — that means NO agave, NO honey, NO maple syrup, NO other added sweeteners, etc. All recipes will only contain naturally occurring sugars. The recipes also will NOT contain dairy. To create these dishes, youi’re urged to use organic foods (preferably from your local farmer’s market, Whole Foods or another health food store). Got a tasty Sugar-Free Recipe? Contact us now. We’d love to feature your contribution.

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Sweet Stuff

Sweet Sunsets to Savor

Are you feeling anxious, stressed out, frazzled?
Rather than let your worries overcome you, I invite you to instead take a quick antidote.
Breathe in two times. Now, take 15 seconds to relish these sunset photos I took recently.
As I mentioned last week, Sweet Sunsets to Savor is a new Sugar Shock blog feature, for which I’ll post some shots I’ve taken during the previous week.
You may be wondering what the connection is to health and wellness. A lot.
By giving you soothing photos to enjoy, you’ll come closer, I hope, to realizing that that seductive sweets, cunning carbs, and other junk foods just don’t have the entirement of nature in all its splendor.
Sunset 12-4-13 015As youi gaze at these photos, I encourage you to come up with your own meaningful connection.
What I’m finding intriguing about my new hobby is that as I did with sugary foods, I’m becoming more and more hooked on my special time on the beach at sunset.
But watching sunsets is a darn healthy addiction!
Sunset has become my favorite time of day, one that feels splendid and sacred. What a huge relief watching calm sunsets are, after my utteerly grueling Bittersweet Last Year with Mom.
Photos 12-11-13 053
Remember you can catch more Sweet Sunsets to Savor here.
Photos 12-11-13 046
Question: When was the last time you took time out to watch a sunset? Where was it? What happened to you when you watched it? We’d love to hear your sunset stories.

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