Blog – Page 21 – Connie Bennett, Your Bounce-Back Boldly Guide™

WHO Recommends Reducing Sugar to Below 5 % of Calorie Intake

The World Health Organization is again urging people to lower sugar consumption.
“We should aim for five per cent [of daily intake] if we can … but 10 per cent is more realistic,” said Dr. Francesco Branco, head of nutrition for health and development for WHO.
Five percent comes to about six to seven teaspoons a day.
Please note that a can of soda probably has more than 10 teaspoons of sugar.)
During a virtual press conference, Dr. Branco discussed the 5 per cent figure. (The independent WHO notes that restricting intake to no more than 10 per cent is also good.)
Please note that these welcome reduce-sugar suggestions are considered only “draft recommendations” — which you can read here.
In fact, these not-yet-final recommendations will probably be contentious. Obviously, food companies won’t like this cut-back-on-sugar advice.
The WHO is inviting public comments until March 31. Then the agency and scientific advisers will finalize the guidance.
The challenge among consumers today, as the WHO points out, is that most sugars consumed today are “hidden” in processed foods and therefore aren’t seen as sweets.
For instance, 1 tablespoon of ketchup can contain 7 grams of sugar. (Divide by 4 to figure out how many teaspoons that is.) “A single can of sugar-sweetened soda contains up to 40 grams (around 10 teaspoons) of sugar,” the WHO points out.
“Sugar … might become the new tobacco in terms of risk,” Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of Nutrition for Health and Development for the WHO, said during the the virtual press conference.
Those sugars you can’t see are, in fact, the biggest cause of alarm for those of us who advocate reducing sugar.
As the WHO observes, these hidden sugars are in condiments, sauces and more.
The WHO has been urging people to limit sugar calories to less than 10 per cent of their daily calories, but the 5 per cent target is new.
Dr. Branco was particularly concerned about pop drinks and children.
“An average serving at a fast food place of sugar-sweetened soda … approaches 30 grams of sugar per serving,” noted Branco. “That already exceeds the recommended daily serving for a child.”
See the transcript here.
Kudos again to the WHO for the superb advice. The research is irrefutable that cutting back on added sweeteners can benefit your moods, concentration, weight, and health, including sex drive.
What do you think? How much added sugars should people have and how much do you have? Weigh in here with your amount.

“Sajna” by AR Rahman, with Michael Bolton: Bet You Can’t Listen Just Once!

I have a challenge for you.
Bet you can’t listen to just once.
Yes, I’m intentionially sounding like a certain quickie-carbs food commercial a few years back.
What I mean is that you will NOT be able to listen just once to to the beautiful tune, “Sajina.”
This upliftning tune — from the talented Indian composer singer-writer A. R. Rahman and sung by Michael Bolton on his “Gems: The Duets Collection” album — is so cheerful.
What a nice way to end a tough week, which brought major challenges working since I had a super-sluggish computer that flat-out wouldn’t function for several days. That meant I couldn’t work much.
Isn’t it curious that my computer became overloaded and overworked — had to clean out 15,000 messages! — at the same time that my body pooped out on me? Interesting!
Get uplifted now by Sajina with Michael Bolton, with lyrics by AR Rahman.
What are your experiences? I just can’t gvet enough of this tune!
What a wonderful dance melody, especially when the outdoors rain makes you want to stay indoors.
Watch Michael Bolton sign the melody, with A.R. Rahman watching.
Get the lyrics here.
FYI, sajina means “beloved.”
Did this song make you dance? We’d love to hear more. Tell us in one to three words how you felt after listening to ‘Sajina.”
Isn’t it better to not be able to get enough of a great tune than chips, crackers or cookies?

Are You Confused About What to Eat?

Are you confused about what’s healthy to eat?
You’re in good company, according to talented journalist Gary Taubes, who reveals Why Nutrition is So Confusing in his recent New York Times article.
Join the Conversation. Are you flummoxed by Nutriton Confusion? Talk to us. Post here what most confuses you.

Pam Grout on E-Squared & The Power of Your Thoughts

The inspiring Pam Grout, author of the New York Times bestseller E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality, is my guest on this week’s Gab with the Gurus Showt.
Grout — the author of 16 books, three plays, a TV series, and two iPhone apps, as well as a contributor to People Magazine, CNNgo.com, and The Huffington Post andcreator of the GeorgeClooneySleptThere blog — will discuss what led her to create nine do-it-yourself energy experiments, which prove that you shape your life with your mind.
On this Gab with the Gurus Show, Pam Grout will share with listeners:
How there is an invisitible energy force or field of infiniite possibilities.
Why you can compare God to electricity.
How to let the universe do the heavy lifting or why “the how” is not up to you.
How your connection to the field provides accurate and unlimited guidance.
What she does every morning as a spiritual practice.
The importance of gratitude.
Why she wrote this book about energy and spirituality.
Some of the biggest myths about God.
The importance of making your dreams a reality fun.
How your thoughts and consciousness impact matter.
Listeners will be invited to conduct their own nine. 48-hour experiments to prove there really is a positive, loving, totally hip force in the universe and then report back here on their successes.
Tune into this Gab with the Gurus show live at 5 pm PST, or later, at your convenience. Please spread the word about this show to your friends and colleagues..
More Health Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Gab With the Gurus on BlogTalkRadio

Too Much Sugar Can Kill You, Research Shows

Need another reason to kick sugar — other than that all those cookies and candies can make you fat?
Let me dish the facts to you blluntly:
Too much sugar can kill you.
That’s the conclusion of a new research study, published in the reputatble Journal of the American Medical Assocation.
The study found that Americans consume too much sugar and that their exess intake can lead to cardiovascular disease and death.
Now watch the CNN story about this study.
Wondering if the authors of this study can be trusted? Check out their impeccable credentials.
Quanhe Yang, PhD1; Zefeng Zhang, MD, PhD1; Edward W. Gregg, PhD2; W. Dana Flanders, MD, ScD3; Robert Merritt, MA1; Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD4,5
1Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
2Division of Diabetes Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
3Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
4Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
5Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
Are you ready to at least consider quitting the dangerous sweet stuff? Join the conversation. What do you think after learning that Sugar Can Kill You? Post your comment now.
Beyond Sugar Shock_RGBConnie Bennett is a former sugar-addicted journalist and author of the bestselling books, Sugar Shock, which was praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed by Dr. Wayne Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, and Dr. Christiane Northrup. In 1998, after Connie quit sugar on doctor’s orders, all 44 of her baffling ailments vanished, including brain fog, depression, mood swings and severe PMS. For more than 15 years, Connie—who is acclaimed as The Sugar Freedom Guide—has helped thousands of sugar and carb addicts worldwide discover that Life is Sweeter When Sugar Doesn’t Seduce You™. Subscribe to her popular Sugar Shock Blog and like her on Facebook.

Did White Bread Make this Bird Fat? Sugar Shocker

Lately, one of my favorite things to do is watch the ocean waves and sunsets.
But today, I couldn’t stop watching a bird that weighs far more than his flying coutnerparts.
This sight is not uncommon in an area where obviously nutritionally illerate- passers-by feed these poor birds scraps of white bread and other processed scraps..
White bread or refined starches such as white rice, white pasta and other foods from white flour — act much like sugar once your body starts to digest them.
In short, as Michael Pollan so eloquently put it in Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual,”The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.” Pollan was quoting some cross-cultural grandmotherly advice, which suggests, as he put it, that “as far as the body is concerned, white flour is not much different from sugar.”
It’s “little more than a shot of glocse,” Pollan explains.
Is it any wonder that this bird is overweight — or is it obese?
By the way, this bird also was somewhat lazy — it let me get very close before it darted (barely flew) off to a nearby rock.
On the other hand, his or her fellow birds do lots more flying and swooping.
So sad that we’re harming these poor birds.
Join the conversation. What do you think? Is this bird fat because we humans made it that way? Post your comment here.

Sugar Shocker! Can You Believe It? Under Lock and Key

Since 1998, while quitting sugar on doctor’s orders, the subject has astounded and enthralled me. In short, I’ve been absolutely astonished by a variety of Sugar Shockers! Today begins a new Sugar Shocker! feature, which I’ll post from time to time. As you may know, I included a variety of Sugar Shockers in my first book, Sugar Shock (2007). Here’s the first such entry.
SUGAR SHOCKER!It’s hard to believe, but as William Dufty recounts in his landmark book, Sugar Blues, refined white sugar was locked up back in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe and America.
At the time, the substance was so expensive (the equivalent of about $30 a pound or a year’s salary for the average working man) that it was considered a delicacy reserved for the very wealthy, and the nobility certainly didn’t want their servants stealing such an exorbitantly expensive substance.
To this day, Unani healers or hakims in Afghanistan reportedly keep sugar under lock and key, believing it to be a narcotic.
Excerpted from my book, Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life — And How You Can Get Back on Track (p. 133).
If you know of any Sugar Shockers, please let me know so I can feature it on this Sugar Shock Blog.
Join the convversation. What do you think about this Sugar Shocker? Tell us now.

Tasty, Sugar-Free, Cacao-Cado Frozen Treat: Guess What’s In it & Win My Book, Beyond Sugar Shock

Read below to learn how to win a copy of my most recent book, Beyond Sugar Shock. Just guess what to create the tasty, frozen treat shown below..
Often, when people discover that I’ve been sugar-free for nearly 16 years, they’re alarmed, worried, and overcome by fear.
Mostly, people are worried that they’ll have to go without tasty desserts?
Their voices just exude anxiety and apprehension.
“Connie, yes, I know I should kick sugar, but I just don’t want to go without ice cream or frozen yogurt!”
Now, I bring you fabulous news.
You can now easily go sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, agave-free and artifiical sweetener-free and still be able to eat the most delectable dessert.
Not only that, but your dessert will be chock full of nutrients, minerals, anti-oxidants and other good stuff.
Thanks to the amazing, simple-to-use Dessert Bullet, you can easily make your own tasty, frozen treat. (FYI, I get no money for telling you about this cool product.)
Just check out the Tasty, Sugar-Free, Cacao-Cado Frozen Treat I created in about 5 minutes for an afternoon snack! Yummy!
Photos 1-30-14 018
Can you believe my delectable dessert had sugar sugar, no agave, no honey, no dairy, no gluten and no artificial sweetener? Tough to imagine, right?
Let’s have some fun now.
If you accurately guess exactly what I put in this delectable dessert, I will personally give you a signed copy of my most recent book, Beyond Sugar Shock.
Join the conversation. What ingredients do you think I used to create my Tasty, Sugar-Free, Cacao-Cado Frozen Treat? Post your thoughts now.
The deadline to post your ideas is next Thursday, Feb. 15. Share your thoughts now.

Make Yummy, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Sorbet, Thanks to the Dessert Bullet

Do you you crave ice cream or sorbet but are frustrated because you just can’t find any frozen desserts that are s healthy — I mean, really healthy as in organic, no sugar, no dairy, no gluten, no agave, no added sugars and no artificial sweeteners?
Wouldn’t it be nice to easily, quickly get delectable, healthy frozen dessert that’s:organic, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, low in calories and carbs and containing no artificial sweeteners, honey or other sweeteners?
I know that’s a pretty tall order, but you can actually quickly make this delicious dessert all by yourself, thanks to the amazing new contraption, the Dessert Bullet.
For instance, to your left is a photo I took of last night’s after-dinner dessert, Organic, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Raspberry Sorbet. (I added some unsweetened shredded coconut. Oh, and I placed the dessert on top of my wonderful Zeolite Earth Energy Plate from VibesUp )
I just love my new culinary gadget. Yesterday, I went to a local Bed Bath and Beyond to get my Dessert Bullet. (I didn’t want to wait it to arrive via mail even though it comes with a cookbook.)
Photos – 1-14-14 002Now, you can see today’s Frozen Blueberry Dessert, which I enjoyed for a late afternoon snack after having an organic hard-boiled egg. All I used to make this dessert were frozen blueberries (1 cup). Then I topped the dessert with some cinnamon, shredded coconut and some cacao nibs.
I love this invention! It’s great for those of us, who seek to eat healthily but are frustrated, because we can’t ever have sorbet or ice cream when dining out.
Wow, I can even make chocolate ice cream with this recipe! (I would divide it up into three portions so as not to take in too many carbs at once.)
Full Disclosure: I’m NOT being paid by the Dessert Bullet to mention this product, which I purchased last night at Bed Bath and Beyond in my area. I just like to share great products from time to time with readers. Learn about another great find, too, the NoOodle and The Miracle Noodle.
Join the Conversation: If you buy this incredible gizmo, what will you make first?

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