Category: Nutrition News & Tidbits

Sugar Addiction Begone! Kick Sugar With Me This Month

If you’re like many Americans, you want to shed your excess weight so you can fit into your favorite slim outfit, have the trim, toned, sexy body you crave and be healthy.
Just imagine how you’d feel if you had more energy, more cheerful moods and more satisfying relationships.
Envision what your life would look like if you were more productive, thinking more clearly and experiencing a boost in your libido.
All of the above can happen if you eliminate sugar and refined carbs.
But losing weight, getting more energy, concentrating better, becoming happier and having a bigger sex drive are just a few of many benefits you can gain from eliminating sugar, as I pointed out in my book SUGAR SHOCK!
In fact, when I quit sweets and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998, a whopping 44 ailments disappeared and I felt reborn!
But, let’s face it, cutting out sugar or those “culprit carbs” can be challenging for most people.
Let’s face it, you didn’t develop a sugar habit overnight. So let me educate, inspire and guide you to become joyously sugar free.
Kick sugar cartoon Join me Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 pm for my fun, interactive, life-changing free introductory class, “SUGAR SHOCK! Breaking Free of Your Sugar Habit” at the New York Open Center. the largest urban holistic center in the United States.
On that one night, you’ll get some tips and tactics to begin to break free of your sugar habits.
But, as you can imagine, since you’ve probably had a lifetime of being overly attached to sugar, one hour with me is isn’t enough to change your destructive patterns for good.
That’s why I’m also teaching a 4-week course at the New York Open Center, which begins next week, from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.
In this four-week course, I’m sharing proprietary techniques that I developed and which worked for me when I removed sugar from my diet in 1998.
In addition, you’re getting dozens of tips that have helped my clients. Plus, you’ll receive many ideas from a variety of health experts, who kindly shared them with me.
For instance, in my 4-week course at the New York Open Center, you will:
* Discover the 10 reasons people fail when making New Year’s resolutions or when breaking a sugar addiction or other bad habits (what I call babits™).
* Get 7 Smart Starter Strategies so you can conquer your sugar habit for good.
* Find out 5 ways to save money on food and beverages in this economy but still make healthy choices.
* Find out why this course has the wrong title! (But we had to name it “SUGAR SHOCK! Breaking Free of Your Sugar Habit” so you’d know what you’re getting.)
* Receive 50 simple, effective tips and tactics to squash your sugar cravings.
* Get a helpful, comprehensive sugar-free shopping list and sample meal plans.
* Discover what 3 empowering questions to ask yourself whenever sugary foods “call out” to you to stop your destructive cycle.
* Find out how you can use “failing” or being human (i.e., imperfect) to your advantage.
* Have fun discovering tasty, sugar-free desserts.
* Taste delicious sugar-free treats from 2 local chefs.
* Find out which 3 foods can drive away your “sweet tooth.”
* Get educated about 20 cutting-edge research studies, which reveal the dangers of sugars and refined carbs.
* Receive a list of more than 100 ways your sugar habit is killing you.
* Learn how you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, cancer, infertility, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
* Be trained as a “Savvy Sugar Sleuth” so you easily unmask sugar’s many disguises and read food labels in the grocery store.
* Get invited to one complimentary teleseminar. (This is one of many bonuses you get by signing up for my 4-week course.)
* Learn to identify 10 surprising foods that contain hidden sugars.
* Get inspired by successful “Sugar Kickers,” whose sour-to-sweet tales you can listen to at any time via complimentary audio downloads.
* Determine how your sugar habit is harming your health, weight, moods, relationships, work, spirituality and ability to get things done.
* Uncover your 5 “W’s” that drive you to sweets and refined carbs.
(And many more.)

New Year’s Resolutions: 10 Simple Steps to Stick to Them

Now that it’s a new year, are you wondering how how to stick to your new year’s resolutions? I’m here to help you.
In particular, I’d like to serve you if you’re seeking to shed excess weight, to create smart habits and set aside such health-harming habits as over-consuming sugar, coffee or diet soda, as well as procrastinating, smoking, being habitually late, obsessively checking emails or nail biting.
First off, know that you CAN Break Free of Your Bad Habits (what I call “Babits™”) for good.
Wondering why you would want to do that? Well, take the case of sugar. Indeed, as I recounted in my book SUGAR SHOCK!, just after quitting sugar and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998, ALL 44 of my ailments, from crushing fatigue to brain fog, completely disappeared! I was amazed!
You, too, can learn that licking sweets (pun intended) and other health-robbing substances, as well as unproductive habits, can help you to:
* Shed excess weight,
* Get consistent energy,
* Boost your moods,
* Calm you down,
* Become more spiritual and centered,
* Increase your passion and productivity,
* Reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer or hypoglycemia,
* Manage these conditions, if you have them,
* Rev up your libido,
* Reduce your PMS symptoms,
* And so much more!
In short, removing sugar and other negative patterns can help you get a Life That Rocks!™, you leave room for positive activities to fill their place. Here are 10 smart steps, which can help you break free of your babits™ (bad habits) and allow you to replace them with smart habits.
1. Congratulate Yourself. To begin your journey to health and wellness, I invite you to pat yourself on the back. You may wonder why you would want to do that, especially if you’ve spent years abusing your body. You want to applaud yourself, because the mere fact that you’re beginning to look at your sugar addiction or other bad habit is big! The first step to break away from sweets, refined carbs and other babits™ is to NOT beat up on yourself. Granted, you may have gobbled or guzzled high-calorie nutrient-poor sugary foods and drinks over the years, but now is a time to be gentle with yourself, to treat yourself with compassion and to take pride that you’re taking the much-needed first step to treat your body with love and care. Go ahead: Lavish some praise and kudos on yourself now that you’re finally confronting the bad habit that’s been plaguing you—perhaps for years. Share your excitement in your journal or in a heart-to-heart conversation with a loved one. Then imagine that you’re at the starting line of a race like a runner athlete and that you’re ready to make a massive positive shift. Please also remember to acknowledge and celebrate your every little accomplishment. For example, when you make it through a meal without sugary foods, diet soda or caffeine—or if you at least consume less of them—take pride and applaud yourself. After all, each time you make healthier choices, you get closer to more energy, a trimmer body and a better life.
2. Move With Your Mind & Mantra. Before you begin to try to kick your sugar addiction or another babit™, it’s time to embark on Seven Smart Starter Habits (through Step #8) to cement your confidence that good health, inner calm and new patterns await you. That’s because whenever you seek to remove an old habit and replace it with a new one, your work begins before you even try to make changes. In other words, before you begin to “diet” or make important lifestyle changes, you want to convince your mind that you CAN succeed. Begin each day knowing in the depth of your being that you’ve already licked your unhealthy habit. To get both your subconscious and conscious mind to accept that you’ve succeeded—or are on the path to succeeding—create an easy-to-repeat phrase, affirmation or mantra such as “I, [Your Name], choose only nourishing foods and drinks, which keep me slim, toned and healthy.” Repeat your positive statement at least 30 times a day. Make sure to say it in the morning, right after you wake up, and in the evening, before you go to sleep. Repeating it about 10 to 20 times before meals also can help. Back in 1998, when I finally kicked sugar, repeating my mantra enabled me to succeed. Now, my clients find this technique effective, too.

Meatless Monday: Will You Join Us?

Tomorrow, I’m joining the important Meatless Monday campaign.
I now pledge to do my part in 2010 to help reduce meat consumption by 15 percent “in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”
Will you, too, join this important, healthy, fast growing movement, which is a non-profit initiative sponsored in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health?
Of course, you smart, astute, health-conscious readers will have questions. Get answers and learn important information below how going meatless on Monday can improve your health, save gasoline and much more.
What can you eat if you skip the meat?
Get some history about this important program.
Why go Meatless?
Why Monday?
Learn about Movers & Shakers going Meatless.
And find out about Top Meatless Monday Moments in 2009 involving Michael Pollan, the movie Food, Inc., Al Gore, Lou Dobbs, Glen Beck, Laura Ingraham, Kathy Freston and Paul McCartney.

Soft Drinks: Do you REALLY Need Them?

Soda drinkers, beware! You may want to kick your habit immediately after watching this pretty graphic Mercola.com video!
I challenge you! The next time those sugary, bubbly beverages call out to you, ask yourself, “What does my dear body really need?”

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Sour Surprise

Do you eat prepared, processed cereals, breads, pasta, yogurt, tomato sauce, crackers, frozen foods, pickles, canned vegetables or fruits?
If so, then you’re probably consuming a lot of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) without even knowing it.
Did you know that most people who eat processed, packaged foods are consuming a lot of sweeteners, especially high fructose corn syrup?
And did you know that when take in too many sugars, especially HFCS, you can gain weight, as well as develop heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and numerous other life-shortening illnesses?
Learn more about HFCS in a mere three minutes by watching the 3 Minute Ad Age interview I gave last year.
I just found out today that the video interview about HFCS is posted on YouTube so please spread the word to your friends and loved ones.
Find out more about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners by getting my book SUGAR SHOCK!
You also can learn more about HFCS by visiting the new blog, Sweet Disguise, which kindly featured my book and 3 Minute Ad Age Interview today.

In New York on New Year’s Day? Let’s Help Each Other

New Yorkers or people who live near New York City, will you be here on New Year’s Day?
Get tips to break free of your sugar addiction at the JCC in Manhattan on Jan. 1, 2010.
I’d be honored to have the chance to help you achieve extraordinary things.
Would you also be kind enough to help me for 2 to 3 hours on New Year’s Day?
I’m seeking 6 people to help warmly greet attendees at my lecture and/or visitors to my booth.
How will you benefit? In several ways. Read on.
For those of you who live outside New York City, I would be honored to serve you, too.
So please stay tuned, because on Mon., Jan. 11 at 8 p.m., I’m offering a free teleseminar/webinar to help you Break Free of Sugar & Other Bad Habits. (Details will come soon.)
Anyhow, for those of you who will be in New York City, here’s how you’ll benefit from helping me on New Year’s Day.

Deepak Chopra, Dr. Andrew Weil, Etc. Will Inspire You: Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Holiday Gift

I bring you exciting news.
Starting soon, you can get inspired and educated by some of the biggest names in health in wellness all in the comfort of your own home or in the flesh.
You can be motivated and instructed by spiritual guru Deepak Chopra; wellness advocate Dr. Andrew Weil; raw food expert David Wolfe; Dr. Arthur Agatson, the founder of the renowned South Beach Diet; Dr. Joseph Mercola (of Mercola.com); and many other Movers & Shakers in in the fields of health, wellness and nutrition.
Plus, you can have lunch with me in New York — MY treat.
Over lunch, you can quiz me over lunch about sugar, artificial sweeteners, your procrastination situation or whatever else is on your mind.
Plus, I’ll even throw in a complimentary laser coaching session.
Just IMAGINE!
Wouldn’t it be cool to hang out with some of the biggest Movers and Shakers in the field of health and wellness?
Dr. andrew weil. ny And wouldn’t it be fun to have lunch with me and to ask me all your pressing questions about sugar and sugar addiction and whatever else is on your mind?
How can you hang out with all of us?
It’s easy. just sign up for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN).
I’m writing today, because my friends at IIN, the world’s largest nutrition school, are offering my friends and fans a special holiday gift.
If you register now for the coming year, you’ll not only get inspired by such gurus as Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil and David Wolfe, but you can get a special tuition scholarship for $500.
Being in the presence of ALL of these wellness Movers & Shakers is exhilarating. Andy, David, Joe and many more will move you to change your life! (OK, I confess, I didn’t actually hang out with them in a private room. But I got to be in their magnificent presence, and it was thrilling to be in the same space with these remarkable Movers & Shakers!)
You, too, can enjoy the company and information from those AMAZING wellness gurus. They can become YOUR personal guides, too, when you register for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) the IIN curriculum world’s largest nutrition school.
While attending this amazing place, Deepak, Andy, David, IIN founder/executive director Joshua Rosenthal (a man with a vision) and the other incredible speakers can help you learn about good nutrition.
Not only that, but my friends at IIN can help you to look at food in a whole new light.
They also can help you to learn how you can be “reborn” just by choosing the right foods for you that nourish your body and soul.

Sugar Addiction: Get Help to Break Free, Beginning Jan. 5 at the New York Open Center

With the new year coming soon, people often decide that it’s high time to break free of their sugar habit.
And I’m here to help you conquer your habit in early 2010.
Join me on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 6 pm, when you can get inspired and educated during a fun, often-interactive, life-changing free introductory class at the New York Open Center. which is the largest urban holistic center in the United States.
But that isn’t all. You also can sign up for the four-week course at the New York Open Center from Jan. 12 to Feb. 2.
Please note that you get a free gift if you sign up for the Jan. 5 or the 4-week program because of reading about it on this blog.
But first join us for a complimentary introduction on Jan. 5.
In case you’re wondering why you may want to consider kicking sugar, if you do so, you can:
* Lose weight
* Finally feel in control of their habit of consuming sugar and refined carbs
* Feel free!
* Get more energy on a consistent basis
* Become more productive
* Walk your talk by consuming only healthy foods and drinks
* Tap into your spirtuality
* Be unfazed when desserts and sweet snacks abound
* Feel exhilarated and excited about your many projects
* Relish moving your body in a way you’ve never done
* Enjoy more enriching, satisfying relationships
* Boost your libido
* Learn to calmly watch your sugar desires slide away
* And much more
New York Open Center – 04 – Meditation
Here’s the description of the four-week course at the New York Open Center:
Do you “need” a candy bar or soda just to get through the day? Are you yearning to lose weight for good? Would you like to improve your moods, banish brain fog, triple your energy and boost your libido? You can peel off pounds, gain energy and improve your relationships just by kicking sugar and refined carbohydrates. But removing culprit carbs can be challenging.
Join “Smart Habits Girl” Connie Bennett, author of the best-selling book SUGAR SHOCK!, who will show you that breaking free of your sugar habit can be fun, exhilarating and life-changing. In this four-week course, you’ll participate in empowering exercises, eye-opening discussions and coaching scenarios to discover how to identify your tempting triggers and well-meaning saboteurs; how to soothe and nurture yourself in healthy ways; how to use the “5 Ds” to squash your cravings; how to save money on food; what to eat; how to “say no with sass”; if you should quit cold turkey or phase out sweets; how to find hidden sugars; how to release your bingeing-self-loathing cycle; if sugar substitutes are safe; and how to find sweetness naturally.
Hope to see you there! Remember, if you sign up for the course because of learning about it on this blog, you get a free gift from me.

New Year’s Day: Kick Sugar With Me at the JCC in Manhattan

As most of you get ready for your holiday celebrations, I invite you to save the date if you live in or near New York City.
As we know New Year’s Day is when most of us feel compelled to turn over a new leaf.
That’s when a number of us wellness experts in New York City will be around to serve you — to help you become a better, healthier you.
Come hear me live from 1 pm to 2 pm Eastern at JCC of Manhattan so you can kick your sugar habit or other bad habits (or what I call babits™).
Here is more information about my program:
Break Your Sugar Habit & Turn Your Babits™ (Bad Habits) into Blessings to Get a Life that Rocks!
Would you like to release excess weight, get energy and boost your libido? You can do ALL that—and more—by quitting sweets and refined carbs. Get easy tips and exercises you can enjoy as you discover:
* The “5 Ds” to squash sugar cravings anytime
* The 2 types of foods that drive away your “sweet tooth.”
* The truth about sugar substitutes.
* The single biggest mistake people make when trying to change a bad habit
* 3 ways to save money on food.
Hope to see you there. If you come as a result of this blog post, you get a free gift from me so make sure to claim it!
Pre-register now, because the JCC in Manhattan is expecting lots of people.