I totally forgot to announce that I recently (on April 15) celebrated 17 years sugar-free.
Isn’t that entertaining — that eating healthy is so second nature to me that I simply overlooked my 17 years anniversary of being sugar-free, well, mostly.
Learn now about at least 7 Benefits from Being Sugar-Free.
Which of these seven reasons most appeals to you?
Talk to us. Will you join me in making a donation to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation?
I hope you had a wonderful, grateful Thanksgiving.
On Cyber Monday — or any day, for that matter — I invite you to make a donation to a worthwhile organization while you buy your holiday gifts.
HSFIn fact, i invite you to join me in donating to the worthwhile, non-profit Hypoglycemia Support Foundation.
Why am I encouraging you to donate to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation?
Because this organization does amazing work to educate people about hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
This is a condition, which can manifest some 125 symptoms, including headaches, mood swings, heart palpitations, mental confusion (brain fog), excessive fatigue, anxiety, brain fog, cold hands and feet, and Crazy Sugar Cravings.
I personally have greatly benefited from the Hypoglyemia Support Foundation.
In fact, back in 1998, when I learned that I had hypolgycemia or low blood sugar, Roberta Ruggiero, founder and president of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation, helped me so much!
Indeed, thanks to Roberta’s unwavering support, encouragement, and patient explanations, I was able to follow my doctor’s orders to kick sweets and quickie carbs, to take back my health and to say farewell to 44 baffling ailments.
You’ve never met a woman more dedicated than Robera, who has been steadfastly dedicated for 34 ears to help people learn about hypoglycemia, which has been dubbed the “Great Imitator,” because people with this condition can manifest ailments that confuse medical professionals.
Did you know, for instance, that if you have hypoglycemia, your doctor can wrongly diagnose you for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, neurosis, migraines, Parkinson’s syndrome, chronic bronchial asthma, paroxysmal tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), rheematoid arthritis, cerebral arteriosclerosis (hardening of the brain’s arteries), menopause, mental retardation, alcoholism, hyperactive disorder, and even senility.
To learn more about the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation and its founder Roberta Ruggiero, listen to last year’s Gab with the Gurus Show, when I interviewed Roberta for my 15 years off sugar celebration. In this show, we share secrets to staying sugar-free.
Check Out Health Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Gab With the Gurus on BlogTalkRadio
Now, I invite you to make a donation to the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation.
Feel free to say that Connie sent you.
CB – pink shirtWho is Sugar Shock Blog founder Connie Bennett? Connie is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist. After quitting sugar on doctor’s orders in 1998, ALL 44 of her baffling, crippling ailments (brain fog, PMS, headaches, etc.) vanished, and she became “reborn.” For the past 16 1/2 years, Connie has helped thousands worldwide release their sugar addiction and Get a Sweeter Life that Rocks™. She is the acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide, Bounce-Back-to-Your Best Body™ coach, a transformational speaker, sugar and carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed Beyond Sugar Shock_RGBby Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, and many others. Her first book, Sugar Shock, was praised by such respected people as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Connie is now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. She is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions blindsided by Crazy Cravings™ after a major loss (such as the death of a loved one, divorce, or end of a job) or another life-changing event. Get free gifts at www.Connie-Bennett.com
Are you what I call a Sweet Success Story? Share your tale now.
Happy people Have you shed excess weight, eliminated your horrible headaches, gotten rid of your pre-cancerous condition, or done away with another pesky health problem by kicking or cutting back on sugar, refined carbs and other high-glycemic foods such as corn nuts, potato chips, and French fries?
In short, are you now slimmer, happier, and sexier?
In other words, have you discovered the power of life without all those super-sweet or quickie-carb foods?
Do you now Enjoy Living Sweeter Naturally™?
If you’re a Sweet Success Story, we may want to tell your story to inspire others.
As you may already know — or your friends do — quitting sugary foods and rapidly processed carbohydrates (what I also call “culprit carbs”) can speed you on your weight loss journey.
Not only that but cutting out the culprit carbs can help you overcome a variety of health challenges, as thousands of people — whom I call “Sugar Kickers” or “Carb Kickers” — have been gleefully sharing with me for 16-plus years since I quit the dangerous carbs on doctor’s orders.
Readers of this Sugar Shock Blog love inspiring tales such as yours.
We’d like to hear from you if you’ve had a drastic health improvement by cutting out sugar, quickie carbs, gluten, dairy or artificial sweeteners.
If you’re a Sweet Success Story — whether you lost weight, got more energy, improved your moods or got your diabetes under control — we want to consider sharing your tale here.
Remember, by sharing your story, you’ll be able to inspire, motivate, and encourage people from around the world.
Wondering what I mean? Read some motivational Sweet Success Stories shared here previously:
Fellow blogger Jimmy Moore. (Catch our interview on my Gab With the Gurus Show, too.)
Jaime Jackson
Felicia DesRosiers
Karly Pitman
Are you what I call a Sweet Success Story? Share your tale now. (Please submit info using the format used above, and we’ll get back to you.)
CB – pink shirtWho is blog founder Connie Bennett? Connie is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist. After quitting sugar on doctor’s orders in 1998, ALL 44 of her baffling, crippling ailments (brain fog, PMS, headaches, etc.) vanished,, and she became “reborn.” Now, 16 1/2 years later, Connie is devoted to helping people Get a Sweeter Life that Rocks™. She is the acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide, Bounce-Back-to-Your Best Body™ coach, a transformational speaker, sugar and carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed Beyond Sugar Shock_RGBby Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, and many others, and Sugar Shock, which was praised by such respected people as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. She’s now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. She is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions, who are blindsided by Crazy Cravings™ and overpowering emotions after the death of a loved one, a divorce or breakup, moving, losing a job, or another life-changing event. Get free gifts at www.Connie-Bennett.com
Please let us know how you’re doing. What are your favorite ways to get back on track?
Halloween_funny_pic_07-400x300If you’re like millions of Americans, yesterday, you overdosed on candies, in large part, because Halloween is a sanctioned National Sugar Overload Day.
For years now — ever since 1998, when I kicked sugar on doctor’s orders — on The Day After Halloween, I hear from frustrated, disappointed, Sugar Shocked people, who want to know how to Get Back on Track.
For instance, today, a determined Christie wrote to say:
“I’m ready to kick sugar again…..again!!! Ready to sleep better at night, have more energy during the day, and have the brain fog lifted!”
If you, like millions of Americans, pigged out on Halloween candies, you’re probably reeling from Sugar Shock — which means you may be feeling dizzy, headachy, sluggish, irritable or wiped out.
Since you’re not feeling so great, here are 6 easy ways to help you Rebound After Relapse™, as I call it,
1. Drink plenty of water. That, of course, you probably know. Add some lemon, too, if you can.
2. Ditch the Sweet Stuff or Hide it in Your Car Trunk. Please don’t keep leftover candies in your home. Temptation can lead to one bite, which, of course, can lead to many more.
Now, if you’d rather not be restrictive with your kids because you feel that they’ll then want more candies, then ration them out. Let your childreen have 2 small candies per day. Then hide the rest in your car trunk or another place that’s not easily accessible.
3. Treat Yourself to Nutritions Meals.
Given that yesterday you tricked yourself, today’s the day to treat yourself with nourishing meals. Think quality protein (free-range chicken, fish, etc.), healthy fats (like a little olive drizzled over your dinner), and quality carbs (a salad and veggies).
4. Savor Sweet Potato & Sweeten with Cinnamon.
If you find yourself craving something sweet today — which can be expected — try sprinkling some cinnamon on a cooked sweet potato or pumpkin. Not only is this combo yummy, but cinnamon, as a 2007 study showed, may lower your blood sugar after meals, (See the actual study here.) You also can add a dash of olive oil or flax oil, which makes your dish quite tasty. In fact, you can make this your dessert.
5. Sniff Away Your Cravings & Stress.
Since today, you may be feeling especially stressed since you ate a lot of sugar-filled candies, try dabbing on some lavender, which research shows can diminish stress, which is a prime trigger for food cravings. The various chemicals in lavender — such as Linalol, linalyl acetate, geranyle, eucalyptol, pinene, limonene, cineole, phenol, coumarins, and flavonoids — work together by “ stimulating smell receptors in the nose, which then send messages through the nervous system to the limbic system.” That’s “the part of the brain that controls emotions,” according to The Mayo Clinic.
6. Join fitness and nutrition expert JJ Virgin, for for another livestream event with top health experts.
JJ, whose new book, The Sugar Impact Diet, comes out next week, is following up her previous event on Thursday. Today, she’ll speak to cultured foods expert Donna Gates, along with nutritionist Christa Orecchio and Dr. Nalini Chilkov,, who will discuss sugar’s connection to cancer.
A very special thanks to YouOffendMeYouOffendMyFamily.com for this entertaining graphic.
Personal Note from Connie: As you may know, I’m home now with a nasty flu, but I really wanted to help you Get Back on Track after Halloween whille I rest.
Please let us know how you’re doing. What are your favorite ways to get back on track?
Today’s Halloween, a day that really spooks me.
The reason Halloween frightens me is because it’s a sanctioned and heavily promoted National Sugar Overload Day. (That’s what I call it.)
Tonight, during and after trick-or-treating throughout their neighborhoods, millions of kids — and their parents — will be stuffing their faces with candies galore.
But candies don’t just grab our attention on this one night alone.
Tomorrow and in the coming days, both youngsters and kids will be gorging on candies.
Worse still, Halloween kicks off an entire two-month Season of Mindless Sugar Gorging.
This is utterly frightening, because when you overdose on candies and other sweets, you’re speeding towards obesity, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes—and an early death.
Today, I’d planned to present an exciting special Gab with the Gurus Halloween show. My guests were High Voltage (Kathie Dolgin), author of The Sugar Savvy Solution, and Barry Friedman, founder of 30 Days Sugarfree.
Alas, I had to cancel the Gab with the Gurus Show since I’m sick with a nasty cold/flu and need my rest. Instead, I invite you to watch this video with me, thanks to Chris Morrow for iCNN.
CB – pink shirtAbout Sugar Shock Blog Founder Connie Bennett: Connie Bennett is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist, whose 44 baffling ailments completely vanished in 1998 after she quit sugar and quickie carbs on doctor’s orders. For the past 16-plus years, the energetic, charismatic, self-mocking Sweet Freedom Guide™ has been sharing The Sour Scoop about Sweets™ and helping people worldwide Get a Sweeter Life that Rocks™. Connie is a transformational speaker, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling author of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed by many leaders such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin, Brian Tracy, John Assaraf, and High Volltage (Kathie Dolgin). Her first bestselling book, Sugar Shock, was praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Christiane Northrup and many more. Connie is now planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature 29 of the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, and weight loss, etc. She is also completing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™, which will help millions to Rebound After Relapse™, after they’ve been walloped by the death of a loved one, divorce, moving, financial loss or another life-changing event. Stay in touch at Sugar Shock Blog updates here.
Please note that the exciting first Sugar World Summit, was originally scheduled to begin today, two weeks before Halloween, has been delayed.
I’ll announce a new date shortly.
So please rest assured, those of you who’ve written to me concerned that you’ve missed out on the many exciting programs, which will feature the biggest names in sugar education and addiction, relapse prevention, mindful eating, compassion, etc.
The Sugar World Summit is still happening. In fact, my team and I are deep into planning it.
JJ Virgin Sugar Impact DietSo why did we delay the first Sugar World Summti?
A bit of history is in order.
Many months ago, I excitedly scheduled the first Sugar World Summit to begin today, exactly two weeks before Halloween, the biggest candy-eating day in the United States — a day I dub Halloween National Sugar Overload Day.
This Sugar World Summit was timed to coincide with my big comeback.
After three years, I’d finally recoveried from My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, which had left me TAGGED (Traumatized, Abused, Gripped by Grief and Emotionally Devastated)..
Thankffully, I’ was now emerging healed and slimmed down after I’d suffered a horribly humiliating and humbling Carb Relapse.
Now emerging triumphant, I was ready now to help millions.
As we got deep into planning the first Sugar World Summit, the biggest names in the field — most of whom I’ve known for years, since before the release of my first book, Sugar Shock in 2006 — agreed to come on board. Our goal was to reach 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide.
But as I kept inviting more and more exciting speakers and reconnecting with health colleagues after three years, I learned about launches by other esteemed experts, all of whom I greatly admire and respect.
These are people I want to support. These are also people, who can help you. It became quickly obvious that the best thing to do was to get out of the way of my colleagues’ launches.
JJ VirginIn particular, after inviting my colleague, the acclaimed nutrition and fitness expert and bestselling author JJ Virgin, to participate in the Sugar World Summit, I discovered that she was launching a new book about sugar, JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet, at about the same time.
That made me immediately rethink the time frame for the Sugar World Summit.
FYI, this is a big week for JJ Virgin. She is now giving away copies of her new book (until they run out).
JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet is an important book, in which JJ takes an original, doable approach to cutting out sweets.
If you missed JJ’s book giveaway — she ran out of books — then go ahead and get her free Sugar Impact Diet 2-Week Cookbook so you can make tasty, sugar-free recipes.
By the way, I’m greatly, greatly indebted to JJ. For about a decade, she’s been supportive of me. Not only did she endorse both of my books, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock, but she helped me get my Lyme disease quickly diagnosed years ago.
Sugar-savvy-bookBack to the Sugar World Summit. Since I wanted to support JJ and other colleagues, it became evident that I needed to move back this important event.
But delaying the Sugar World Summit turns out to be just what this event most needs. Now, the Summit will be much bigger, better and more well organized.
(In fact, I’m very gratefufl to Jeff Walker, the launch guru, whose amazing Product Launch Formula Live conference, which I attended earlier this week, helped me discover many innovative ways to spread the word for the first Sugar World Summit.)
So now I invite you: Learn more about the first Sugar World Summit and the amazing colleagues, who will participate in it.
At present, we’re honored to have received “yeses” from the following movers and shakers. Among those who’ve 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 and author of the new book, JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet: Drop 7 Hidden Sugars, Lose Up To 10 Pounds, Just 2 Weeks
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. (Because of Roberta, I’m here today helping others. More about her later.)
Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., CNS, leading nutritional expert and award-winning New York Times bestselling author, whose books include 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 the new book, Sugar Savvy Solution, 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.
Alexandra Jamieson, a mom and health coach, who helps women listen to their true cravings for pleasure to achieve the body and life they desire and author of the upcoming book, Women, Food and Desire;
“The Sleep Doctor” Michael Breus, Ph.D.
Naturopathic physician Dr. Alan Christianson;
And more… Stay tuned for more names.
Sign up now for this exciting Sugar World Summit.
Fat ChanceStay tuned to get the full and not-so-sweet scoop on how those those tempting sugary “treats” and quickie-carb snacks can damage you bigtime. Our experts will tell you how shoveling sugar and fast carbs into your poor body can make you gain weight and widen your waistline, get frustrating mood swings, find it tough to concentrate, mess up your precious brain, lose interest in sex, develop heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, and even die at an early age.
Now, I urge you to begin to get educated by reading some books about sugar by some of my super-healthy, brilliant colleauges. For example, I invite you to check out Fat Chance by Dr. Robert Lustig; and the new books, Sugar Savvy Solution by High Voltage, and JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet.
Perhaps you’re wondering: “Why would I want to quit or cut back on sugar? It tastes so good!”
Here are some reasons to ditch the sweet stuff and fast-acting carbs. You can:
Easily shed your dreaded excess weight.
Fit into your skinny clothes;
Leave behind your depression and get filled up with good cheer, passion and enthusiasm.
Get enough energy to keep up with your kids or perform well on the job..
Tame Your Crazy Cravings™ (as I call them) for sugary, salty or fatty unreal foods.
Banish your annoying brain fog and 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 awful, debilitating, tough-to-handle female ailments (either PMS or menopause, depending on your time of life.)
And much more.
Sign up now for the upcoming Sugar World Summit. And tell us what you’d like to learn during this event.
CB – pink shirt
About Sugar Shock Blog Founder: Connie Bennett, CHHC, CPC, ACC is a former pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, sugar-addicted journalist and “Ex Sugar Shrew,” whose 44 baffling ailments completely vanished after kicking sugar and quickie carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998. Now, 16 years later, Connie is the acclaimed, energetic, charismatic Sweet Freedom Guide, a transformational speaker, sugar and carb expert, blogger, certified health coach, certified life coach, EFT practitioner, Gab with the Gurus host, and bestselling autho of Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed by many health and empowerment luminaries such as Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Daniel Amen, JJ Virgin. Connie’s first book, Sugar Shock. which was published in 2006, was praised by such acclaimed gurus as Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Now, Connie is planning the first Sugar World Summit, which will feature the biggest names in sugar and carb addiction, recovery, mindful eating, compassion, weight loss, etc. Connie is also finishing her next book, The Bounce Back Diet™: 22 Easy Ways to Rebound After Relapse; Ditch Sugar, Fat or Salt, and Shed Weight for Good. (Working title.) The Bounce-Back Diet — which was inspired by Connie’s embarrassing Carb Relapse after her mother’s traumatic terminal illness and death — can help millions worldwide to slim down and tone up although they’re walloped by Crazy Cravings™ and overpowering emotions following the death of a loved one, a divorce or breakup, moving or another life-changing loss. Make sure to sign up at the Sugar World Summit site to find out about the new dates and speakers.
Have you shed weight, eliminated your horrible headaches, gotten rid of your pre-cancerous condition, or done away with another pesky health problem by kicking or cutting back on sugar, refined carbs and other high-glycemic foods such as corn nuts, potato chips, and French fries?
Kicking those rapidly processed “culprit carbs” is one of the most effective ways to lose weight and overcome a variety of health challenges, as thousands of people — whom I call “Sugar Kickers” or “Carb Kickers” — have been gleefully sharing with me for more than a decade.
We’d also like to hear from you if you’ve had a drastic health improvement by cutting out gluten, dairy or artificial sweeteners,
If you’re a Sweet Success Story — whether you lost weight, got more energy, improved your moods or got your diabetes under control — we want to read your tale her.
By sharing your story, you’ll be able to inspire, motivate, and encourage others.
Wondering what I mean? Read some motivational Sweet Success Stories shared here before:
Fellow blogger Jimmy Moore. (Catch our interview on my Gab With the Gurus Show.)
Jaime Jackson
Felicia DesRosiers
Karly Pitman
Want to tell your story? Contact me now.
Join the Conversation: Does this news excite you, too?
If you find it hard to say no to candies, cookies, chips, it may be because your brain is addicted to them, according to a new study.
In short, your brain is actually hooked on junk food, which, of course, leads to weight gain and obesity and other harmful dieases.
But promising news came out recently, which reveals taht you you can literally ‘reprogram’ your brain so that you not only break your food addictions, but you actually develop a preference for healthier non-fattening foods so you lose weight.
For my part, I’m simply thrilled by this exciting news.
You may wonder, though, is this just too good to be true? Not so!
Some definitive proof this is possible came from a September 2014 study by scientists at Tufts University and Harvard Medical School. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show how the brains of volunteers had been altered during a six-month experiment, during which they forsake high caloric foods for low caloric ones.
Thirteen overweight or obese adults between the ages of 21 and 65 were placed in either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received 19 hour-long support group sessions during the 24 weeks in which they were taught how to use portion-controlled menus and recipe suggestions designed for high-satiety. The foods consumed in this plan were low-glycemic index carbohydrates along with high fiber and high protein (known as the idiet.) FYI, these are the foods I recommend, too, as you can discover in Beyond Sugar Shock.
These foods” have “a slower digestion profile and reduction fluctuations in blood glucose that could reduce hunger,” according to the study. The control group received no such counseling or support.
What’s intriguing is that before the experiment began and six months later, on its completion, all study participants underwent the fMRI scans as they were shown 40 food and 40 non-food images. The foods were half high caloric and half low caloric.
While being scanned, the volunteers rated the desirability of the images they saw on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being undesirable and 4 being extremely desirable. Those who had gone through the six months of intervention measured significantly less response in the striatum region of their brains (an area governing reward processing) when shown the high caloric foods and more responsivity when shown the low caloric images.
It was as if the brain charges they previously got from these foods had been disconnected. They also achieved significant weight loss, whereas the control group lost little weight and still had no control over how their brains craved certain unhealthy foods.
One of the study co-authors, Sai Krupa Das, Ph.D., who is with the United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center, observed how the weight loss program they used with high-fiber, low glycemic foods worked hand in hand with behavior change education to bring about the remarkable changes in weight and brain activity related to cravings.
“The weight loss program is specifically designed to change how people react to different foods, and our study shows those who participated in it had an increased desire for healthier foods along with a decreased preference for unhealthy foods, the combined effects of which are probably critical for sustainable weight control,” according to Dr. Das. “To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of this important switch.”
Sources: “Training your brain to prefer healthy foods.” Tufts University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-09-brain-healthy-foods.html.
“Pilot randomized trial demonstrating reversal of obesity-related abnormalities in reward system responsivity to food cues with a behavioral intervention.” Deckersbach T. Et al. Nutrition & Diabetes. September 2014. http://www.nature.com/nutd/journal/v4/n9/full/nutd201426a.html
iDiet program. https://www.theidiet.com/content/food
Join the Conversation: Does this news excite you, too?
It’s my honor to be included in the Mindful Eating Summit, which is presented this week by my friend and colleague, Susan Albers, Psy.D, author of Eating Mindfully and a Cleveland Clinic psychologist.
For this amazing Mindful Eating Summit, Dr. Albers has interviewed 20 of the world’s top leading eating experts, who share information that you won’t hear anywhere else.
In the Mindful Eating Summit, the experts (of which I’m one) teach you how to boost your nutrition, end mindless overeating, and stop feeling guilty when you eat.
You’ll have a chance to learn tools, strategies and techniques you can apply right now to eat healthier.
Plus, you’ll discover the cutting edge science that is shaping the world of nutrition and how you can apply it right now.
Here are a few of the presenters in the Mindful Eating Conference, all of whom offer their own rich, in-depth perspective on health, wellness and mindfulness:
Dr. Brian Wansink Director of Cornell Food & Brand Lab and best-selling author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
Evelyn Tribole Award-winning registered dietitian an author of Intuitive Eating (co-author)
Dr. Jim Painter Producer of Portion Size Me, a documentary about fast food and health and featured on CBS’s Early Show
Margaret Floyd, author of Eat Naked.
Dr. David Katz, author of Disease Proof and contributor to O, the Oprah Magazine
Dr. Daniel Siegel, Professor of at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center.
Dr. Alan Christianson specializes in natural endocrinology with a focus on thyroid disorders.
Jonathan Bailor, author of The Calorie Myth
Trudy Scott, author of The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution and the upcoming Anxiety Summit in November
And yours truly.
MindfuleatingyouWhen you sign up for the Mindful Eating Summit, you’ll also receive a free ebook, The Emotional Eater’s Tool Kit, so you can start taking charge of your eating right now.
The Mindful Eating Summit is presented by Susan Albers, Psy.D., a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic who specializes in eating issues, weight loss, body image concerns and mindfulness. Dr. Albers conducts mindful eating workshops across the country. She is author of six books about mindful eating, including EatQ: Unlock the Weight-Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence and 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food.
Catch all of our interviews now. Just sign up for the Mindful Eating Summit.
Join the Conversation. When was the last time you confessed something that embarrassing? We want to hear from you. Post your thoughts here.
Last week before heading out of town, I finally made My Big Carb Confession about how, for months after losing my mother and reeling from My Bittersweet Last Year with Mom, I stopped walking my clean-carbs talk.
Bittersweet_banner_final (2)Although in my grief, trauma and anguish, I NEVER had sugar as I had in 1998, suddenly, Crazy Carb Cravings™ pounced on me, and I mindlessly shoveled in movie popcorn, corn nuggets and onion rings.
This week, I wrote a follow-up post to thank prolific blogger and podcaster Sean Croxton for inspiring me to make my Confessions of a Health Expert.
Now, this morning, after continuing to eat only wholesome foods and beverages and cranking up my workout routine, I lost yet another pound.
This was exciting news. I finally hit my previous weight, the one before Mom became terminally ill. Woo Hoo!
Evidently, confessing about my carb relapse so publicly has been quite cleansing.
First, in a post on this Sugar Shock Blogg, I made My Big Carb Confession.
Then, over the weekend, without planning to do it, fueled by courage, I spontaneously admitted to some 100-plus fellow health experts that I’d had a carb relapse. (This was at an amazing event presented by JJ Viirgin, one of the nation’s foremost fitness and nutrition experts and bestselling author of The Virgin Diet.).
Of course, confessing is an important part of most religions, but owning up to my carb “sinning” in such a public way, first on this Sugar Shock Blog and then to other health experts has unleased a tremendous enthusiasm, passon and power in me.
Not only did I shed more weight, but at long last, I finished the preface to my next book, How this Book Came to Be: My Tale of Trauma, Temptation and Triumph.
I’ve been working on this very challenging section of the book for more than a year, and I’ve rewritten it at least dozens of times.
Stay tuned for a blog post to learn How to Break a Weight-Loss Plateau (something I experienced).
And keep a lookout for news about the upcoming Sugar World Summit, which will feature world-renowned experts in health, wellness, sugar and addiction.
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