Tag: Sugar Addiction

An Apple Cider Vinegar Dose a Day Can Keep Your Cravings Away

Join the Conversation. Have you tried the following Cravings Calmer? Let us know if it worked.
If you’re like most women and many men, your overwhelming cravings for sugary, salty or fatty processed foods often taunt you.
At times, you may even feel that those chocolate donuts, onion rings or pretzels are actually calling out to you, “Eat me! Eat me!”
Of course, we both know that such thoughts are prepostrerous. Doesn’t matter.
In fact, for the past 16 years — since I reluctantly quit sugar and refined carbohydrates on doctor’s orders — many sugar or carb addicts have used this exact same language in bemoaning to me that they feel ruled by their urges for “bad foods.”
It’s time for good news. You do not have to be at the mercy of what I call your Crazy Cravings™.
Today, let me share one simple way to calm your cravings.
To begin, let me remind you of an old adage. It’s one many of us were told by our mothers or parental figues. It goes like this: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
Well, thanks to research, I’ve come up with a new twist on this idea. As I put it, “An apple cider vinegar dose a day keeps your cravings away.”
Apple cider vinegar, made from fermented apples, is high in acetic acid, which is why you get that sharp, tangy taste.
This acetic acid helps increase your satiety, which means you get fewer and less severe food cravings for hours after you have consumed apple cider vinegar with a snack or meal.
Let’s now look at a study, which backs up this assertion.
The Scientific Research
Swedish researchers at Lund University found that cravings were significantly lowered in a group of people, who consumed two or three tablespoons of vinegar in water, with a piece of wheat bread compared to group who did not. (Please note that I don’t recommend the bread, because it can rasie your blood sugar levels.) The study used regular vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is better because of its higher acetic acid level and more palatable taste.)
The Simple Steps
Apple Cider Vinegar1) If you feel a craving coming on, before a meal, drink a glass of water mised with one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Because the flavor is so powerful, it’s easier to drink when you add water. The apple cider vinegar I prefer is Bragg’s Liquid Amino.
2) If drinking the diluted liquid is still too potent for you, just add some apple cider vinegar to your salad or other food.
3) Repeat as necessary throughout the day if your cravings persist.
How It Works
The acetic acid in the apple cider vinegar acts on the body’s glucose and insulin responses. This, in turn, increases your satiety (your feeling of fullness).
That’s why you get fewer and less severe food cravings for hours after you’ve consumed apple cider vinegar with your meal or snack.
How It Works: Acetic acid in apple cider vinegar acts on the body’s glucose and insulin responses and this in turn affects satiety.
Join the Conversation. Have you tried the following Cravings Calmer? Let us know if it worked.
Are your friends gripped by cravings? Feel free to share this post. When you do, please include the following: Former sugar-addicted journalist: Connie Bennett, CHHC, CPC, ACC is author of the bestselling book, Sugar Shock!, which has been praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Christiane Northrup. Her latest is Beyond Sugar Shock, which was endorsed by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and others. Connie is a certified life coach, certified health coach, experienced reporter, and host of the Gab with the Gurus Radio Show, which is available on iTunes. The former sugar and carb addict is now dedicated to helping people around the world to Break Free of their Addictions to Babits™. (Bad Habits).

Join us for The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign

Join the conversation. Please tell us what you’re doing as part of The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign. How will or are you being kind and sweet to others?
When was the last time you did something really kind and sweet for someone else with no expectation of getting anything back in return?
Have you noticed that when you give freely to other people or organizations that you tend to forget or at least ignore your pressing problems? Plus, you feel so good for being so generous.
Now, for those of you who ned to weight , your frustrations about about the number on your bathroom scale won’t seem all that important when you’re focused on giving.
Plus, if you’re a sugar or carb addict, your plight will fade away or at least greatly diminish when you do something sweet for someone else or several something elses.
In fact, being kind and sweet makes you feel so good that it’s a lot easier and more enjoyable to eat healthy, wholesome, unrefined, natural foods that don’t contain a lot of sugar, gluten, salt, fat or other additives.
Anyhow, I’m so excited to invite you to join me for The 31 Days of Kindness Challenge.
Although I’d love to be able to claim this fabulous idea as my own, I can’t.
This great suggestion for The 31 Days of Kindness Challenge. comes from speaker/communicator Ryan Avery,, who is co-author with Jeremey Donovan of Speaker, Leader, Champion: Succeed at Work Through the Power of Public Speaking, featuring the prize-winning speeches of Toastmasters World Champions.
Ryanaverys31daycahllengeFYI, please note that I’m personalizing the experience. Although I plan to do kind and sweet things every day for 31 days (and probably longer) and I’m printing out Rya’ns list, I won’t t follow his guidelines exactly. Rather, I’ll use them as suggestions.
Ryan-Avery-Keynote-Speaker-300x300Furthermore, with Ryan Avery’s blessing, I hope, for my fans, I’d like to rename this The 31 Days of Kindness-and- Sweetness Campaign, because you’ll be focused on giving or doing something kind and sweet instead of stuffing your face with something sweet.
Now, let me tell you how I plan to kick off tomorrow, day one of The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Chaallenge.
At last, I’ll write a thank you letter to the amazing pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig for the valuable work he’s done to raise people’s sugar consciousness and to improve the health of the planet.
More importantly, though, along with my thank you note, I plan to make a donation to his Institute for Responsible Nutrition, whose mission is to reverse childhood obesity and type 2 obesity.
Institute for REsponsible Nutrition rewbztj9dvkvr8ifs30aThis is something I’ve been planning on doing for a while. In fact, my envelope (without a stamp attached yet) has been ready for weeks. So tomorrow, thanks to Ryan Avery’s polite nudge, I’ll finally do this.
As you probably already know, the remarkable Dr. Lustig is acclaimed for his powerful Sugar: The Bitter Truth lecture, which has had nearly 5 million views on YouTube.
You can watch Dr. Lustig’s lecture below. (By the way, Dr. Lustig will be participating in my upcoming Sugar World Summit. Stay tuned for details.)
In addition to watching the video below, I urge you to get Dr. Lustig’s remarkable, bestselling book, Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.
So will you join me in The 31-Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign?
To participate, first get guidance from Ryan Avery, who offers great ideas on how to join in.
Then, will you join me by kicking off your involvement in The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign tomorrow by making a tax-detuctible donation to Dr. Robert Lustfg’s important Institute for Responsible Nutrition?
Join the conversation. Please tell us what you’re doing as part of The 31 Days of Kindness-and-Sweetness Campaign. How will or are you being kind and sweet to others?

New Book on the Way: What is Your Biggest Carb Challenge?

Please forgive me for not posting more lately, but I’m on deadline for my next book, which will help you if you would like to lose weight or kick your sugar addiction.
I’ll share more later, but this exciting book will help you with your annoying cravings.
Unfortunately, I can’t share more now, because I’m headed out the door to a cool conference.
More later…
In the meantime, tell us: What is your biggest challenge relating to food, sugar or carbs?

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?

Dr. Mark Hyman, JJ Virgin & More Help You in Upcoming Sugar World Summit

Get in on the planning. Who would you like to be in the Sugar World Summit. Let us know now as we’re planning this virtual event.
Join our new Sugar World Summit Facebook page, too.
More and more world-renowned experts are coming on board for the Sugar World Summit.
This virtual event will feature leading internationally acclaimed experts in sugar addiction, weight loss, mindful eating, cravings, the food-mood connection and more.
The Sugar World Summit — which will begin October 17, exactly two weeks before Halloween — will help you discover both The Sour Scoop and Sweet Solutiions.
Here’s an updated list.
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 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 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.
In some of the programs, I’ll be conducting the interview along with an esteened journalist or blogger. For instance, I’ll be joined by:
Jeff O’Connell, editor in chief of Bodybuilding.com and author of the fabulous book, Sugar Nation, will join me in co-interving reviewing
Jimmy Moore, popular low-carb blogger, (Cited above.)
Please bear in mind that I’m still planning this event so I’d welcome your suggestions.
Get in on the planning. Who would you like me to help you during the Sugar World Summit? Share your ideas now.
Please join our new Sugar World Summit Facebook page, too.

7 Lessons I Learned Because I Lost My Cell Phone — Again!

Join the Conversation. Have you ever lost your cell? What did you do? How long did you go without it? Talk to us now.
I lost my cell phone a few days ago.
Thankfully, this is the first time in several months that my iPhone has gone missing for so long.
But more than a year ago, while my poor mother was being ravaged by cancer and I was helplessly watching her dying — a very painful time — I lost my iPhone repeatedly. Every few days, I couldn’t find it. A few days after she passed away, I even lost it twice in one day. I was that upset.
(In fact, after losing my iPhone the last time, I finally bought a new one, but then the old one surfaced while I was moving. Alas, I still can’t access photos of my Mom in her final days, because in my grief, I spaced out and punched in the wrong pass code too many times.)
Back to my cell phone that went M.I.A.. this week.
This week, apparently my joy, excitement, and desire to serve others distracted me.
Somehow, my cell phone went missing while I was getting more and more thrilled that so many big names have agreed to participate in the Sugar World Summit.
I am so excited!
This virtual Sugar World Summit — which I’ve scheduled to begin exactly two weeks before Halloween — or what I call Sugar Overload Day — will present world-renowned experts on sugar, carbs, stress, emotional eating, mindfulness training, addiction science, cravings, weight loss and more.
In this Sugar World Summit, our gurus won’t just tell you The Sour Scoop. They’ll give you some Sweet Solutions, too, as I announced here.
Back to my missing iPhone. I haven’t bought a new cell phone yet, because I keep thinking it’ll turn up, but searching my car, desk, bedroom, kitchen and living room hasn’t helped.
I’m also waiting to talk to a friend of mine, who has an uncanny knack for helping me find missing things. (She’s off dealing with some personal issues.)
Anyhow, It’s been very strange to be phone-less.
No calling friends or family members while on a walk.
No calling friends while parked in my car.
No calling business colleagues if I get a hot idea.
No digging up phone numbers of important people.
No tweeting cool stuff, something I started doing recently.
The case of my MIA Cell Phone is intriguing me. In fact, NOT having my iPhone has taught me five main things.
1. I multitask far, far too much — like most of you? There’s no need to be on my cell phone while going for a wonderful walk along the ocean, when I can focus fully on waves crashing against the shore.
2. I’m entirely too reliant on my cell phone. This is not a necessary appendage!
3. I’m also entirely too dependent on my iPhone camera, on which I’ve taken the some beautiful sunset photos. (See one here that I previously downloaded to my computer.) But why don’t I buy a real camera instead, as I’ve been planning?
4. I need to totally unplug more often. Although I turn off my cell several times a day, that time without it is very cleansing. Darn am I being productive!
5. I need to get more in touch with nature and less attached to my cell.
6. By disconnecting from electronics, I’m reconnecting to my purpose, passions, and peace of mind. This is perhaps my biggest lesson. I’m really enjoying the calm of not being so attached to my cell phone. It’s a welcome relief during this time of book deadlines and Sugar World Summit planning.
7. While I’ve been without a cell phone, I’ve become quite creative in the kitchen. Instead of chatting on the phone with friends, I’ve been concocting a variety of culinary dishes (all sugar-free, of course) that taste pretty good, if I may say so myself. (More later about that.)
So now I have an idea. I was thinking about giving in and buying another iPhone, but today it hit me that I’m going to give myself a Cell Phone Challenge.
You see, I’m on tight deadline now for my next book — I’ll tell you more shortly — and I decided not to let myself buy another iPhone phone until I’m finished writing the book. Now that may be another three weeks or more, but how’s that for incentive to finish the book?!
If I finish the book, I get a cell phone!
If not, I have to go without my iPhone. Dislosure: I do, however, have a helpful land line.
Join the Conversation. Have you ever lost your cell? What did you do? How long did you go without it? Talk to us now.
Special thanks to the TeleComBlog.com and to Matt Klassen. Forgive me if I shouldn’t have used this art from your story. I’ll take it down if you ask.

Health Bloggers: Would You Like to Write for This Blog?

Health bloggers, we need your help, please.
We’re seeking two or three talented, articulate, health-conscious bloggers to join our writing and researching team for this blog, which I started in June 2005.
This is a part-time paid position.
Before you apply, I recommend that you learn some more information first about the direction of this Sugar Shock Blog.
For instance, you can read the Sugar Shock Blog goals, as well as the most popular posts.
You also can check out the archives.
Here are top qualities and traits desired for contributors to this Sugar Shock Blog include:
You are a fast-working, excellent writer and researcher.
You are energetic, enthusiastic, reliable and organized.
You work well under pressure.
You are incredibly accurate. (You need to be a fastidious fact checker.)
You have an interest in health, wellness, personal empowerment, nutrition and exercise.
You have training in journalism, PR, marketing, copywriting and/or broadcasting.
You are interested in serving others and making a difference in the lives of millions.
You have great grammar and spelling skills.
You’re a self- starter, with lots of initiative.
You can be based anywhere.
Apply here to contribute to this Sugar Shock Blog. When you do so, please send links to previous articles you’ve written and two references. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Patricia Farris on How Cutting Out Sugar Makes You Look Great

Did you know that sugar can age you more quickly?
Not only that, but the sweet stuff can give you wrinkles so you look older than you really are.
Learn about how giving up sugar can turn back the clock.
Join Patricia Farris, M.D., FAAD and me on my next Gab with the Gurus Show, so you can discover how to rejevenate your face.
Dr. Farris is co-author with Brooke Alpert, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. and of The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Look Years Younger.
In this Gab with the Gurus Show, you will learn:
How too much sugar can cause wrinkles.
How to repair your sugar-damaged skin.
Whether sugar causes more damage than sun to your skin.
Why a nutritionist and dermatologist partnered to write this book, The Sugar Detox.
How you can pamper yourself with a sea mud mask to help you get through the first three days off sugar
How exercise hellps control your blood sugar.
And more. is good for your skin. (You’ll look better by not eating sweets.)
Listen live below to this show or later, at your convenience.
Spread the word to your friends and fans, too.
Listen To Health Internet Radio Stations with Gab With the Gurus on BlogTalkRadio

Dr. Mark Hyman’s 10 Day Detox Diet

Dr. Mark Hyman, one the physicians I most admire, has a new book coming out soon, which offers a 10-day plan that can help you slim down, lower your blood pressure and blood sugar, and boost your health.
The Blood Sugar Solution 10 Day Detox Diet: Activate Your Body’s Natural Ability to Burn Fat and Lose Weight Fast — which you can pre-order now — was tested by 600 people, who achieved tremendous success.
Collectively, they peeled off a collective 4,089 pounds and saw their average blood sugar and blood pressure numbers drop by 20 points and 10 points respectively.
Dr. Hyman contends that people’s taste buds have been hijacked by processed, super-palatable, high-sugar foods that drive your hormones and neurotransmitters to make you eat more. (I totally agree.)
In addition, Dr. Hyman points out that people are ingesting “pharmacological doses of sugar and flour never before seen in the history of the human race” — about 146 pounds of flour and 152 pounds of sugar every year.”
Mark Hyman tosses sugar sugar11f-6-webRather than tell you about The 10 Day Detox Diet: I’ll encourage you to read this fabulous New York Daily News story by Nicole Lyn Pesce.
You also have a chance to read an excerpt from the book in the Daily News piece.
Please note that the photo to your left of Dr. Hyman dummping out sugar was taken by Ian Grey, and it appeared in the Daily News article.
Dr. Hyman’s credentials are impressive. He was former co-medical director of Canyon Ranch for a decade.
He is now chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine, founder and medical director of The UlCenter and a #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Blood Sugar Solution, Ultrametabolism, The Ultramind Solution, and The Ultrasimple Diet, and coauthor of Ultraprevention.
Check back here to learn more about 10 Day Detox Diet by Dr. Hyman. I’ll have some news about it to share shortly.

It’s Not About the Cookies: Shed Weight with Colette Baron-Reid

Do you turn to cookies, cakes, pasta and other junk foods for comfort?
When stress hits you, do you gain extra weight without even eating extra food?
Do worry and overeating go together?
If so, you want to join today’s special Gab with the Gurus Show with Colette Baron-Reid, the internationally renowned intuitive counselor, life coach, speaker and author of Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much.
On today’s Gab with the Gurus Show, you will learn:
How emotional eating is not about the food.
How to set healthy boundaries.
How your thoughts can make you fat or think.
What the connection is between stress and cortisol.
How to let go of self-bullying, which will help you release the weight.
How do discover radical self-acceptance.
Listen to this show live 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