SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Glucose-Sensing Neurons?

Now this takes the cake. Pardon the pun.

Neurons in our brains may become "excited" by glucose surges, which could help trigger type 2 diabetes? Well, so speculate scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard. Fascinating.

The Snickers in the Shadows: Karen's Take on Connie's Mysterious Candy Bar

Note from Connie: My Snickers-not escapade -- which I posted about earlier -- elicited major chuckles from my assistant Karen. So, in the spirit of fairness and also good-natured fun, I asked Karen to give her reaction to finding a snack-sized candy bar on my premises, of all places! Here are her thoughts -- unedited by me -- well, I took out the details about my project. By the way, I absolutely burst into laughter at reading this:

So I was kneeling down packing up some books, and there, almost blending into the shadows under Connie's desk, but not quite, was a Fun Size Snickers. The kind I used to eat three of -- telling myself it was better than eating one normal size bar. (Like I'd burn more calories opening the additional wrappers or something?)

Had a bag or two been lying around, I would have immediately assumed Connie was using it as a prop for a talk or TV appearance.

But there it was all by itself. It looked guilty.

I did not think "Shame on you," as Connie suspected, though.

On the contrary, I thought something more along the lines of, "Oh my gosh, I've just seen something very personal I wasn't supposed to see..."

Kind of like that time when I was a kid and accidentally walked in on my parents in the middle of...well, I was too young to know what it was anyway, but their horrified expressions told me I was definitely in the wrong place.

Yep. Kind of like that.

But what should I do?

Was Connie on a sugar bender? Did she need help? Was her world falling apart without anyone knowing it?

Sugar Shock? No, Karen, I Did Not Cheat! No, I Did NOT Eat Snickers Bars!

Karen thinks I cheated. Fell off the no-sugar wagon. Became an ultra hypocrite.

Seriously, I do not kid: For easily five minutes late yesterday afternoon (after my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show), Karen -- my super-capable, ultra-smart, and very friendly assistant (whose blog posts you read here often) -- thought I'd succumbed to the depths of SUGAR SHOCK! (You know, the condition that I always rail against here and warn about in my book SUGAR SHOCK!)

"Shame on you," I'm sure she thought.

You see, Karen spied something that had absolutely no business being in my office! She saw a small chocolate-filled candy bar. That's right, a candy bar!

So yesterday, when she came over to pick up a bunch of packages to mail -- you know, books to give out as raffle prizes, to members of the media and reviewers -- she gets up her nerve.

First, poor Karen gives me this really funny look -- that can only be described as one of disdain and the complete opposite of admiration.

Then, she prepares herself for a confrontation with me. She crinkles her nose, breathes deeply and then quickly, fearfully blurts out:

"Connie, is that a Snickers Bar I see on the floor, below your desk?"

My reply: I laugh with glee. Honest!

"Yes, Karen, that is a Snickers bar. In fact, I'm in possession of not just one little candy bar, but a HUGE bag of tiny Snickers Bars!"

Wait. That's not all!

I then reveal my new, secret stash that I had bought the night before.

Indeed, I have so many candy bars and candies in my office that I could send at least half a dozen people into sugar shock!

I confess: My home office is brimming with candy -- at least six or seven different kinds. (I'll spare you the names -- they're in a plastic Duane Reade bag, with the ends tied into a knot, for now at least.)

Why, you want to know, would the "Ex-Sugar Shrew" and self-described "Sugar Liberator" have a huge horde of candies in her possession?

SUGAR SHOCK!: Topic of Cathy Blythe's "Problems & Solutions" Radio Show in Nebraska

Got a sugar problem? Well, there is a solution.

You'll hear me say as much to Cathy Blythe, host of "Problems & Solutions" today, Aug. 31^stfrom 9:10 to 10:00 a.m. Central (10:10 to 11 am EST) The show airs on 1240 AM KFOR in Lincoln, Nebraska and also on KJSK AM 900 in Columbus, Nebraska.

It'll be fun to be interviewed by Cathy. The broadcaster has very impressive credentials. Not only is she host of "Problems and Solutions," but she has been co-host of the KFOR Morning Show since 1982.

Brian Frazer: Listen to the Entertaining Interview With Him on Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio

What fun. Author/former stand-up comic Brian Frazer was a great interview on my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show.

Miss the show? No problem. Just listen to it now, at your convenience.

Brian, as I mentioned earlier, is quite articulate and entertaining, as you can learn in his fabulous book Hyper-Chondriac.

Get more info here about other recent guests for my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show, which airs on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Obesity: Americans Just Keep Getting Fatter

Note from Connie: Americans are continuing to grow fatter, but of course, that's no surprise to you. But now we have some frightening conclusions in the fourth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007 report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). Indeed, this exhaustive study shows that Americans are continuing to bulge in unbecoming ways -- this despite the fact that 85 percent of us believe obesity is an epidemic. What gives, folks? Karen James updates us.

You can find out the scoop from numerous sources including ScienceDaily, the Los Angeles Times and MedPage Today like we did, but

Here are some of the key findings from the F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America, 2007 report, which you also can learn about in ScienceDaily, the Los Angeles Times and MedPage Today like we did:

Obesity: Adults Keep Widening

• Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year -- the second year in a row for 22 of them.

• Mississippi not only topped the list, but it had the distinction of being the first state to reach an adult obesity rate of more than 30 percent (30.6 to be exact).

• Colorado, where adult obesity runs at 17.6 percent, get kudos for coming in as the leanest state. Nevertheless, that figure is still higher than 16.9 percent the previous year.

Oprah Wants to Know: Parents, Are You Worried That Your Child is Addicted to Sugar?

Parents, are you worried that your child is addicted to sugar? If so, Oprah wants to know!

That's right. If you're concerned about your child's moody, erratic, wiped-out, brain-fogged, sugar-induced behavior, read this invitation to become a guest on an upcoming episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show about this topic.

Here's what Oprah wants to know:

"Does your child suffer from sugar meltdowns -- constantly craving sugary snacks and throwing a fit when you try to take them away? After eating sweets, have you seen your child go from happy to moodiness and tears minutes later? Do you notice a dramatic change in his or her behavior depending on what foods he or she eats? Have you seen your child `crash' after the sugar high is over? Maybe after drinking soda or juice your child seems content but his or her mood quickly spirals out of control? As a parent, have you found yourself giving into their sugar cravings to avoid a fight or a tantrum? If you suspect your child is becoming addicted to sugar and it is affecting his or her behavior at home and at school, we want to hear from you! Please email us your story only if you are willing to appear on television."

Parents of sugar-addicted kids, I know you're out there -- I've connected with hundreds or even thousands of you for years -- please reply now to Oprah's producers. Would you be kind enough to tell them that Connie  Bennett, the former sugar addict-turned-sugar-liberation expert and author of SUGAR SHOCK!, sent you?

Please, readers of this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog, do your part to help Oprah help your kids and millions of other sugar-hooked kids around the country (and the world).

Go ahead: If you're concerned about your child's sugar habit and the horrific consequences, write to Oprah's producers now.

Naturally, suffice it to say that I'm thrilled!

Hurrah for Oprah and their producers for planning such a show. This is exactly the kind of attention warranted by our wiped-out, cantankerous, brain-fogged soda-guzzling, candy-chomping kids.

The Oprah Show is the ideal venue to begin helping desperate, dessert-obsessed kids (and adults) so that they can break free of their habit so they can get more energy, concentrate better, be more cheerful and calm, have improved relationships with classmates and much more.

Incidentally, I'm marveling at how the above descriptive questions from The Oprah Winfrey Show sound uncannily similar to some of what I wrote in Chapter 17 of my book, SUGAR SHOCK! (The title of the chapter is: "For Parents: Help Your Young Sugar Brats End Their Fits of Fury.")

Just listen to the first two paragraphs of that chapter:

Sugar Addict? Hypoglycemic? Diabetic? In New York or California? Get Live Help From Me at Learning Annex Seminars in New York Oct. 11; January 9, 15 & 17 in California

If you live or near New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Diego, you can get helped, informed and entertained by catching me live, in the flesh, through the Learning Annex.

New Yorkers, sign up now for my Learning Annex class on Oct. 11.

Folks in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, sign up, too! (URL to come shortly for my class in San Francisco on January 9; Los Angeles on Jan. 15 or San Diego on Jan. 17.

Wondering if this class is for you?

• Do you hate the way your sugar habit wields control over life?
• Are you unhappy with the fact that you feel compelled to drive clear across town just go pick up your favorite ice cream or candies?
• In short, is your dessert desire driving you to despair?

Or, better yet, read what the catalogue description for the classes in California state:

Want to shed pounds, boost your moods, triple your energy & rev up your libido?

Are you cranky, depressed and overweight? Are your sugar highs getting you down? Join the club.

At least 65% of Americans are suffering from obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypoglycemia and/or chronic fatigue – all ailments at least partially due to over consuming sugary foods and drinks and refined carbs.

Let nationally renowned "Sugar Liberator" Connie Bennett, author of SUGAR SHOCK!, show you secrets to squash your sugar  habit for good. If you’re ready to feel more energized, focus better, become more cheerful, improve your overall health and banish brain fog, then sign up for this course now.

In this fun, interactive session, you'll discover how to:

Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show -- Laugh With The Humorous Author Brian Frazer

Laughter is a must when you confront health ailments galore, including a sugar addiction.

Chuckle or chortle with us tomorrow as I interview the very funny, articulate author/former stand-up comedian Brian Frazer. author of Hyper-Chondriac: One Man's Quest to Hurry Up and Calm Down.

Brian, as you can see from his humorous, animated book trailer, as well as compelling essays in The Los Angeles Times and Esquire, is quite entertaining. (He's written for Vanity Fair, Premiere, ESPN and other publications.)

Tune in at 4 p.m. Wednesday EST -- or listen afterwards. We're going to have a blast.

Sugar Shock Readers Write With Comments, Questions: Spotlight on JoLynn Braley

I love hearing from readers of my book SUGAR SHOCK! as well as visitors to my website or this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog.

For instance, JoLynn Braley, founder of the The Fit Shack blog, writes in to say that she believes sugar is addictive, a conclusion she arrived with the help of William Dufty (Sugar Blues) and Kathleen DesMaisons (Potatoes, Not Prozac).

"I personally think it's (sugar) all about money so we're not going to be seeing anyone step in and `take care of us'... Each of us has to be responsible for ourselves."

Very good point, JoLynn. We are the ones who can say yeah or nay to sweets. It's up to us alone.

SUGAR SHOCK? How Bad is Your Sugar Habit? Take the Poll

This is your SUGAR SHOCK! Blog. I'm here to serve you, educate you, inspire you, provoke you.

And I thought it would be good to get a sense as to where you are in terms of your sugar discovery.

So get your voice heard now! Take the new poll. (You have until Sept. 3 at 11:59 p.m. to take it.)

The poll is easy to find -- it's just right underneath my photo. So go ahead -- fill it out now.

Clinton Foundation Works to Make Kids Healthy

New Expansion Grant to Help More Schools Get Healthy

I received this announcement from the Clinton Foundation this week. Here is what I received (it's verbatim):

"On August 7th, President Clinton returned to Little Rock, Ark., for the 2nd Annual Healthy Schools Forum, where hundreds of educators and students gathered at the Clinton Presidential Center to discuss strategies to make their school environments healthier for students and staff.

"At the conclusion of the Forum, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced a $20 million grant to expand the Healthy Schools Program. The grant will allow the program to reach more than 8,000 schools in states with the highest obesity rates by 2010. The Forum also featured the presentation of bronze recognition awards to the first 26 schools from around the nation that met the standards set by the Alliance for providing healthy foods and encouraging physical activity."

Learn more about what the Alliance is doing to make schools healthy.

SUGAR SHOCK! Blog Nominated for Blogger's Choice Awards: Kindly Cast Your Vote for This Blog For Best Health Blog

I'm pleased to announce that the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog was nominated for the Blogger's Choice Awards.

For those of you in the dark, the Blogger's Choice Awards alerts us to which blogs out there are "currently making an impact in the blogosphere."

So, dear readers, can you help me, please?

Has this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog:

• Helped you?
• Motivated you?
• Educated you?
• Inspired you to think about your sugar habit?
• Updated you about cutting-edge studies?
• Woken you up to sugar's dangers?
• Made you feel a part of an important movement?

If so, I'd be very grateful, if you'd be kind enough to cast your vote now for this blog.

So help me to spread the word about sugar's dangers by letting more people know about this blog. Help let people know how life can be much sweeter if they cut out (or at least cut back) on those dangerous quickie carbs.

Thank in advance now (before Oct. 19, 2007 at 11:55 p.m.) for keeping the Stop SUGAR SHOCK! movement going. Cast your vote now for this blog as Best Health Blog. 

SUGAR SHOCK! Blog -- Trying to Serve You Better With A New Look, Thanks to Blog Gurus

My intention is to serve you, dear reader, as best as possible. I'd like to provide you content on this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog that moves you to action, items that intrigue you, remarks that inspire you. And I want to make this an online place where you're comfortable sharing your ideas and thoughts, too.

So to that end, I've been focusing on making my blog more pleasing to the eye, easier to navigate, a more fun to hang out for a while and just all around more enticing.

But I needed help -- lots of it.

To that end, as I mentioned last month, I first enlisted the help of The Blog Squad -- that's Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman to critique my blog. Then, two weeks ago, I signed up for the duo's month-long Better Business Blogging course. (It's been fabulous so far -- I've already attended two weeks, with two more to go.)

Then, last week, thanks to blogger/marketer Seth Godin, I was thrilled to learn about the talented John t. Unger, who, while best known as an artist (see one of his creations above), has been a lover, teacher and expert of Typepad.

When I saw that he runs Typepad Hacks and offers great ideas on how to make money with your blog, I turned to him for help, too. John set to work adding helpful buttons and links. For instance, he added this cool e-mail me button.

Then, he put in some subscribe buttons

• Get Sugar Shock Blog
  in your email

  Subscribe to Sugar
  Shock Feed. RSS Help?

And he added the options so you can submit this blog so others can find out about it and get helped, too. For instance, you'll now see Add to del.icio.us, Stumble It!, Add to Technorati Favorites and other links.

Next, he added a Books Feed, buy-the-book Smarts Feed button, which takes you to a page where you have your choice of online retailers to use to buy SUGAR SHOCK!This widget from Adaptive Blue is another great idea that I completely owe to Seth Godin, who has the same time of widget on his blog.

I also was fortunate to find another web guru, Stephanie Cockerl, who is skilled at web design and web development.

What's more, Stephanie does a lot of speaking at top Internet events. For instance, she was one of those selected to talk at the BlogHer conference, and you can find her in October at the Virtual Tradeshow & Job Fair ecomXpo.

Actually, while looking at Stephanie's blog, I became inspired me to add one of these really cool Recent Readers widgets, where you get to put your face on this blog.

Check it out, readers. It's a really fun addition here so please do say hello, thanks to this amazing widget powered by MyBlogLog. (It's to your right, underneath the Recent Posts section.)

Sugar Shock is Topic of The Peter K. Show

Catch me on  The Peter K Show shortly. Of course, we'll talk about sugar shock and how it can wreak havoc on your life and how cutting it out or cutting back on it can improve your health and more.

Peter K is a nutritionist, fitness expert and physical therapist, as well as a fellow host on BlogTalkRadio. You can still listen now.

SUGAR SHOCK! Featured in Detroit News Story Today

A very special thanks goes to intrepid reporter Kimberly Hayes Taylor for her thought-provoking story, "Drowning in Sugar," which runs in The Detroit News today. 

I hope that this much-needed story -- whose subtitle is "Ditching dependency could eliminate mood swings and many other ailments" -- will do much to wake people up sugar's dangers and how you can have a sweeter life without all those sweets.

As a journalist, I can appreciate Kim's clever lead. Of course, I also liked the fact that she then segued into my story and from there moved into a discussion of five ways that sugar can harm your health.

Kim, thanks so much for your wonderful article and for telling my sour-to-sweet tale and mentioning my book SUGAR SHOCK!

By the way, dear readers, Kim also writes a fabulous, informative health and fitness blog, too.

Deep Fried Coca-Cola? Yuck! You've Got to Be Kidding!

What is our SUGAR SHOCK! nation coming to? A couple of times recently, a TV piece (which I saw while en route in a New York City taxicab) spotlighted this horrifying, artery-clogging, inflammation-triggering concoction that is actually landing in the bellies of some Americans at health fairs around the country.

Goodness grief: These fans of deep-fried-soda must have the most twisted taste buds imaginable and simply no clue or care about the massive harm that this "food," if you want to call it that, could cause.

Come to think of it, a while back, a date told me about this disgusting, carb-loaded, calorie-packed junk food, but I simply forgot to post about it here. But I notice that, a while back, the ever-watchful,  Slashfood wrote about this disgusting, deep-fried Coca-Cola dish, which was attracting interest at the State Fair of Texas.

In fact, as WFTV Orlando tells us, thanks to the Associated Press and Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc., vendor Abel Gonzales Jr. reportedly:

• Deep fries a Coca-Cola-flavored batter, then
• Drizzles Coke fountain syrup on it and finally
• Tops it with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry

Is Unreasonable Good? Paul Lemberg Thinks So

Note from Connie: I'm in an off-topic mood after receiving an unusual e-mail. Note that I did NOT say off color! LOL! ...Here goes...

Being unreasonable is a bad thing, right? Not so, claims author Paul Lemberg, a "business acceleration expert and growth strategist," whose new book even has the title, Be Unreasonable.

You see, you don't want to be reasonable to get ahead, Lemberg posits. Rather, unreasonable strategies can bring you unprecedented success.

Hmm. Definitely worth thinking about, right?

Anyhow, Paul urges that you be:

Slow Food: What Is It? Learn On Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show

If you're into health and wellness, you've probably heard the phrase "slow food."
But do you really know what it is?

Today's Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show -- which you can listen to either live or afterwards -- will demystify this phrase.

What's more, it will enlighten you about this popular movement that's been touted in publications as diverse as New York Times Magazine and Mother Jones.

A quick hint: USA Today aptly observed: "Slow Food aims to be everything fast food is not."

Anyhow, my guest is Erika Lesser, the executive director of Slow Food USA.

Playing Tag on Our Blogs -- It's My Turn Now... Tag, You're It!

There's a version of the game, "Tag, you're it," now traveling around low-carb blog circles, and now Cindy Moore of Cindy's Low Carb Life cheerfully tagged me.

Clearly, the purpose of this tagging craze is to let us bloggers creatively network, get to know each other, introduce our respective readers to each other's blogs, and, of course, we hope, boost traffic to our sites. The "rules" for this game, as explained to me, are to:

1. Post the rules first.
2. List 8 random (fun, off-the-wall, serious, etc.) facts about yourself.
3. Tag (choose) 8 other people and blogs. List their names and link to their blogs.
4. Leave a comment on their blog (and/or e-mail them) to let them they've been tagged.

OK, so since I've been tagged and caught, here are some tidbits about me:

1) I adore bicycling and I'm now training for two bike rides, the New York City Century Bike Tour on September 9 and then El Tour de Tucson on November 17. But I'm not quite ready for the full 100 miles. Getting there by November, I hope!

2) I've been blogging since June 7, 2005. Yes, this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog recently turned two years old! Check out very first post here. I sure like to think I've come a long way since my newbie days!

3) Yes, my hair is very naturally curly, as people often ask me. Mother Nature is to thank (or blame, depending upon my mood of the day!) for my curly locks and, alas, my periodic frizz. As you can see from my pictures at my website, I often tame my hair by wearing it blow-dried. But come summer, with the  humidity, I often let my let my hair do its thing. By the way, I've tried just about every frizz-reducing product on the market, but if you know of a good one -- preferably natural -- please let me know!

4) I'm geographically challenged. In other words, I excel at getting lost. It's either amusing -- or downright embarrassing -- how sometimes I'll leave a meeting in New York City and then after walking for 10 minutes, it will dawn on me that I've inadvertently gone the wrong direction. Oops!  Driving gives me guffaws, too, at times. Like once my GPS system actually told me that that I'd arrived at my destination -- the only catch is that it was a dead-end parking lot in the middle of who-knows-where! I've now learned my lesson -- whenever I head out town, I call first for directions and then use MapQuest and the navigation system.

5) My book SUGAR SHOCK! was five years in the making. It involved interviewing some 200 researchers, nutritionists, public health advocates and industry observers; working with a team of research assistants who helped me pour over medical studies proving the link between all those culprit carbs and a variety of diseases and conditions; and connecting with thousands of sugar addicts around the world. (Much of the content for Part 6, "Pull the Plug on SUGAR SHOCK! For a Happier, Healthier Life" grew out of frequently asked questions, worries and needs from members of my KickSugar group. Thank you, wonderful sugar kickers!)

6) I love water. It calms me, soothes me, nurtures me, inspires me, motivates me, etc. So guess what? I live near the water and bike near it, too.

7) Meditation works wonders for me. I'm always amazed by the way things flow so smoothly and with such remarkable synchronicity (as Deepak Chopra puts it) whenever I meditate.

8)  I'm already at work on my second book, The Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Diet. It will include a program to guide you to sugar freedom. I'll be asking for your feedback soon as to what you think I should include.

I'm only supposed to give you 8 facts, but this is so much fun that I'm tossing in three more tidbits.

9) I now have a radio show, and I bring in top health, wellness and motivation to give you information, tips and insights. See who I've booked so far. And make sure to subscribe here to learn about upcoming  programs and listen to archived shows.

10) In addition to being a blogger and speaker, I'm a journalist with a master's degree from Northwestern University. I've worked both on staff at publications and also as a freelancer.

11) I love when the muse comes to me either in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, and I feel compelled to jot down some catchy, creative phrases or ideas of things to do.

Now, it's time to "tag" other blogs and/or people. As you'll see, I picked more than 8. I hope that all of the people I've tagged -- even those of you I haven't connected with before -- will appreciate my selecting you for this unique opportunity to grow your fan base:

Tag, you're it!

1. Nutritionist Jonny Bowden
2. Parke Wilde of the U.S. Food Policy Blog
3. Mark of Calorie Lab
4. Jim Foster editor of the Diet-Blog
5. Matthew Holt of the Health Care Blog
6. Karly Pitman of First Ourselves (She was a Kick-Sugar Success Story here recently.)
7. Amy Tenderich of Diabetes Mine
8. hospitalimpact.org (I hope one of the 5 bloggers joins in the fun.)
9. Ben of the Science Blog
10. Kendra of Diabetes Notes
11. Wade Meredith of Health Bolt
12. Dr. Michael Eades of Protein Power fame
13. Manny Hernandez of TuDiabetes.com

Join in the tagging fun! Glad to connect with you! Remember we all benefit from participating.