SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Get Help to Quit Sugar -- Beyond Sugar Shock?

If you have a sugar habit or addiction, I invite you to find out about my new book, Beyond Sugar Shock?

Visit here to see some of my recent press coverage.

There, you'll find links to articles I've written and interviews I've given.

I'm eager to hear your thoughts about Beyond Sugar Shock on Amazon. 

 

Label Added Sugars, Urges Coalition of Health Organizations Such as the Environmental Working Group and the American Heart Association

Exciting news for those of us who monitor our sugar intake -- and urge you to do so, too -- for the sake of your health, weight, and moods!

A coalition of health organizations, including the Environmental Working Group, the American Association for Health Education, the American Heart Association, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and Defeat Diabetes Foundation are calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clearly label added sugars on ingredients lists of packaged foods so that American shoopers find it easier to eat healthier. 

"By showing 'added sugars' on the ingredients lists of foods, consumers will be better able to evaluate the foods they purchase," the organizations wrote in a letter dated Feb. 23, 2012 to the Honorable Margaret Hamburg, M.D., FDA Commissioner.

"To ensure consumers have this important information, we feel that the term 'added sugars' should be listed as a single food ingredient with a paranthetical list of the specific ingredients that account for those sugars," the letter contends.

The groups then go on to suggest that "added sugars should be listed by descending weight, in line with current regulations. The combined weight of the added sugars should be used to determine where added sugars rank on the food ingredients label."

I cannot emphasize how great this would be!

Your life would be so much easier when you buy packaged foods. You'd find it easier to monitor your intake of sugar, which can cause you to age quickly, get heart disease, become depressed, and many other ailments. (You can read about sugar harms you in my first book, Sugar Shock.)

In short, if food labeling such as this went into effect, you wouldn't be so easily deceived and duped by all those added sugars!

The welcome letter to the FDA  Commissioner also cited the American Heart Association's valuable national survey data that "overconsumption of added sugars contributes to obesity" and that the average American consumes 22.2 teaspoons of added sugars per day or the equivalent of 355 calories. (I believe for many, they consume far more than this.) The AHA recommends that women get only 100 daily calories from added sugars and men only 150 calories. 

In addition, the letter states that while "a healthy, well-balanced diet contains naturally occurring sugars, the `empty calories' from added sugars like high fructose corn syrup, sucrose and corn sweetener have a detrimental effect on our diets."

Make sure to tell these organizations such as the Environmental Working Group, the American Heart Association, The American Association for Health Education, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), and Corporate Accountability International how much you appreciate their hard work on behalf of your health.

Read the complete letter here.

Then go to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Facebook page and show your support for labeling added sugars. 

And tell us what you think, too. 

Is Sugar as Toxic as Alcohol? Researchers Say Yes

In recent years, scientists have theorized that sugar can be as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. 

You, of course, know how easy it is to get hooked on sweets -- and how incredibly challenging and difficult it can be to break free of your sugar addiction.

(In fact, because breaking free from sugar is so tough, I've devoted an entire book to take you on a fun, empowering journey so you can easily let go of your addiction. Beyond Sugar Shock -- which will be published in June and which you can pre-order now -- is designed to hold you by the hand and guide you to what I call Sugar Freedom.)

So since sugar is addictive, should this commonplace but potentially harmful (even deadly) substance be regulated?

Acclaimed researcher Robert Lustig, M.D. and a team of UCSF researchers say yes.

They argue that sugar should be controlled like alcohol and tobacco to protect public health.

Indeed, Dr. Lustig, along with Laura Schmidt, Ph.D., Claire Brindis, D.P.H. and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), contend that sugar’s potential for abuse, coupled with its toxicity and pervasiveness in the Western diet, make it a primary culprit of this worldwide health crisis.

They maintain that sugar is fueling a global obesity pandemic, contributing to 35 million deaths annually worldwide from non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The authors then advocate taxing sugary foods and controlling sales to children under 17.

According to their statistics, reported on CBS New’s HealthPop, worldwide sugar intake has tripled in the last 50 years, and the average person is taking in a whopping 500 calories from added sugar in processed foods alone.

So what do you think? Should sugar be regulated?

A special thank you: Photo credit is due here (flickr) and here (DailyBurn).

Post your ideas here on this Sugar Shock Blog and/or on my Facebook Smart Habits Fans page.

 

Dessert for Breakfast? Sugary Children's Cereals

How would you feel if your kids had a Twinkie or even had cookies for breakfast?

Well, that's exactly what she or he -- or maybe even you -- may be doing most mornings.

Suffice it to say that millions of children are beginning their day going into Sugar Shock.

So found a scary new report on popular cereals, Sugar in Children's Cereal, from the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to using the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

The Environmental Working Group arrived at its frightening sugar findings after studying 84 popular brands of cereal, many of them marketed directly to children, to see if they meet either the federal government's proposed nutrition guidelines or the industry's looser nutrition guidelines.

And the EWG found lots about sugar, sugar, sugar.

Kellogg's Honey Smacks, which has nearly 56 percent sugar by weight, leads the list of the 10 worst children’s cereals, according to EWG’s analysis.

In fact, the EWG found, a one-cup serving of the brand contains more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie.

Meanwhile, one cup of any of the 44 other children’s cereals has more sugar than three Chips Ahoy! cookies.

Here's EWG's list of the 10 worst cereals.

10 Worst Children’s Cereals Based on percent sugar by weight
1.) Kellogg’s Honey Smacks	55.6%
2.) Post Golden Crisp	51.9%
3.) Kellogg’s Froot Loops Marshmallow	48.3%
4.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries	46.9%
5.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch Original	44.4%
6.) Quaker Oats Oh!s	44.4%
7.) Kellogg’s Smorz	43.3%
8.) Kellogg’s Apple Jacks	42.9%
9.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries	42.3%
10.) Kellogg’s Froot Loops Original	41.4%

Of course, this EWG report comes as no surprise to me, given that I often share information about sugar's pervasiveness and its dangers, as I did in my first book, Sugar Shock.

So why should you care about your kids eating so much sugar for breakfast?

As the EWG points out, studies suggest that children who eat breakfasts that are high in sugar have more problems at school.

For instance, they become more frustrated and have a harder time working independently than kids who eat lower-sugar breakfasts, as the EWG noted. And by lunchtime, these kids who filled up on sugar for breakfast have less energy, are hungrier, show attention deficits and make more mistakes on their work.

Kudos to the Environmental Working Group for sharing this important news.

Click here to see the best and worst cereals, as discovered by the EWG.

Wondering what's a good breakfast then? Well, for starters, why do your kids have to have cereal to start the day?

But if they do, make sure, as nutrition expert Marion Nestle, Ph.D., recommends that you pick:

1. Cereals with a short ingredient list
2. Cereals high in fiber.
3. Cereals with little or no added sugars (such as honey, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, brown sugar, corn sweetener, sucrose, lactose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup and malt syrup).

An easy breakfast for children would be a piece of fresh fruit (like an orange or apple), a cooked of steel cut oats (sprinkled with cinnamon), some plain milk (if they can handle dairy), and a hard boiled egg (prepared the night before).

Have you heard yet that my next book, Beyond Sugar Shock, is due out next year? Stay tuned for details.

The Dark Side of Sugar

Learn more about the Sour Side of Sugar in this fascinating article on DailyRx.com from reporter Laurie Stoneham.

FYI, I'm one of the experts quoted in this story, "The Dark Side of Sweet: Sugar is everywhere and it may just be killing you."

Read this important article on DailyRx now.

Then, tell us: Does this article help inspire you to quit the stuff -- or at least reduce your consumption?

If you're stumped as to how to let go of your sugar habit, join me next Thursday week in a free teleseminar.

Sign up here for the program, Fast-Track Secrets to Release Your Sugar Addiction & Shed Excess Weight.

Now, tell us why do you want to quit your sugar addiction?    

146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health: By Dr. Nancy Appleton

Today, I'm reviewing information from my heroine and role model, Dr. Nancy Appleton, author of Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction and Lick the Sugar Habit, a powerful book that helped me kick sugar back in 1998.

The reason I'm looking at Nancy's material is that tonight, she is my guest expert on the Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction in 6 Weeks Program.

Nancy is an amazing anti-sugar pioneer, who was one of the first to speak out about its dangers. Not only has she written Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction and Lick the Sugar Habit, but she created the shocking video, Sweet Suicide, produced by the Price-Pottenger Nutritional Foundation. (See trailer below.)

Nancy has been gathering information for years about how sugar is cutting your life short. Just look at her startling list of 146 Reasons Why Sugar is Ruining Your Health.

146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health
By Nancy Appleton, Ph.D.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (Infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat, the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and nor epinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar mal-absorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol) in the blood.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs). (Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.

51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
81. High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin,
and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. Sugar feeds cancer.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.
117. Sugar may induce cell death.
118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. Sugar can lead to prostate cancer.
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia.
125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.
126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.
127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.
128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.
132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.
133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.
134. Sugar causes constipation.
135. Sugar causes varicous veins.
136. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.
137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.
140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.
141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.
143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.
144. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.
145. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.
146. Sugar can cause liver tumors.

To buy Sweet Suicide, if you live in the U.S., go here. Canadians can get it here. And the rest of the world can purchase it here.

Let us know what you think of Nancy's book, Suicide by Sugar, and Nancy's video, Sweet Suicide.

If you're a sugar addict, I also encourage you to purchase Nancy's Body Monitor Kit. Rather than having to run to the doctor's office or a lab for a blood test, Nancy has developed a test kit based on the Sulkowitz Reagent, which reveals the calcium secreted into your urine. Includes 1 bottle, 2 test tubes (the second a spare), 1 pipe cleaner, an instruction book, an eyedropper and a roll of pH paper to test the acidity-alkalinity of both urine and saliva. It comes with two bonus audio CDs to enhance your knowledge, “Body Monitor (45 min)” and “Diet and the Immune System (78min).”  Price: $33.00 + $8.25 shipping (US price, Foreign is more.)

To order in the U.S., go here.. Canadian residents can purchase it here. And people in the rest of the world can order here.

By the way, you can join the Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction Program anytime. And when you do, the interview with Nancy is one of several exciting guest programs you'll get.

Moody? Tired? Unfocused? You Could Have Hypoglycemia

Are you headachy, tired or crabby?

Do you cry easily, have blurred vision or get heart palpitations?

If so, Roberta Ruggiero can help you.

Roberta is founder and president of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation, which celebrated its 30th anniversary yesterday.

The Hypoglycemia Support Foundation (HSF) is an amazing organization, whose mission is to give information, hope and inspiration to those who suffer from the devastating effects of low blood sugar.

Frankly, I don’t know where I’d be today if it weren’t for Roberta. Back in 1998 after my doctor ordered me to quit sweets because of my hypoglycemia, Roberta was my kind, patient hero and savior. Seriously. For months, Roberta patiently answered my many questions, was constantly encouraging and gave me hope.

If you are eating lots of sweets and simple carbs, chances are good that you, too, have been hit by horrible blood sugar highs and lows – hypoglycemia.

If you suspect that you have low blood sugar, take the great hypoglycemia quiz on the HSF website.

Go here to take the hypo test: ====== >>>>>> http://www.hypoglycemia.org/hypo_test.asp

Stay tuned, because the HSF will be adding many exciting new features to its website. So I encourage you to get on the mailing list now so you don't miss any news from the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation.

I also encourage you to make a donation to this worthwhile organization.

Then, learn about Roberta’s amazing story and listen to me interview her.

Listen now (just look for the last few links on the page:
====== >>>>>>
http://www.fasttrackkicksugar.com/replay/

Agave is Worse for You than High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): Please Stay Away From the Stuff!

In recent years, health-minded people and health food restaurants have been excitedly ingesting and switching to the supposed, "safe, "all natural" sweetener agave or agave nectar.

Time and time again, since 2003, four years before my book SUGAR SHOCK! was published in January 2007, I've been warning people that agave is not safe. In fact, I've been telling people, it may be worse for you than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Again, for some seven years now, whenever people have asked me if agave is a good idea to use, my answer has always been the same: "Stay away from agave, because it's very high in fructose and may have more fructose than high fructose corn syrup."

In fact, for years, I've been sadly observing and warning people that agave is a marketing scam (if not a stroke of brilliant promoting). Agave is one of the biggest dupes of the health food industry.

Increasingly, for the last few years, I've become more and more frustrated and annoyed as more and more new "health products" in health food stores and desserts (or even entrees) in health food restaurants have become sullied and made unhealthy by adding agave. Worse still, these products are almost always marketed as being healthy.

Sadly, I've had to become wary and vigilant about eating anything that I find in a health food store or health food restaurant, because inevitably, they use agave -- and a lot! But my cautions have fallen on deaf ears.

Interestingly, when my book SUGAR SHOCK! came out in January 2007, it seemed like I was one of only a handful of people raising questions about agave's safety and its potential dangers.

For instance, in SUGAR SHOCK! (in Chapter 22, on pages 307 to 308, in the Frequently Asked Questions chapter), I warned that:

• Agave is a non-GRAS (not generally recognized as safe) label for highly refined fructose, which is metabolized in your body like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). 
• Agave has "twice the intensity and sweetness of high-fructose corn syrup," according to food and beverage formulator Russ Bianchi. And overconsuming HFCS, as you can learn from listening to one episode of my Gab with the Gurus Radio Show, has been linked with a host of health ailments, including heart disease, cancer, obesity and metabolic synmdrome. HFCS is found in thousands of processed foods, which you can learn about in this 3 Minute Ad Age piece, for which I was interviewed. (Watch the short YouTube video here.)
• Agave may not even be from the Mexican cactus plant, according to experts, because there's been a shortage of blue agave, which is also used to make tequila.

What I didn't include in my book SUGAR SHOCK! is that I'd heard that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was being either added to agave or even swapped for it! You heard me right.

For years, I never  expressed this alleged concern in writing, because I didn't have proof. (As a trained journalist, it's imperative to verify facts, and I was seeking additional substantiation before going public with this.) But then other people began to make the same claims that your agave may really be HFCS.

Over the years, just about whenever I gave a talk, attended a conference or offered tips online, in my KickSugar group, people would inevitably ask me about the increasingly popular sweetener, especially if they hadn't yet read my advice in SUGAR SHOCK! So in late 2008, a year after my book was released, I also spoke out publicly against agave here, on this Sugar Shock Blog.

Even so, the agave questions -- and doubt about my answers -- kept coming. So I cautioned against agave again here, then again here and most recently here.

Interestingly, despite my very vocal and strong objections to agave, a number of my health-oriented friends, including those from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (a wonderful nutrition school I attended), refused to believe my anti-agave rant and continued to rave about agave's wonderful, sweet taste. Worse still, they would distribute recipes that suggested using agave nectar. Brr! Always, I would silently shudder in horror.

But thankfully, in recent years and especially months, a number of other health experts have joined me in blasting agave and its alleged virtuousness.

As best as I can reconstruct it, here's the timeline.

Sugar & Its Dangers Hit the News, Thanks to Dr. Robert Lustig's YouTube Video & Nightline

Recently, both DeGeneres and Jeff Garlin spoke out against sugar and declared that they were off the sweet substance, as I recently wrote about in this opinion piece for AOL News.

Last night, sugar and its dangers hit the news again, thanks to ABC's popular show, Nightline, which, last night, aired a compelling story spotlighting sugar's role in the obesity crisis. 

In his "Sugar Wars" piece, correspondent John Donovan offers a fascinating look at the views of esteemed pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig, whose YouTube video -- entitled "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" -- has garnered more than a quarter of a million hits to date and clearly brought Dr. Lustig into the limelight.

In this Nightline segment -- which you can watch below -- Donovan calls Dr. Lustig "a man at war with sugar," because he argues that too much fructose and not enough fiber are to blame for our obesity crisis and metabolic syndrome.

"Fructose is the cause of the current epidemic," insists Dr. Lustig, director of UCSF’s Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Clinic and UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology.

Nightline correspondent Donovan also includes quotes from the pediatric endocrinologist about how fructose confuses people's brains into thinking they're hungry and about how low-fat foods such as SnackWells cookies and fruit-flavored yogurt are filled with sugar. Dr. Lustig even argues that teens should be carded when buying sugary foods.

In the Nightline "Sugar Wars" piece, Donovan strives to be unbiased by allowing Dr. Lustig's ideas to be refuted by three pro-sugar advocates -- one from the American Beverage Association (formerly called the National Soft Drink Association) and two from the Corn Refiners Association, including a cardiologist, who has done studies funded by PepsiCo, the manufacturer of sugar-filled soft drinks.

Understandably, correspondent John Donovan seems to be like millions of Americans, who have a sweet tooth. In fact, the reporter readily admits that strolling with Dr. Lustig at San Francisco's Pier 30  (a hot spot filled with sugary foods such as waffle cones) can be "at times, well, a bit of of a downer. Because we love sugar, don't we, most of us?"

Donovan is absolutely correct in his assessment. Most Americans -- and people around the world -- are so keen on sugar that they imbibe it to their detriment. Unfortunately, the Nightline reporter did not mention that obesity is only part of the sugar story.

The average American's sugar consumption -- about 170 pounds per year per person -- also has been linked with heart disease, cancer, severe PMS, memory loss, depression, fatigue, headaches, infertility, low libido, polycystic ovary syndrome and many other ailments.

In addition, regretfully, the Nightline piece did not point out that Dr. Lustig is in good company. His views are shared by many of us concerned health advocates. For instance, esteemed pediatric endocrinologist Dr. David Ludwig -- who was previously interviewed along with me for a "CBS News Sunday Morning" segment, "Is America Too Sweet on Sugar" -- is among those frightened by the massive consumption of sugar, particularly high fructose corn syrup, in this country and around the world.

Others sounding the sugar alarm include:

• Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard;
• Dr. Nancy Appleton, author of Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction;
• Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, who appears on my Gab with the Gurus Radio Show on March 31 to discuss his new book, Beat Sugar Addiction Now! ;
• Dr. Richard Johnson, author of The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That is Making You Fat and Sick.);
• Celebrity health and wellness expert J.J. Virgin, who will be on my radio show in May to discuss her upcoming book, Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy; and
• Myself, author of SUGAR SHOCK! How Sweet and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life--And How You Can Get Back on Track.

Now, I invite you to watch the eye-opening Nightline segment below.

I also encourage you to watch Dr. Lustig's YouTube video, in which he argues that the current obesity epidemic is due to the marked increase in people's consumption of fructose over the last 30 years. He also points out that fructose is toxic in large quantities, because it is metabolized in the liver in the same way as alcohol, which drives fat storage and makes the brain think it is hungry.

Finally, I invite you to watch this 3 Minute Ad Age segment, in which I reveal that if you're eating processed foods, it's virtually impossible to take in high fructose corn syrup in moderation, as the Corn Refiners Association ads assert.

FYI, this increased awareness about sugar's dangers comes at an exciting time for me, because next month, I celebrate my 12th year off sugar. If you'd like help to conquer your sugar habit and other bad habits, join the Smart Habits Fans on Facebook to get daily tips. 

You're also invited to learn about my new 5-week, Break Free With Connie teleseminar program, which begins April 20. In honor of my 12th year kick-sugar anniversary, early-bird rates are now in effect.

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, without knowing it, you're probably consuming a lot of sweeteners, especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

And did you know that when eat or drink too many sugars, especially HFCS, you can gain weight, as well as develop heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease 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 from the new Sweet Disguise blog 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 Sweet Disguise blog, which kindly featured my book and 3 Minute Ad Age Interview today.

Thanksgiving: How Not to Pig Out

People often wonder how to make it through Thanksgiving without pigging out on sweets and quickie carbs and going into sugar shock.

They don't want to wake up having gained weight, feeling fuzzy-headed and moody.

Just think: Wouldn’t it be nice to feel happy and self assured that you didn’t cave into those candied yams, pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes?

So today's Tip of the Week will offer you three simple tactics to put into action at your Thanksgiving meal:

1. Imagine What If… Just think about how you’ll feel the day after Thanksgiving if you allowed yourself to have some “treats. Would you feel angry and disappointed at yourself? Would you lose self-respect? Would you feel discouraged that you couldn’t control yourself? My clients say that all of the above emotions would hit them—and hard. So before you put those Thanksgiving “goodies” into your mouth, just “Imagine What If…”
2. Let time tell you what to do… When those Thanksgiving treats “call out” to you, let your watch or cell guide you to positive self eating. Learn how easy it is now.
3. Remember why you’re celebrating. Finally, before you go for the extra helping, think about the meaning behind Thanksgiving. As we all know, this is a holiday dedicated to gratitude. So what better way to observe it than to be thankful that you have family or friends with whom to celebrate Thanksgiving? Before you go for seconds or thirds, think of 20 things for which you’re grateful. 

I hope these 3 simple tips will help you not to pig out on Thanksgiving.

Hope this helps. If you have more tips, let me know here.

Got Milk Full of Sugar?

Parents and health advocates, are you OK with either your kids or our nation's children regularly having 3 teaspoons of sugar added to one 8-ounce glass of milk?

Well, that's basically what our youngsters all around the nation are being encouraged to do, starting this week as the National Dairy Council -- creators of the "Got Milk? cammpaign -- launches a new campaign to heavily promote sugar-filled chocolate milk in schools across the country.

Hemi Weingarten, a fellow blogger at the Huffington Post, alerted us to this development.

All that added sugar -- over 3 teaspoons worth -- has rightfully raised the ire of health advocates, points out AP writer Emily Fredrix

In fact, experts like Marlene Schwartz, Ph.D., deputy directory of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, recommends tossing the chocolate milk. I agree with what she told Fredix -- that kids already have too much sugar and chocolate milk has no place in schools.

Clearly, children already are in sugar shock with all the sweets they consume each year.

In fact, the additional sugar in flavored milk can add up to an extra 5 pounds of body weight over the course of a school year, Renegade Lunch Lady Ann Cooper told the AP. 

What's the matter with regular milk? You don't need to make milk sweet to get kids to drink it!

Yubby.com Lets You Make Own Video Channel

I'm at this amazing BlogWorld event in Las Vegas getting a demo of the new Yubby.com service. The first video features me talking about the high fructose corn syrup ads. The second one is with Peter Shankman, who is the first interviewee on my new You Tube channel -- get there by going to www.YouTube.com/GabWithTheGuruss Full disclosure: Vincent Everts, founder and CEO of Yubby.com has been very nice to me and is letting me use his charger to fire up my new iPhone. (But that's not why I'm featuring this. This new site is cool!`)

Sugar Addiction: Are You Committing Suicide by Sugar? Nancy Appleton Shares the Dirt on My Gab With the Gurus Radio Show: Listen Live or Later

Did you know that eating sugary foods and drinking sweet beverages can send you early to your grave?

Well, health expert and former sugaraholic Nancy Appleton -- who's been warning about sugar's dangers since the 1970s -- will appear on my Gab With the Gurus Radio Show on Oct. 20 at 2 pm EST to dish you the dirt about America's sweetheart, sugar.

Now, the friendly, enthusiastic, always-energetic Dr. Appleton has come out with a new book, Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction, which offers some startling information about this legal but dangerous, nearly ubiquitous, addictive white powder.

You'll be shocked when you listen to this radio interview, which you can catch either live at 2 pm EST on Oct. 20 or later, here on this SUGAR SHOCK Blog, by clicking the player at the bottom of this post.

Some of you have asked me, "Connie, why do you promote other sugar experts and sugar books when you've got your own to publicize?"

Well, I strongly believe that all of us sugar authors and experts have something special and unique to offer. Together, we can give you the information and inspiration that you need to begin to remove sweets to live a happier, healthier life.

Besides, as my tormented, frustrated sugar-addicted clients often reveal, people yearn for lots of scary information and eye-opening facts from a variety of sources so they can get more motivated to conquer their overpowering addiction. For instance, when I kicked sugar back in 1998, Nancy's book Lick the Sugar Habit was one of several that I read. I also appreciated having the books, Sugar Blues and Get the Sugar Out, to spur me to action. And now, part of what I'm doing is banding with other sugar addiction specialists to help serve you. For instance, I'm now working with fellow life coach James Hahn, II -- also a former sugar addict. Together, we just launched our Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Social Network, which you're invited to join.   

Back to Nancy. Of all sugar experts other than myself, she is hands-down my favorite. She has been my sweet, kind mentor for years.

I cannot rave enough about Nancy, my idol, who I had the pleasure of finally meeting in late April at a Food Addiction: The Obesity Epidemic Connection conference at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island. (You can watch a video here of me interviewing Jack LaLanne at the conference.).

Back to Nancy. For some four to five years, while I was researching and writing my book SUGAR SHOCK!, Nancy was incredibly kind, generous and helpful to me. She gave time to me and answered my many, many questions without hesitating and with no thought of herself. Her only goals were to get accurate information out to as many unsuspecting, sugar-addicts as possible.

When I was writing my book, Nancy has absolutely no way of knowing that SUGAR SHOCK! would sell well, and that years later I would finally be able to help her. 

So I encourage now, go out and buy Nancy's amazing new book, Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction.

To listen to the Gab With the Gurus Radio Show with Nancy either live on Oct. 20 at 2 pm EST -- or later, at your convenience, just click on the player below or listen live at BlogTalkRadio.com.

For more news about upcoming radio guests, visit the Gab With the Gurus Blog.

Lakers' Lamar Odom: Is His Candy Habit Triggering His Uneven Performance on the Basketball Court?

Why does the Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom have an uneven performance on the basketball court such as this flagrant foul?

In a blog post, entitled "The Lakers' Lamar Odom, Sweet Tooth and Erratic Play," Dr. Daniel Amen, a Lakers fan since a child, presents a compelling theory -- the basketball player's compulsive candy habit is to blame.

After interviewing hundreds of experts for my book SUGAR SHOCK! and suffering my own horrific, sugar-induced nightmare, the physician's concept makes perfect sense.

Dr. Amen, author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Magnificent Mind at Any Age, writes that Odom "is unbelievably talented, but often acts like a space cadet during games.

"He can play great, and be worth his 14 million-dollar salary, or he can act like he is `missing in action.'"

Indeed, acting like a space cadet or have brain fog is clearly a manifestation of low blood sugar, which can be triggered by eating too many sweets.

Kudos to Dr. Amen for pointing out that "Odom's massive consumption of candy leads to a sugar high and then a crash, evidence of which can be seen on the basketball court."

Dr. Amen writes: "I’ve been telling my patients for years that sugar acts like a drug in the brain. It causes blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, foggy, and stupid. Eating too much sugar impairs cognitive function, which may explain why Odom doesn’t always make the smartest decisions on the court."

Do you think Dr. Amen's theory is hogwash? Bet you'll change your mind after watching the Candy Confessions of the 6'10" Lakers forward, as revealed in this ESPN video, dubbed, "Lamar Odom: The Candy Man."

My head is shaking in both sympathy and worry upon learning about Odom's sweet tooth, which has to be called a sugar addiction.

"I'm the supplier of candy on that team. If you need that candy fix, I've got it," he admits.

Why doesn't his doctor alert him to the dangers of his candy ways? And why does it take a doctor who's a fan to warn him?

Clearly, Odom doesn't realize that his obsessive candy habit could pave the way not only to fuzzy thinking and brain fog, but to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and much more. Even though he's doing lots of exercise on the basketball court, he still can be setting himself up for ailments galore.

Folks, let's help him! Someone who says, "I'm like a chocolate freak at night," needs our support.

My heart goes out to him when he admits, "It's bad. We all got our vices, and sugar is just one of mine."

Oh my goodness, no offense meant, but Odom, you need HELP now! Your sugar habit could do you in!

Sounds like you could benefit from both my book SUGAR SHOCK!, as well as from Dr. Amen's books, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Magnificent Mind at Any Age.

Special thanks to Los Angeles Times reporter Mike Penner for sharing this candy concept.

FYI, in deference to my sugar-addict fans and because I'm dedicated to helping people break free of their sugar addiction so that they can concentrate better, lose weight, relieve depression, boost their libido and more, I'm deliberately not naming Odom's many candy preferences by name.

Food Diary Forms for You: Keep Track & Your Weight Will Disappear

Keeping a food diary or food journal is a faster way to weight loss, as I pointed out here, on the Sugar Shock Blog and as I often remind my clients. To help you peel off those pounds, I'm providing you with a special food diary.

I encourage you to print out many copies of this page and then track yourself like a lab rat all day long. Just imagine that you're a scientist watching the behavior of your beloved animals.

Feel free to share The Ultimate Food Diary with friends, co-workers, gym buddies, bosses, hairdressers, fitness trainers, loved ones and frenemies. In short, spread the link love, as some say.

Sugars & Fake-Sugars Tracker: The Soul-Searching Food Diary™

Name ________________________________________

Date _________________________________________

What did I eat and drink? (Any sugary foods or drinks? Any refined carbs? Any artificial sweeteners?) How did I I feel? Was I physically or emotionally hungry? (On the 1st line, state what you ate. On the 2nd line, jot down how you felt -- really hungry, angry, lonely, frustrated, furious, stressed out, etc.)

7 a.m.      _______________________________________________________________
7 a.m.      _______________________________________________________________

8 a.m.      _______________________________________________________________
8 a.m.      _______________________________________________________________

9 a.m.     _______________________________________________________________
9 a.m.     _______________________________________________________________

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Should You Believe These New Ads? Get the Truth on Nov. 18

Do you believe these new ads about high fructose corn syrup, which seek to convince you that it's OK to consume in moderation? Please, don't be duped!

All Americans -- especially those of you who regularly consume processed, packaged and jarred foods -- need to woken up by a sour surprise, not a "sweet surprise," as the Corn Refiners Association is trying to have you believe, with its reported $20 million to $30 million ad campaign.

If you haven't seen the three TV spots yet, see them here: "Party," "Two Bites" and "Brothers."

Get the sour surprise about America's most popular sweetener on Nov. 18 on my Gab With The Gurus Radio Show, when several experts will give you their take on the alleged "facts" presented in the campaign.

My guests will be:

• Curt Ellis, director and producer for the documentary King Corn.
• Richard J. Johnson, M.D., author of The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That is Making You Fat and Sick
• Nutritionist, author and personal trainer Pedro Bastos, a colleague of Loren Cordain, Ph.D., acclaimed for his Paleo Diet.
• Biochemist and food and beverage formulator Russ Bianchi, who is also chief executive officer and managing director of Adept Solutions, a product development and food formulation firm. 

In the meantime, see the 3 Minute Ad Age news story, A Sour View of Corn Refiners' Sweetener Ads, for which I was interviewed.

And check out my previous comments here about the new high fructose corn syrup ads here.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: See My Remarks on 3 Minute Ad Age

Wondering what to think about the new ads for high fructose corn syrup? Last week, Advertising Age interviewd me to get my thoughts about the subject. 

See their piece for 3 Minute Ad Age news story, A Sour View of Corn Refiners' Sweetener Ads, for which I was interviewed.

Special thanks to video producer Jill Bauerle for having the insights to do this story.

High Fructose Corn Syrup: FDA Says It's Natural

Gerry Pugliese for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

If you milk an ear of corn, high fructose corn syrup comes out. Apparently the Food and Drug Administration believes this to be true, because they’ve announced that HFCS is natural.

The decision, written in a correspondence to the Corn Refiners Association, is a backtrack by the FDA, reports Laura Crowley of Food Navigator-USA.

In April, an FDA regulator stated that HFCS could not be considered “natural” because high fructose corn syrup is manufactured using a synthetic fixing agent, Crowley pointed out.

However, the FDA now says that if the synthetic agents—called glutaraldehyde—do not come into contact with the high-dextrose corn starch, they can be considered natural.

This is a big win for the Corn Refiners Association, but this will undoubtedly confuse consumers.

No matter what you call it, high fructose is not natural. What's more, research shows that it can be quite unhealthy. Need reasons why?

• San Francisco Chronicle: Sugar coated
• The Seattle Times: High-fructose corn syrup fueling obesity epidemic, doctors say
• NBC News: High-fructose corn syrup: sugar on crack?

You can also read about HFCS in Connie's book, SUGAR SHOCK! For instance, she discusses some of the recent, eye-opening studies about it.

Personally, I avoid HFCS like the plague. And if I see it on a food label, I don't buy the stuff.

Gerry Pugliese

Food Label Faux Pas: How Could I Be Duped By Almond Butter With Hidden Sugars?

Unbelieveable!

Yours truly didn't follow her own advice! Oops!

Picture me, so in the mood for a nice snack -- a crunch, organic red apple covered with scrumptious unsweetened almond butter.

And so I filled a tablespoon with my newly purchased "All Natural" almond butter. Yum -- I love the stuff. (Unfortunately, though, I couldn't find organic at the store near me.)

Happily, I took a big bite.

Yuck!

It just didn't taste right! In fact, it had this sort of way-too-sweet taste. Darn, I was disappointed.

But what could be wrong, I wondered?

It was then that I did what I tell others always to do: I turned over the jar to look at the label and there, staring me in the face was the truth: Listed second, after the dry roasted almonds was "organic evaporated cane sugar" -- i.e., sugar.

What was sugar doing in my all natural almond butter from a company (won't reveal the name), whose products I had purchased before?

Wait, there's more: Palm oil and sea salt were added, too, to my nut butter. Huh? Why were those needed?

Anyhow, now I'm sitting in my office with my all disgusting all-natural, crunchy almond butter.

How could I, the Ex-Sugar Shrew-turned Sugar Sleuth, be duped by a jar of almond butter? Because I didn't follow my own advice! LOL!

Well, I gotta go now and see if the store will take back my almond butter and let me swap it for a more tasty, unsweetened one. (By the way, when you phase out sugar, your taste buds change considerably -- while sweetened nut butters might have once appealed to me, now they're disgustingly untasty.)

Moral of the story: Read food labels religiously, even from companies whose products you've purchased before.