SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

CalorieKing/Joslin Internet Tool Makes Healthy Eating Easy

Note from Connie: Let's face it, not only can kicking sugar be tough, but when you're on the run -- which many of us are these days -- eating a healthy diet can be a major challenge. That's why you'll want to know about this easy-to-use nutrition tool created by CalorieKing and the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School. Karen James brings you info about it.

The Internet-based food search toolbar (available for PC and MAC users) not only gives you the nutritional information of more than 50,000 basic and brand name foods, but it also tells you about how many minutes it will take to walk off that double-decker burger covered in sloppy sauce. (Of course, we're not recommending that you have one.)

This CalorieKing-Joslin tool also provides information on the calorie density of various foods using a one- to four-star rating system that signals which foods, calorie-wise, are the best choices.

But this may be the best part yet—the toolbar is also available in a simplified mobile format for those with Internet-enabled mobile or smartphone.

What this means is that no matter where you are (as long as you have cell coverage), you can get the skinny on what you're about to eat.

Karen James for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Carrots High in Sugar Blamed for Bunny Obesity Epidemic

Note from Connie: Carrots are bad for bunnies? Well, if you consume them by the pound! You've got to read this enlightening, entertaining blog post from my researcher Karen James.

We’ve probably all seen our share of portly pooches and corpulent cats, but apparently bunnies have made it onto the list of pets that are rapidly widening, too.

Britain is experiencing an epidemic of rabbit rotundity that now affects about one-quarter of its pet bunny population, according to a recent pet insurance company survey reported on by Asian News International.

But hang on…indulgent owners don't just feed their pets honey and chocolate, the story revealed.

Indeed, they give them carrots, and those sweet veggies are helping to trigger the obesity problem because of their high sugar content.

Processed Carbohydrates May Increase Risk For Age-Related Blindness, Study Finds

"Cut back on those refined carbs" is a message you often hear me urge you here. Those of you who have read my book SUGAR SHOCK! know that I support ample research to back my contention.

Now comes yet another study revealing how those culprit carbs could lead to macular degeneration, which is a medical condition predominantly found in elderly adults in which the center of the inner lining of the eye.

Indeed, older adults may help stave off the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by limiting their intake of high glycemic index foods, according to a new study from rsearchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University.

Indeed, of nearly 5,000 men and women ages 55 to 80 who participated in the nationwide Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), those participants who ate the most high-glycemic-index foods—quickie carbs like white bread and sugar-filled sodas—were 17 percent more likely to develop blinding AREDS than those who consumed the fewest.

Beverages: Americans Double Their Calorie Intake In Two Decades

Note from Connie: Another important study with horrifying findings emerges from renowned nuritionist Dr. Barry Popkin at the University of North Carolina. The acclaimed Dr. Popkin, who I interviewed for my book SUGAR SHOCK!, worked with a doctoral student to analyze Americans' beverage consumption patterns. Here's Karen's summary of the study.

U.S. adults consume twice as many calories from beverages than they did in 1965, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.

Barry M. Popkin, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and a fellow at the Carolina Population Center and doctoral candidate Kiyah J. Duffey analyzed the beverage consumption patterns of nearly 47,000 U.S. adults aged 19 and older between the years 1965 and 2002, according to a UNC press release.

The team’s study appears in the November issue of Obesity Research, which isn't available yet online.

Among the findings:

• In 1965 beverages accounted for 12 percent of U.S. adults average daily energy intake. By 2002 that number had risen to 21 percent, or an additional 222 calories.

• The additional calories received from beverages are not commensurate with a reduction in food.

• Between 1989 and 2002, water intake stayed about same, while the average adult drank an extra 21 ounces of other beverages daily.

• While five beverages dominated consumption patterns in 1977, that number rose to eight by 2002 to include fruit and vegetable juices and diet soda.

"This has considerable implications for numerous health outcomes, including obesity and diabetes as this is just adding several hundred calories daily to our overall caloric intake," Popkin said in the release.

Karen James for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Learning Annex: Class Happening in January Instead

I'm in Mexico vacationing this week, and it occurred to me that I forget to let you know about my change in schedule.

For those of you who live in or near New York, my Learning Annex class is now happening in January instead of October 11.

The Learning Annex and I agreed that the first month of the year would be the ideal time to reach sugar addicts with my empowering, cut-back-on-sugar-for-good health messages.

Stay tuned for details.

Overweight Kids? Dr. David Ludwig Offers Tips to Slim Down Your Children

Just a quick reminder: One of America's foremost obesity experts, Dr. David Ludwig, will offer tips on how to slim down your kids on my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show at 4 pm EST today.

You can listen live or afterwards, at your own convenience.

Topic of Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show: "How to Help Your Kids Slim Down"

Guest: Renowned children's obesity expert David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., author, Ending the Food Fight: Guide Your Child to a Healthy Weight in a Fast Food/Fake Food World. 

Date: Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 4 pm EST (Podcast available afterwards.)

As you may recall, Dr. Ludwig, who is director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) Program, a renowned pediatric weight management program for children at Children’s Hospital Boston, recently offered 6 tips to readers of the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog.

On the upcoming Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show, you'll get to receive pointers directly from Dr. Ludwig, in which he'll teach you how to help trim down your kids and how to get them to cut back on those tempting desserts.

Dr. Ludwig also is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a revered researcher, who has come up with some eye-opening conclusions about the role of culprit carbs to weight gain. During our interview, Dr. Ludwig will, for instance, help teach you:

• How to explain to your youngsters the differences between “real food” like veggies and fruits and “fake food” like sugary soda and processed chips, crackers, cakes, etc.   
• How to help your kids make friends with crunchy, savory vegetables.
• How to wean your kids off soda – the nutrient-lacking sugary drink that can pack on those pounds.
• How to get your kids to eat healthy meals and snacks even if they now swear they’ll never have them.
• How to introduce your family to tasty, fiber-filled whole grains such as brown rice, steel cut oats, millet and quinoa.
• How to transform food conflict into food cooperation.
• What do when your children bug you for candies, cookies, chips, pizza or fast food.
• How your children can have fun becoming food label-reading experts so they can make better food choices.
• What to tell your children to combat peer pressure to eat junk food.
• How to help your kids enjoy getting active.
• How to inspire and help your kids to eat healthy, even if they’re on the run.

Make sure to see the useful tips Dr. Ludwig gave previously, which I posted here.

Research Shows Quality Carbs Reduce Acne

Note from Connie: Goodness grief. There is so much sugar news! Thank goodness I have two wonderful part-time blog researchers/writers. This entry comes from Karen James. Incidentally, as Karen explains further, I wrote about this study in my book SUGAR SHOCK!, but the study didn't come out until this month.

Foods low on the glycemic index such as beans and whole grains, which slowly release glucose into the blood stream after consumption and improve insulin sensitivity, may also help clear up acne, according to a newly published study, which Reuters Health discussed.

Robyn N. Smith, Ph.D., a researcher at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, was the lead author of the study in which researchers assessed the impact of low-glycemic-load carbohydrates on 43 male acne patients between the ages of 15 and 25.

Soda-Free Summer? Can You Do It? Two Alameda County Experts Challenge You on Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show July 31

Can you go without soda for the summer? Of course you can!

The Nutrition Services and Public Health Department in Alameda County (in northern California) challenges you!

Learn more about this Soda-Free Summer Campaign on my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio show on Tuesday, July 31 at 4 p.m. EST.

That's when I'll interview two folks from Alameda County's Public Health Department about their exciting program, which is made possible by a grant from Kaiser Permanente.

Remember: If you can't make the show live, you can listen afterwards, in the convenience of your own home.

By the way, you may recall that I blogged previously about this exciting Soda Free Summer program, which is designed to educate Alameda County families about the importance of reducing or eliminating products full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, beginning with sodas.

My guests on the July 31 Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show -- which you can listen to after the fact -- will be Anthony Iton, M.D., J.D., MPH, the Alameda County Public Health Department Director and Health Officer, and Nutrition Services Director Diane Woloshin.

As I mentioned previously, I became quite entertained when I learned through Google Alerts that the theme of this Soda Free Summer campaign is sugar shock because, as Diane explained, "this information is really shocking to people." How's that for a wild coincidence?

Especially since, at the time fo the Soda Free Summer announcement, Alameda County's Public Health Department had not yet heard of my book SUGAR SHOCK! But they knew a catchy title!

University of Michigan Studies Colon Cancer and Mediterranean Diet

University of Michigan(U-M) cancer researchers are studying whether a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, olive oil and nuts can help prevent colon cancer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported.

Over the next three years, the University of Michigan scientists hope to recruit 120 people age 21 and older who have had colon polyps or colon cancer or who have a family history of the disease. Participants will then spend six months either following a so-called Mediterranean diet or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Healthy People 2010 diet, based upon the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains with moderate fat intake and limited saturated fat.

It's great that they’re taking a closer look at the benefits of a healthier diet. But I wish they would also look into the sugar connection as it's a good bet that healthier eaters consume far fewer refined sugars and carbs than the average American.

As Connie points out in SUGAR SHOCK!, one study of 1,500 Chinese Americans found that the 500 men and women who eventually developed colon cancer ate the most refined foods and sweets. In another study of more than 38,000 women, which was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers found that those female participants with higher-glycemic-load diets were nearly three times more likely to develop colon cancer. Pretty compelling evidence.

By Karen James for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Mom's Elevated Blood Sugar Puts Baby at Risk

Regardless of whether a pregnant woman is diabetic, the higher her blood sugar the more at risk her newborn is for complications, the Associated Press reported last week.

The results of a study of more than 23,000 pregnant women in nine countries, including the U.S. and Canada, found a strong relationship between mothers’ blood sugar levels, big babies and first time C-sections. The results were recently announced at the annual scientific meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Big babies (defined as larger than 90 percent of babies in the local population) are at risk of shoulder damage and other birth injuries during normal deliveries. Thus, there is a higher likelihood that a C-section will be performed, bringing with it the possibility of corresponding complications. Additionally, the higher the mother's blood sugar level, the more likely the baby was to have low blood sugar and high insulin levels.

The study indicated that maternal blood sugar levels previously considered acceptable were being rethought. As a result of the findings, more pregnant women may be diagnosed with diabetes and prescribed stricter diets or medication in the future. To learn more, visit the ADA Web site.

By Karen James for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

New Yorkers: Come See Me Tomorrow (Sat.) at the New York Book Festival

New Yorkers -- or those of you who live near Manhattan -- come by my booth tomorrow at the New York Book Festival!

Would love to meet some of you who are readers of this SUGAR SHOCK! Blog.

If you show up, not only will you get a chance to chat with me, but you'll stand a chance to win some of the half dozen raffle prizes I'm giving out! (I'm giving out six spots to this teleseminar with children's obesity expert Dr. David Ludwig and three spots to my upcoming 21-day program to Stop SUGAR SHOCK!)

The New York Book Festival is in Central Park near the Naumburg Bandshell. (I'm entering at 72nd and 5th.) It runs from 10 to 6 p.m.  SUGAR SHOCK! is at Booth 72.

Hope to see you!

Thanks to Calorie Lab for Spreading the Word About The American Love Affair With Sugar

Thanks to Calorie Lab for joining in and spreading the word about the fact that Americans are just eating way too much sugar. Sarah White for the site's Calorie Counter news section discusses our love affair with the substance while summarizing the wonderful CBS News Sunday Mornng story, "Is America Too Sweet on Sugar?," which aired last Sunday.

FYI, while Calorie Lab points out that my brain fog lifted when I kicked sugar and refined carbs, that was only one of many conditions that completely vanished. In addition, my excessive fatigue, mood swings, severe PMS, ferocious headaches and other ailments also totally vanished -- just from kicking all those culprit carbs. In fact, I tell my amazing story in chapter 1 of SUGAR SHOCK! I invite you to learn about my remarkable transformation by getting my book now.

I

Did You See This Video Announcement About the Kellogg's Deal With CSPI Founder?

As you may already have read here, the Center for Science in the Public Interest reached an "historic settlement agreement" with the Kellogg Co. to limit the sugar content of cereals advertised to kids under age 12.

Now, I'd like to invite you to listen to CSPI founder director Michael Jacobson's reaction. Kudos definitely go to the organization for its hard work in getting the cereal manufacturer to back down somewhat.

But, while I applaud the CSPI for forcing Kellogg's to have more of a conscience about how much sugar is put into cereals, I'm leaning now towards thinking that the agreement may not be as wonderful as many have been led to believe.

However, this is a really wonderful first step. Let's just hope that the Kellogg Co. and other processed food companies take even stronger measures now to reduce sugar content so that kids all across America aren't starting their days with a mega dose of the substance that could lead to a number of ailments.

I'd really like to see these companies start to put -- if they haven't already -- some of the R&D budget (research & development) budget into creating some sugar-free, high-fiber cereals.

Sweet Story! Thank You, CBS News Sunday Morning! Susan and Jason, You Deserve Kudos Galore for Your Fabulous Segment About America's Sweetheart -- Sugar

Thank you, CBS News Sunday Morning -- in particular correspondent Susan Spencer and producer Jason Sacca -- for today's very intriguing, informative lead story about sugar.

Susan and Jason, of course, as well as CBS, deserve major kudos for shedding light on this important subject, and I do hope and believe that CBS News Sunday Morning's five million viewers will find the segment quite eye-opening.

It's my greatest hope that the millions who saw the CBS News Sunday Morning story will reassess their intake of sugar and refined carbs and think about cutting them out -- or at least cutting back -- so they may get more energy, concentrate better, peel off the pounds, and maybe even reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes.

Wow! Susan did a spectacular job pulling together so many intriguing bits of information and then weaving them into a highly enjoyable, engrossing segment. Read the transcript of the interview here.

(Susan -- who creates impressive, thoughtful stories -- really draws you in when presenting some salient facts and fascinating tidbits about Americans' love affair with sugar.)

For those of you who missed this morning's CBS News Sunday Morning segment, right now you can read the transcript of the sugar story here. (Of course, you'll miss out on the dazzling video footage, which included oodles of gooey, sugary foods; obese people waddling along; interviews with experts, including the one Susan did with me, as well as with one of my favorite experts, David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D. (read on); sugar historian Sidney W. Mintz, author of Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History; a representative from the Sugar Association; and a crowd of about 200 gathered at my recent book signing and my signing copies of SUGAR SHOCK! at Border's at Columbus Circle in New York City.)

I'm very grateful to CBS News Sunday Morning for showcasing my book SUGAR SHOCK!, which has received, much-appreciated, pivotal support from contributing author Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D. and Nicholas Perricone, M.D., who wrote the foreword. In addition, I'm indebted to numerous bestselling authors and top health experts for endorsing the book including frequent "Oprah" guest Mehmet Oz, M.D., author of YOU: On A Diet.

It was a pleasure to be included in CBS News Sunday Morning's important piece, and it was nice to see that David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., one of the health experts I greatly admire and recommended, was quoted in the CBS News Sunday Morning segment.

Speaking of Dr. Ludwig, mark your calendars. On Tues., July 17, this world famous children's obesity expert -- author of Ending the Food Fight -- is participating in an exciting teleseminar with me to teach parents how to help their kids slim down.

Parents, this is your amazing opportunity to ask questions of this knowledgeable expert, and we'd love to have you. Just sign up here now for this July 17 event. (Please note that the date has been rescheduled.)

For the record: While the CBS News Sunday Morning piece was absolutely fabulous, comprehensive and entertaining, I'd like to clarify some figures cited in the story.

According to the USDA, the average American consumes about 142.6 pounds per year or a little more than 3/4 of a cup per day of added caloric sweeteners, including refined sugar (from cane and beets), high fructose corn syrup, glucose syrup and dextrose. However, I believe, as do other experts, that the average American takes in more like 170 pounds per year or just shy of a cup of sugar per day. It's important to note that this 142-pound figure (or 170-pound figure) does not include artificial sweeteners, as mentioned in the CBS piece.

In fact, if you add in stats for artificially sweetened foods and drinks, the figures are considerably higher. According to the Calorie Control Council, a whopping 180 million American adults (as of 2004) consume low-calorie and sugar-free sodas, other beverages and foods using five different sugar substitutes approved by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose and neotame.

Which, of course, begs the question. Are these sugar substitutes safe to consume? This is one of the Frequently Asked Questions I answer in SUGAR SHOCK! (I had to cover this, because while researching my book, thousands of people I've been coaching or connecting with online wanted to know if they reduce their sugar intake if it's OK to drank or eat foods using sugar substitutes.)

I was shocked at what I learned. Interviews with health experts revealed that questions have been raised about the safety of all artificial sweeteners on the market -- this, despite repeated claims from the FDA and the companies creating them. In SUGAR SHOCK! you also can learn about what some experts call a "paradoxical weight gain" that some people experience when ingesting foods with artificial sweeteners.

Anyhow, back to the wonderful CBS News Sunday Morning sugar story. I recommend that you read the transcript here now.

Again, thank you CBS News Sunday Morning. Hats off to you, Susan Spencer, for your diligence, dedication and intrepid reporting. And applause goes to you, Jason, for coming up with the idea for this segment in the first place and for so seamlessly pulling together various sources and concepts for this piece. Your viewers will benefit from your hard work. It was also an honor and pleasure to work with both of you.

By the way, I'm also grateful that the CBS News Sunday Morning story featured the cover of my book in the segment. Americans are curious, which has been evident since all day SUGAR SHOCK! has been moving up the charts.

At last look, SUGAR SHOCK! soared from #3,153 around 9:15 in the morning to # 43 on Amazon late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Meanwhile, BarnesAndNoble.com also saw an upswing in sales to # 77.

Join in the movement to learn about and stop SUGAR SHOCK! now -- get this book for you, a loved one and a work colleague. I like to believe that this book can not only open your eyes, but help you to break free from your sugar habit. (That's my intention at least, and according to the dozens of e-mails I've received, it does just that.)

Thought you'd find the following interesting:

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425213579
• ISBN-13: 978-0425213575
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: based on 42 reviews. (Write a review.)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
  
  (Publishers and authors: Improve Your Sales)

Now here's BarnesAndNoble.com:

• Paperback
• ISBN: 0425213579
• Pub. Date: December 2006
• Sales Rank: 77
• Customer Rating:
  

Stay Tuned Sunday or Set Your TiVos to CBS News Sunday Morning's Cover Story: "Short and Sweet"

Check out the CBS website to find a description about Sunday's cover story about sugar, on the CBS News Sunday Morning. The piece is now entitled, "Short and Sweet." Here's the item on the CBS website.

Set your TiVos now if you plan to be busy for Father's Day. Learn first where the CBS News Sunday Morning airs in your area.

FYI, you can learn more about this segment here and also here, when I first posted about my exciting day with the CBS News Sunday Morning crew.

---

(CBS)

(CBS) June 17, 2007

COVER STORY: Short and Sweet

Americans love their treats, from Twinkies to ice-cream to Hershey’s kisses. If it’s sweet, we love it! And in moderation, there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem is taht America has such a sweet tooth, sugar is turning up all our food, from bread to spaghetti sauce to peanut butter, and beyond. How much sugar is too much? Correspondent Susan Spencer looks into our love/hate relationship with sugar.

For more information:

www.sugarshock.com (Yeah, they posted my website.)

www.childrenshospital.org

www.sugar.org

www.usda.gov

www.healthandhealingny.org

Books:

“Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History”, by Sidney Mintz
“Ending the Food Fight” by Dr. David Ludwig, M.D.
“Sugar Shock” by Connie Bennett

Hurrah for Progress, But Just How Momentous is Kellogg's Agreement to Curtail Sugar Content of Foods Advertised to Kids Under 12?

I've had a chance to learn more, and I'm now wondering if the concessions that the Kellogg Co. made this week are enough in terms of limiting sugar content in the foods it advertises to kids under age 12.

You see, I was initially really excited about what I perceived to be momentous changes afoot at the Kellogg Co. So I happily, quickly and eagerly announced the agreement here that CSPI had reached with the company after a year and a half of negotiations. (I was in the midst of many things that day so I didn't have time to delve into this extensively. This is a really hectic week for me because of the CBS News Sunday Morning story on sugar and also because I'm in the middle of a move but still haven't found a new place yet.)

Remember to watch CBS News Sunday Morning this Sunday or set your TiVos, because sugar is the topic of its lead story.

Anyhow, I've now had a chance to read this wonderful article from Andrew Martin of the New York Times. He was quite specific about the nutrition guidelines to which the Kellogg Co. agreed.

Of course, as the author SUGAR SHOCK!, I'm interested in the new sugar guidelines. (The agreement also calls for limiting calories, fat and sodium.)

Basically, under the new guidelines, to advertise to children under 12, one serving of cereal must have no more than 12 grams of sugar. That means one serving can have 3 teaspoons of sugar. (To arrive at that figure, you just divide by 4.)

Take for instance, Kellogg's Cocoa Krispie's -- one of my favorites as a child. Well, you learn here that one serving is only 3/4 cup. So that means the cereal company can't advertise this cereal to children under 12 because it has 14 grams of sugar (3.5 tsp.) in one serving.

Now take a look at Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. The cereal -- while still quite sugary and sweet -- has 11 grams of sugar (2.75 tsp.) in one serving so that's fair game to still be marketed to kids under 12.

Now now here's where the average person might get tripped up. Kellogg's can still target children under 12 with messages to buy Frosted Flakes -- but bear in mind that one serving size of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes is a mere 3/4 of a cup.

Don't most kids eat more than 3/4 of a cup in one sitting? I know that as a kid (who incidentally loved both Frosted Flakes and Cocoa Krispie's), I would polish off a lot more 3/4 of a cup for breakfast. I'd easily consume twice that amount. (And I was skinny, too.)

So really, if children eat the normal serving size of Frosted Flakes, wouldn't they be ingesting more like 22 grams of sugar for breakfast? That's 5.5 teaspoons in one sitting.

Even if a child has only 3/4 of a cup at a time, what's the difference, really, between 11 and 12 grams of sugar?  Either way, that's still a lot for a growing child under 12 to take in at any one time.

Having said all that, I do applaud the Kellogg Co. for taking some steps in the right direction by beginning to be more responsible, but I just don't think the company is going far enough.

So I'd like to suggest to the Kellogg Co. that their scientists take much more drastic steps than just announced.

Why not invent or reformulate some cereals specifically for children so that the growing youngsters get no more than 4 grams -- that's one teaspoon -- in 1 real serving? In other words, the label would read no more than 2 grams of sugar for 3/4 of a cup.

This is not impossible. Look, I know some really wonderful cereals out there -- granted, not many -- that aren't loaded in sugar. For instance, Kashi Seven Whole Grains & Sesame and Kashi Pilaf are fabulous cereals that contain 0 grams of sugar. Isn't Kashi now owned by Kellogg's? Why can't that be marketed to children under 12?

CSPI Reaches Historic Agreement With the Kellogg Co. to Adopt Nutrition Standards For Foods Advertised to Young Children

Exciting news comes from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

After a year and a half of negotiations, the CSPI came to an agreement with the Kellogg Company to adopt nutrition standards for the foods it advertises to young children. In announcing the agreement, CSPI hails this as "an historic commitment."

Kudos really go to CSPI for its hard work to reach this new agreement, which now means that CSPI, as well as the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and two Massachusetts parents, will not proceed with a previously announced lawsuit against the company. (FYI, I mentioned this pending lawsuit in my book SUGAR SHOCK! So this is the latest info that you can't currently find in my book.)

According to the new agreement with Kellogg, CSPI states, "foods advertised on media—including TV, radio, print, and third-party Web sites—that have an audience of 50 percent or more children under age 12 will have to meet new nutrition standards."

In addition, thanks to CSPI's efforts, Kellogg also agreed not to:

• "Advertise to children any foods in schools and preschools that include kids under age 12;
• "Sponsor product placements for any products in any medium primarily directed at kids under 12;
• "Use licensed characters (Shrek, SpongeBob, etc.) in mass-media advertising directed primarily to kids under 12 (for example, on the labels of food packages unless those foods meet the nutrition standards);
• "Use branded toys in connection with foods that do not meet the nutrition standards."

Watch CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson, Ph.D. discuss the settlement.

Tooth Decay in Preschoolers is On the Rise; Sugary Food and Drinks May Be the Culprits

The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics finds that the rate of tooth decay amongst kids aged 2 to 5 is on the rise, Will Dunham of Reuters and Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press report.

The CDC's report, "Trends in Oral Health Status-United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2004," found that 24% of preschoolers had at least one cavity in the period 1988 to 1994. Then, the rate jumped by 4% so that 28% of 2- to 5-year-olds had the same problem from 1999 to 2004.

This is disappointing news, because, according to Stobbe's piece, which also ran on Salon.com, tooth decay had been declining for 40 years up until now.

So why are more little ones getting cavities these days?

Dr. Bruce Dye, a dentist and the lead author of the CDC's study, says that parents are causing this unfortunate trend by giving their children more sugary juices, sodas, and more prepackaged, processed foods, along with giving them more bottled water instead of fluoridated tap water.

"They're relying more on fruit snacks, juice boxes, candy and soda," to feed their youngsters, Dye tells the AP.

Sheesh!

The good news is that the vast majority -- 72%, to be exact -- of preschoolers are cavity-free, which, I hope, means that their parents can keep their sugar intake under control. Maybe the parents of the 28% of kids with cavities need to read Connie's book SUGAR SHOCK for tips on how to wean their tots from the sweet stuff.

From Jennifer Moore

Join Me Monday Night at 8 p.m. EST for a Chat at WeightLossBuddy.com

Please join me Monday night at 8 p.m. EST when I host a free chat at WeightLossBuddy.com.

This is the third chat I've hosted for this wonderful site, which bills itself as "The Leading Weight-Loss Network."

It's really a wonderful place to connect with experts and other people who are going through weight or sugar issues.

The concept of a buddy is one that's been proven to help people. Anyhow, the basic service is free, but you can get additional benefits by joining the paid program, too.

Hope to see you Monday night during my free chat.

FYI, you can find the schedule of chats here.

Attend My SUGAR SHOCK! Book Signing & Talk March 10 At Border's in New York City

If you live near New York City, I'd love to have you catch my book signing and chat for SUGAR SHOCK! on Saturday, March 10 at 4:15 p.m. at the amazingly wonderful Border's bookstore at Columbus Circle. Get more info here.

We're expecting lots of people on March 10, as we did at my first book signing on Jan. 6 there, when some 200 people showed up!

What do you get out of taking time out to attend this SUGAR SHOCK! book signing?

• You get to have some fun! Seriously, you'll hear me read from my book for a bit, and you'll have fun laughing with me at myself and my "Sugar Shrew" days.
• You get to participate in some really fun, empowering exercises, which could help you to get ready to face your sugar issues.
• You get to meet wonderful, budding or current holistic health counselors from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I myself studied last year. (IIN holds classes upstairs that day, and we're hoping that hundreds of them will come to my book signing.)

Hope to see you March 10! Please let me know if you'd like to help out that day. If you do, I have some gifts for you.