Stay tuned for some compelling points that you'll get from these amazing speakers.
These are the experts lined up.
Michael Prager, Author, Fat Boy Thin Man Nicole Avena, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Florida Eric Stice, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Oregon Research Institute Dr. Vera Ingrid Tarman, MD., MSc., FCEP, CASAM, Medical Director, Renascent Elissa Epel, Ph.D., Associate Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry Robert H. Lustig, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, in the Division of Endocrinology at UCSF
Now read the enticing description:
Addiction is about brains, not just about behaviors. We all have the brain reward circuitry that makes food rewarding; it’s a survival mechanism. In a healthy brain, these rewards have feedback mechanisms for satiety or "‘enough." For some, the circuitry becomes dysfunctional such that the message becomes "more." Michael Prager, author of Fat Boy Thin Man, will begin the discussion telling his very personal story of recognizing and then seeking treatment for his food addiction. Leading researchers and clinicians will discuss many aspects of this important topic.
Tomorrow, I'm joining the important Meatless Monday campaign.
I now pledge to do my part in 2010 to help reduce meat consumption by 15 percent "in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet."
Will you, too, join this important, healthy, fast growing movement, which is a non-profit initiative sponsored in association with the Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health?
Of course, you smart, astute, health-conscious readers will have questions. Get answers and learn important information below how going meatless on Monday can improve your health, save gasoline and much more.
And find out about Top Meatless Monday Moments in 2009 involving Michael Pollan, the movie Food, Inc., Al Gore, Lou Dobbs, Glen Beck, Laura Ingraham, Kathy Freston and Paul McCartney.
Make Meatless Monday one of your New Year's resolutions, too.
Let's get down to basics now. What can you eat if you skip the meat?
It’s very easy to go meatless on Monday. Instead of having chicken, beef or pork,
just get your protein (2 to 3 servings) from beans, legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds instead.
Naturally, you'll want to eat ample vegetables (5 to 5 servings) and fruits (2 to 3 servings), as well as, whole grains (if you choose) and small portions of quality fats (2 to 3 tablespoons).
Plus, I'm excited to learn, the Meatless Monday folks encourage you to limit sweets, sweetened beverages, fried foods, salty snacks and foods with hydrogenated oils. Of course, as readers of this Sugar Shock Blog and my book SUGAR SHOCK!know, I highly recommend cutting out or at least cutting back on sugary foods and drinks for the sake of your health, moods and relationships.
You can even get cool ideas for foods to try on the Meatless Monday site. Learn now about magnificent almonds. and get a recipe for Almond Butter Cups. (I'm not sure if the chocolate chips are sugar-free. I hope so.)
Are you frustrated and discouraged by your habit of consuming sugar, coffee
or diet soda, as well as procrastinating, smoking, being habitually
late, obsessively checking emails, nail biting or other bad habits?
Are you discouraged that, up until now, you’ve often gone out of
your way to cave into your “cravings” to unhealthy “treats” or patterns?
Wouldn’t it be nice to Break Free of Your Bad Habits (what I call “Babits™”) for good?
I bring you hope. You CAN Break Free of Your Babits™ such as your
dependence on sugary foods, coffee, soda (both with sugar and
artificial sweeteners), alcohol, late nights and putting thing off.
When you cut loose of babits such as sugar addiction, you will receive
many physical, emotional and spiritual benefits.
Perhaps it's “Time to Say Good-Bye”. Just get encouraged and moved to action from Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. (Listen below.)
Indeed, as I recounted in my book SUGAR SHOCK!,
after quitting sugar and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998, all
44 of my ailments, from crushing fatigue to brain fog, completely
disappeared! I was amazed! You, too, can learn that licking sweets (pun
intended) and other health-robbing substances, as well as unproductive
habits, can help you to:
Shed excess weight,
Get consistent energy,
Boost your moods,
Calm you down,
Become more spiritual and centered,
Increase your passion and productivity,
Reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer or hypoglycemia,
Manage these conditions, if you have them,
Rev up your libido,
Reduce your PMS symptoms,
And so much more!
In short, removing sugar and other negative patterns can help you
get a Life That Rocks!™. Here are 10 smart steps, which can help you
break free of your sugar addiction and other babits™ (bad habits).
1. Congratulate Yourself. To begin your journey to health and
wellness, I invite you to pat yourself on the back. You may wonder why
you would want to do that, especially if you’ve spent years abusing
your body. You want to applaud yourself, because the mere fact that
you’re beginning to look at your sugar addiction or other bad habit is
big! The first step to break away from sweets, refined carbs and other
babits™ is to NOT beat up on yourself. Granted, you may have gobbled or
guzzled high-calorie nutrient-poor sugary foods and drinks over the
years, but now is a time to be gentle with yourself, to treat yourself
with compassion and to take pride that you’re taking the much-needed
first step to treat your body with love and care. Go ahead: Lavish some
praise and kudos on yourself now that you’re finally confronting the bad habit that’s been plaguing you—perhaps for years. Share your excitement
in your journal or in a heart-to-heart conversation with a loved one.
Then imagine that you’re at the starting line of a race like a runner
athlete and that you’re ready to make a massive positive shift. Please
also remember to acknowledge and celebrate your every little
accomplishment. For example, when you make it through a meal without
sugary foods, diet soda or caffeine—or if you at least consume less of
them—take pride and applaud yourself. After all, each time you make
healthier choices, you get closer to more energy, a trimmer body and a
better life.
2. Move With Your Mind & Mantra. Before you begin to try
to kick your sugar addiction or another babit™, it’s time to embark on
Seven Smart Starter Habits (through Step #8) to cement your confidence
that good health, inner calm and new patterns await you. That’s because
whenever you seek to remove an old habit and replace it with a new one,
your work begins before you even try to make changes. In other words,
before you begin to “diet” or make important lifestyle changes, you
want to convince your mind that you CAN succeed. Begin each day knowing
in the depth of your being that you’ve already licked your unhealthy
habit. To get both your subconscious and conscious mind to accept that
you’ve succeeded—or are on the path to succeeding—create an
easy-to-repeat phrase, affirmation or mantra such as “I, [Your Name],
choose only nourishing foods and drinks, which keep me slim, toned and
healthy.” Repeat your positive statement at least 30 times a day. Make
sure to say it in the morning, right after you wake up, and in the
evening, before you go to sleep. Repeating it about 10 to 20 times
before meals also can help. Back in 1998, when I finally kicked sugar,
repeating my mantra enabled me to succeed. Now, my clients find this
technique effective, too.
Late yesterday afternoon, despite the fact that I was still getting over a hacking cough, sore throat, exhaustion, etc. -- which has kept me home bound for six days -- I wrapped myself up and ventured out into the rain to catch the York premiere of a String Sextet by my favorite living American composer Philip Glass.after I learned about the performance from his calendar.
Obviously, I'm passionate about music by Philip Glass, which I find mesmerizing, hypnotic and exhilarating.
Sure enough, after the Philip Glass concert, I felt joyful, upbeat and uplifted.
In short, I got "high," but not from sugar, alcohol, drugs or any other substance.
You may be wondering how my musical tastes can help you. Well, I invite you: Please contemplate:
- How do you feel after listening to your favorite composer?
- What emotions well up in your soul?
- How does the music change your attitude and outlook?
- What do you feel like doing when or after listening to some melodic tunes?
If you're like most people, music -- the international language -- will cheer you up, calm you down and boost your optimism.
So I urge you to take the musical passion challenge. Read on to learn more.
But first find out if Philip Glass triggers your musical passion, too. Do you get "high" after listening to the soundtrack to the movie, The Hours?
Perhaps now you'll understand why I think that getting The Hours CD is highly effective bad-habits-breaker.
Now listen to part of his famous opera, Koyaanisqatsi:
Now it's time to take your musical challenge. I invite you: The next time, you long to grab a high-calorie, sugary brownie; a cup of whipped-cream-topped coffee, an eggnog or a cigarette, instead get high on your favorite music! This will be, I hope, one of your favorite, Smart Habits.
To reprint posts, please provide the post in its entirety and make sure to provide the following information: Connie Bennett is author of the bestselling book, Sugar Shock!, which has been praised by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Marilu Henner and many others. She is now writing her next book, Beyond Sugar Shock, for Hay House. Connie is a certified life coach, certified health coach, experienced journalist, host of the Gab with the Gurus Radio Show, which is available on iTunes. Connie is also a former sugar addict, who is now dedicated to helping people around the world to Break Free of their Sugar Addiction and Other Bad Habits (what she calls Babits™). Connie is founder of the acclaimed Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction in 6 Weeks Program. Lean more at www.BreakFreeWithConnie.com
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