Life After Sugar

Jan Steele found out that she's celiac early on in life. The transition to a gluten free diet was done by her mother because Jan was a child. Because she grew up with celiac disease, and because of the immediate physical reaction she had whenever she did eat gluten, her gluten-free habits became second nature. When pregnancy and the exhaustion of having small children made her auto-immune iss...

Oh I know you're listening, dear listener! But this is a gentle rant about the intuitive eating (IE) approach. When I first found out about IE, I was so happy! I thought I'd found "my" people! Intuitive eating is all about rejecting the diet mentality, honouring your hunger,  making peace with food, not restricting or obsessing, and not using food to fill your emotional needs....

Donna Schwenk first discovered the power of fermented foods when she was 41. She had just given birth to her third child prematurely, and in this episode she tells her story of how cultured (fermented) foods changed her life! Donna tells how her body was shutting down. She had several health issues, including high blood pressure and gestational diabetes that came back as T2 diabetes several months...

This episode comes from a request from a listener who asked me to talk about how  advertising from the sugar industry has made us believe that sugar is a good source of energy... a necessary part of our daily diet... natural... an appetite suppressant(!) and a way to lose weight(!!)... There are the ads from the 50s, 60s and 70s for example, where sugar was marketed as a healthy substance that wou...

This episode is a recording of a live video I did in May 2022 on the Life After Sugar Facebook page, with my friend Michelle Montone. I know that a lot of parents and grandparents listen to this podcast, and both Michelle and I are moms, so we decided to talk about the challenges of raising kids with less sugar. You'll get some great insights from our personal experiences, as well as tips for...

Lucie found out that she's a Type 1 diabetic when she was 17. That means that the beta cells in her pancreas don't produce insulin. She had to go to the hospital where she was given insulin and told that she was insulin-dependent for the rest of her life. She felt scared and discouraged. Back when Lucie was diagnosed, the test strips to measure her blood sugars (A1C) weren't as sens...

This is Part 2, continued from Episode 70, about the 5 mistakes people make when they want to reduce sugar. Mistake #3: Replacing sugar with other types of sweeteners, or recreating desserts and similar "treats". It's fine for a transition period, but in the long term it might prevent you from making a real, deep, lasting change. Mistake #4: Feeding your cravings. I get it: when you...

In my experience, a lot of people make some or all of these 5 mistakes when they want to reduce sugar. In this episode, I talk about the first 2 mistakes: 1. Not respecting your natural personality. Here's the thing: If you respect who you are and how you already live your life, cutting sugar can be far more sustainable. You don't have to be like anyone else, and others don't need t...

When Kate's brother passed away in his 40s from cancer, Kate felt so powerless. The acute stress triggered a physical response in her body, and her work and lifestyle made it worse. She was eating more and more processed foods... and of course, sugar! Her joint pain, swelling and brain fog got so bad that she went to see her doctor. He sent her for some tests, but the symptoms continued. So K...

A birthday without cake?? A dinner without dessert?! A celebration without traditional sweet dishes? Does that sound sad or dull to you? If you think that it's not possible to celebrate without sugar, this episode might help you see things differently. I've been celebrating without sugar and having plenty of fun and enjoyment since 2015! How? I'll tell you in this episode. P.S. This...

As a busy professional in New York, Alison followed all the healthy eating advice: she was vegetarian, ate lots of smoothie bowls and salads (all takeout!)... but she was still suffering from all kinds of symptoms and health issues. In her mid-20s, she felt like her life was crashing down on her. She was on medication for PCOS, her hair was falling out, she had dermatitis and food sensitivities, h...

"Netta, what do you eat in a day?" In this episode, I give you the answer, as well as examples of my meals. When I first cut sugar and flour back in 2015, I was given a list of whole foods to help me. I realized that I didn't really know what "whole foods" were, and that my whole definition of "food" needed to change. So I started reading. I read dozens of books....

From a young age, food had always seduced Alicia. As an example, she remembers in the 80s looking forward to going out to a Chinese restaurant. She would fantasize all day about the food, then devour everything in sight until she felt sick. Now she realizes that it was specifically sugar that led her to overconsume. As a sporty child and teenager, Alicia began training as a competitive swimmer. Sh...

A listener recently asked me to talk about sweeteners, specifically monk fruit and stevia. Disclaimer: I don't use either of these sweeteners... but this isn't about me! ;-) In this episode I talk about my take on these two sweeteners. I invite you to ask yourself these questions (with no judgement, just gentle curiosity): why am I choosing products that are sweeter than sugar? why am I...

Today's episode is a tribute to my lovely mum, Marcia, especially as it's Mother's Day in the UK (March 27, 2022). My mum's in her mid-70s and she tells how in 2015 when I first told her that I'd cut sugar and flour and how great I was feeling, it piqued her interest to try it too! She'd been struggling with several health issues, and even though she recognized that e...

Dr. Diane Mueller is a functional doctor. She's passionate about helping others restore their health and passion for life. Just like many of her patients, Dr. Diane struggled with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraines, extreme digestive dysfunction and chronic pain for many years. Conventional medicine, for her, was not enough. In this episode, Dr. Diane tells how she was lucky enough in n...

Chef AJ considers sugar was a drug for her. For the first 43 years of her life, she says that she was addicted to sugar and caffeine. She needed sugar to function. But in general, the medical profession doesn't really recognize sugar addiction, so her need for massive amounts of sugar was left unchecked. Not only was she overweight, but she also developed signs of pre-colon cancer. As a vegan...

Emily Harveaux's childhood was filled with sugar and sweet treats. From a very young age, she associated comfort and warmth with candy (like most of us!). Over her lifetime Emily says that she has run the gamut of sizes as well as her relationship with food and disordered eating. Sugar was definitely part of it. Her weight has fluctuated a lot: as much as 300lbs at one point. Now she's a...

Allison would eat to cope with all her emotions. Primarily highly processed foods made from flour and sugar (bread was her thing!), especially crunchy and salty. By the time she was in her 20s, she was morbidly obese. She tried and tried to control her weight, but she never really made the connection that it was because of certain types of foods (sugar + flour). She had a gastric bypass and lost s...

Zippi says that she was born with a "fatal attraction" to sugar. No amount of sugar was enough for her. When she moved to Israel and became a nurse, she knew all the theory and the caloric value of different foods. So, as a nurse, the problem wasn't the knowledge. She knew what to do. The problem was applying that knowledge. She felt so ashamed, like something was seriously wrong wi...

Do you love sugar? I certainly used to! Sugar in all its forms: chocolate, desserts, ice cream, cookies, as well as bread and pasta. But then when I stopped eating sugar, I realized that... well, maybe it wasn't really love! In this special Valentine's edition, I encourage you to question whether the relationship you have with sugar is really "love". Maybe it is. Or maybe you d...

Paula Yolles grew up like most people: eating sugar. Sugar was part of her daily life. Throughout her childhood and into adulthood and parenthood, she had stomach aches, and she was constipated, with gas and bloating. Plus she put on weight, even though her family ate relatively healthy. After an emotional divorce, Paula needed a change. But she never intended to stop eating sugar. (Who does?!) Sl...

On January 31, 2021 I hit "publish" and the Life After Sugar podcast was born! In this 1st birthday edition, I'm talking about the highlights over the last year with my special guest Dan Greef from the UK Low Carb podcast . As we were recording this podcast, it got me thinking: Making a podcast, or reducing / cutting sugar, as with anything in life, requires one thing of us: Just ge...

Before January 2021, Gord Isman used food to alleviate stress, isolation, and tough emotions. He would turn to food to find solace. Over the course of the pandemic, Gord says he started to get lazy with his eating, and would turn to pizza, Chinese food, sweets, soda, and late-night snacking. And of course, he started to gain weight. On January 18 2021, Gord had to be taken to the hospital in an em...

This week's episode is a sneak peek into our regular support calls, which I call "check-in calls". These calls allows participants to share their challenges, their wins and their aha! moments and get all the empathetic support, encouragement and accountability they need. This is where we have real, personal interactions in a safe environment. We go way deeper than just talking about...