Life After Sugar

In Episode 152, I'm talking with two lifelong processed food addicts, Paige Alexander and Jamie Morgan Reno. We talk about their struggles, lessons learned, tools, tips, and resources that freed them from decades of food addiction and obsession with food. All food? No - ultra-processed food! Jamie and Paige also share how they  came to believe that true health and wellness come from nourishin...

Do you feel hungry several times a day? What if that sensation you're feeling isn't actually hunger? What if it's to do with your hormones? Which hormones? Well, primarily: ghrelin, leptin, and insulin. Maybe you're often hungry even though you snack all the time. And maybe your cravings have something to do with all that snacking... In this episode, you get a sneak peek into t...

In this episode, you'll hear an excerpt of a recent online workshop I gave called "5 Steps to Freedom from Cravings". Full disclosure: these are the exact same steps that I teach inside of the Freedom from Cravings Formula program - get more  details here ! Step 1 is the most important step, because without it, the other steps don't really count. What is Step 1? And why is it s...

Amanda Leith struggled with weight problems for most of her life. She tried all the diets, exercise classes, and therapy. The solution, she was told, was either, “Eat less and exercise more,” or, “Work on your emotional issues with a good therapist.” She'd even had weight loss surgery... which had completely failed because she couldn’t follow the "everything in moderation" diet. It...

In this week's episode, Sarah shares about her struggles with an eating disorder as a teenager, as well as with cravings due to crazy hormones during her recent pregnancy. Sarah used to see cutting sugar as a punishment because she was focused on losing weight. She felt bad about herself and often resorted to negative self-talk. But more recently, her outlook has changed. Now she wants to con...

Let's bust some myths about sugar! 💥 My listeners asked me to bust all kinds of myths about sugar, cravings, and "life after sugar". Here are this week's myths: 1. "Everything in moderation". 2. "You have to eat 3 (... 4... 5... 6) times a day". 3. "Your brain needs sugar to function". 4. "You need sugar to have fun in life". Let's...

In this special Halloween edition, I ask: What scares you the most about eating sugar... and about NOT eating sugar?  In this episode, you'll hear about common fears such as: the fear of failure feeling rejected or judged if you don't eat like everybody else feeling restricted, or denying yourself losing out on the fun in life saying no and insulting people suffering from diabetes and ot...

Are you struggling with hormonal issues? Maybe peri-menopause or menopause symptoms? What if reducing refined carbs like sugar could help with a whole host of dysregulations, including hormonal issues and insulin resistance that can affect your metabolic health? In this episode, I'm talking with fellow Québécoise Dr. Èvelyne Bourdua-Roy, who's been a family physician in Quebec, Canada si...

Do you know what a CGM is? If you're diabetic, you might use one. It's a "continuous glucose monitor", and it's a little gizmo that you put in your arm to measure your blood glucose levels. Even if you don't have diabetes, it can be really fascinating to know how your blood glucose levels are affected by what you eat (like sugar!) and even by non-food factors like str...

A listener recently asked me this question: "How strict are you, Netta?" It's a great question, so I thought I'd take the time to answer it properly. In this episode, you'll learn about: my definition of "strict" why I think this question may come from the diet culture whether or not I check labels and lists of ingredients how YOU can save time at the grocery sto...

Most of Kristy's life was  spent being overweight and food obsessed.  She turned to food for every emotion: sadness, joy, fear, excitement, happiness, anger, boredom, chaos – you name it! For Kristy, food was the answer. In this episode, Kristy shares how she had tried every diet and plan available. She might have short term success, but eventually she was right back to obsessing over food an...

What's the real challenge for you where sugar's concerned? Is it to change what you eat? Or is it something else? Do you eat sugar because of cravings? Or for comfort? To celebrate? As a habit? Because you love sweet tastes? Or is your real challenge something deeper? In this episode, I'll tell you about my own challenges... and what I learned over my years of living my "life a...

Are you struggling with cravings? You're not alone! You may feel like certain foods have a hold on your emotions. Or that you're in a vicious cycle. Or that the diet culture makes you feel like a failure. Or that you'll NEVER feel free from cravings! Changing what you eat (or when you eat, like with intermittent fasting) may help, but it may not be enough to get to the heart of the...

Grace was  23 when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a is a potentially disabling autoimmune disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). Despite taking drugs, Grace continued to have attacks every 3 or 4 months, for another 11 years. Her immune system was totally out of whack, she says.  Then, she got pregnant. The doctors took her off all of her medications,...

Erin Tjam was my guest a few weeks ago, and I invited her back to talk about skin aging, more specifically about glycation. Glycation is a concept you may not have heard of (I hadn't!).  Basically, collagen and elastin keep your skin firm and supple. But your skin can age faster when sugar molecules like glucose and fructose adhere to your skin’s collagen and elastin proteins. And this can tr...

You may think that cutting sugar completely will make your cravings worse... but actually, eating no sweet-tasting foods for a while can help beat your cravings! Which foods keep cravings at bay? And which foods feed your cravings? I'll tell you in this episode. And how can you "retrain" your tastebuds to get used to less sweetness, so that you're not always looking to replace...

8 years sugar free - can you believe it?? Who can live for 8 years without eating refined or added sugars, sweeteners, and flour? Is it even possible? Well, I never would have thought it was possible if I wasn't living it myself! In July 2015, I stopped eating foods made with sugar, sweeteners, and flour. For just 2 weeks. Really! It was only supposed to be a temporary experiment... But here...

Bethany is a self-identified sugar addict who struggled with food, sweets, weight and dieting for as long as she can remember. As a child, she remembers scheming ways to get more than her share of cookies, chocolate, or candies.  Bethany started dieting at about age 11, and didn't stop seeking out and trying different diets until her late 40's. All of this left her feeling as though she...

Do you struggle with cravings? There are 3 types of cravings that I talk about in this fifth and last episode in the series of "summer shorts" about how sugar affects your health. You'll also get my 5 tips to reduce or get rid of cravings. Plus to get rid of cravings, download your 5 tips here. Also check out these free resources:  What to eat that doesn't contain added sugar L...

Almost 2500 years ago, Hippocrates said: "All disease begins in the gut". But what does "gut health" mean? Why is it so important? And how does sugar affect your gut health? To get answers, listen to this fourth episode in the series of "summer shorts" about how sugar affects your health. To get rid of cravings, download your 5 tips here. Also check out these free res...

What's the difference between short-term acute inflammation, and chronic inflammation? Is inflammation always a bad thing? Is sugar inflammatory? Listen to this third episode in the series of "summer shorts" about how sugar affects your health. To get rid of cravings, download your 5 tips here. Also check out these free resources:  What to eat that doesn't contain added sugar L...

Does sugar "cause" diabetes? And if not, what is the connection between sugar and diabetes? To get my answers, listen to this second episode in the series of "summer shorts" about how sugar affects your health. To get rid of cravings, download your 5 tips here. Also check out these free resources:  What to eat that doesn't contain added sugar Life After Sugar Facebook page...

How does sugar affect your weight? Is it the "empty calories", or is it something else? Listen to this first episode in a 5-part series of "summer shorts" about how sugar affects your health. To get rid of cravings, download your 5 tips here. Also check out these free resources:  What to eat that doesn't contain added sugar Life After Sugar Facebook page Subscribe to my In...

Dr. Erin Tjam is the author of "Skin Sobering: 99% of Products Age and Harm Your Skin". In this episode, we talk about how after her own skin failed her, Erin researched how to take care of skin. What she found in clinical studies is that a lot of skin care products contain chemical additives that are actually disrupting our natural skin. What if we didn't need skincare products? Ad...

Gastroenterologist Dr. Cecilia Minano had so many health issues as well as high stress levels. When she finally got coaching, she learned empowering boundaries and self-care that changed her life. She tells about her childhood when she would calm her insecurities and self-soothe with sugar. With her medical background, she now knows that sugar and industrially manufactured food products can lead t...