Life After Sugar

In this episode, I explore the emotional side of sugar cravings, and how low self-esteem can quietly keep us stuck in the sugar cycle. This episode was inspired by Patra, a member of my Freedom From Cravings Formula program. Patra gave me permission to share a part of her background and how years of guilt, self-criticism, and “never feeling good enough” affected her self-esteem and shaped her rela...

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Anju, a former family doctor who shifted into functional medicine after realizing that treating symptoms wasn’t enough… She wanted to help people truly heal. Dr. Anju and I talk about: How growing up in India with home-cooked meals shaped her view on food What led her to question the limits of conventional medicine Why she now sees sugar as a major disruptor to he...

This week I’m chatting with dietitian and author Kim Shapira about what it really means to feel free around food... and how we can build a peaceful, trusting relationship with food, especially sugar. Kim grew up with no food rules and a pantry full of snacks where nothing was off limits. She says that that freedom, not restriction, is what helped her feel calm and in control around food.  And as a...

When I first told people I’d cut out sugar, everyone was so impressed — “Wow, that’s amazing! I could never do that!” But when I mentioned I’d also stopped eating bread, the mood totally changed. “Wait… no bread? Why?! That’s too extreme!” It’s funny how cutting sugar gets applause, but cutting flour is judged. And honestly, I get it.  Bread and other flour-based foods have deep cultural roots — t...

In this episode, my guest Mallary talks about her moving story of living with an eating disorder that began after losing her mother at the age of 12.  Mallory opens up about how grief, perfectionism, and the need to “stay small” shaped her relationship with food—and how recovery became less about perfection and more about self-compassion. This conversation with Mallary explores: the difference bet...

My guest this week is functional medicine nutritionist Sarah Reilly, founder of Get Nourished .  Sarah opens up about her long battle with undiagnosed Lyme disease and the surprising discovery that sugar was actually feeding the infection.  For Sarah, cutting sugar wasn’t just about weight or cravings — it became a critical part of her healing journey. We talk about: How Lyme disease forced Sarah...

Ciao! Take the time to listen to this episode... because it's about what I learned about food in Italy... but especially, it's what I learned about time . My experience in Italy in the summer of 2025 showed me that the Italian family's priority is taking the time to source high-quality fresh ingredients. And taking the time to cook traditional, delicious meals is also a priority. Ea...

Growing up, Jonathan described himself as "the fat kid". His weight yo-yo'd constantly, reaching over 400lbs as an adult. Jonathan had tried hundreds of diets, but he could never keep the weight off. One day, he saw himself in a photo and he was shocked. So shocked that he made an appointment for weight loss surgery. In the weeks before, he decided to be more mindful of what he was...

My guest this week is very special... because it's my mum, Marcia! And it's her birthday too! In this episode, we talk about how and why my mum decided to try cutting sugar 10 years ago, at the age of 68. But she didn't just cut sugar... Marcia also cut flour.  But why?? Well... partly because she saw me cut sugar and flour and feel so much better. So she thought: I'll give it...

Alicia ate sugar and processed foods all her life, into her 50s. Then after a medical appointment, she realized that she needed to make a change for her health. And even though it wasn't easy, she decided to stop eating sugar. She wasn't necessarily ready... but she did it (imperfectly) anyway. Alicia is interested in a data-driven approach for the first 7 days of cutting sugar. Because...

Alex struggled with food for most of his life, but he never knew that he had a real problem with food addiction. He thought that he was lazy, weak-willed, and doomed to be overweight and unhappy forever. His self-esteem was low, and he used sugar and processed foods as a source of familiarity and comfort. By his mid-20s, Alex weighed about 400lbs. He decided to make a conscious change to lose weig...

Ah! Italy! La dolce vita! Pasta... pizza... gelato! Delizioso ! So did I eat all those typical Italian foods during our trip to Italy in July-August 2025? Because... you know, I've been sugar free and flour free for 10 years now... so… Want to know what I ate? Listen to find out! P.S. This is Part 1 of two episodes about what I ate (and what I learned about food) in Italy. Part 2 will be out...

Jen grew up in the Midwest in the 80s, eating lots of fast food and sweets.  Her mom had multiple sclerosis, and when Jen was in her 20s, her mom’s health got worse. This was Jen's wake-up call. Jen didn’t know much about health or nutrition back then. So she started learning about food, health, and natural ways to feel better for her mom, but also for herself and her own children. After Jen...

In this episode, I talk with my guest Lisa Fischer about how she let go of diet rules and found a way to feel good in her body again.  Lisa shares how intermittent fasting, better sleep, eating whole foods, and cutting sugar helped her get her energy back and feel stronger through menopause and beyond.  We chat about hormones, cortisol, cravings, and why eating more (not less) actually helped her....

Change is hard. But sometimes, NOT changing can keep you stuck. In this episode, my guest Dr. Mark Sherwood talks about the challenge of changing what you eat... And how you think . He also explains how you can age more gracefully... with less sugar. Find Dr. Mark here . To get personalized guidance from me, plus support and accountability in a small group... apply here to join the  90-day program...

You probably know quite a few fermented foods and drinks, like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, cheese, miso, and kombucha. Even wine and beer are fermented! But not all fermented foods are probiotic. This episode will explain the benefits of making your own fermented (probiotic) foods and drinks, for your gut health and your general health, but also for your wallet! And guess what?  Wh...

Dasha is a registered dietitian who grew up in the US with Russian parents. Her family ate home-cooked meals but also sweets. In this episode, we talk about: food and meal prep in different cultures what is an extreme diet what is a balanced diet sugar and salt what happens when we deprive ourselves the notion of balance Find Dasha here . To get personalized guidance from me, plus support and acco...

Alex joined the Freedom from Cravings Formula 12-week program in January 2025. She's been following the 5 steps of the program and attending our weekly Accountability Calls, and she gave me permission to share part of one of those calls. In this episode, you'll hear how Alex is slowly changing her habits around sugar because she's getting new insights every week. As Alex is learning...

Jodie grew up eating relatively healthy foods.  But it was later in life, when she started having health issues, that she was diagnosed with celiac disease. She changed her diet significantly, and started to study nutrition and especially how sugar affects the liver. In this episode, Jodie explains about different types of sugar, and how the fructose molecule in sugar can lead to a fatty liver, or...

Reverend Emmanuel is an empath. That means that he's very sensitive, and feels everything around him. From a young age, he used processed foods and candy bars to shield him from pain and toxic energy. In his mid-30s, he started to heal himself. He learned to start feeling and to deal with his feelings. He cleaned sugar out of his diet and healed his microbiome. He started to listen to his bod...

This episode is all about hidden sugars and how to spot them on food labels.  And also the question: what about naturally occurring sugars?  I want you to benefit from the exact same information as my Freedom From Cravings Formula program participants do about food labels and hidden (or not so hidden!) sugars. You'll get tips about spotting sugar in: tomatoes, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauc...

When she was younger, Jennifer suffered terribly from pain, inflammation, lack of energy, bloating, plus a ton of other symptoms. But she was always told that she was "healthy". Gluten was not talked about 15-20 years ago, so Jennifer had to keep pushing to get to the root cause of her symptoms. Then one doctor sent Jennifer to a dietitian who told her that she shouldn't eat gluten....

Denise grew up in an abusive and traumatic household. She tried all kinds of ways to numb her pain, and sugar was always there for her. In high school, Denise went to counselling and started to learn other coping skills, but she still turned to sugar when she was tired and stressed. It was challenging for Denise to overcome her pain and to learn how to deal with her emotions and stop numbing her p...

Irene grew up with parents who grew up on a farm. Her mother loved sugar and processed foods, but she also did a lot of cooking, making hearty meals. Both of Irene's parents were overweight, and eventually they were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In this episode, we discuss: saturated fats moderating sugar versus abstaining weight loss sweeteners feeling better, and different ways to get the...

Rosemary is in the Freedom from Cravings Formula 12-week program. She very generously gave me permission to share an excerpt from one of her weekly Accountability Calls. In this episode, Rosemary shares her insights about how she used to see treats, and how that has changed since she joined the program. Rosemary also shares what she's discovering about her triggers. When we recorded this coac...