Life After Sugar

Annie chose to be vegetarian early on in her life, but unfortunately she ate a lot of processed grains rather than fruit and vegetables. She admits that she didn't really know what to focus on at that time. "My body never felt great and my mind never really felt great", Annie told me. It took several years of figuring out which way of eating worked for her. She tried several diets,...

I know a thing or two about failing - I've been a teacher for 30 years! But I'm not talking about passing or failing exams here. This episode is about the feeling of failure many of us have had in the past, about our weight especially. And I blame the diet industry for manufacturing this fear of failure! It was only when I stopped eating sugar in July 2015 that I was able to step out of...

In this episode, you'll get a "sneak peek" into the check-in calls that we have in the After Sugar Club. You'll be in good company with Eloisa, Rochelle, Wendy and Debbie. Curious about what kinds of things we talk about (and how we  have fun together!)?  The link between sugar, hunger, and intermittent fasting. How members deal with social situations, like a birthday. What we...

Barbi has a special place in my heart.   Early in 2022, she followed my step-by-step process over 6 weeks to let go of sugar. We really dove deep into her relationship with sugar, and as you'll hear, Barbi made huge strides in her awareness of her relationship with sugar over a short period of time. (The Life After Sugar Program that Barbi followed is not available now, but the After Sugar Cl...

This is a question I get asked all the time: What about fruit?? And: Netta, do you eat fruit? The short answer: Yes. Yes, Netta eats fruit. Whether or not you eat fruit is entirely up to you! The long answer is in this episode. This episode talks about: why I say: "I eat as much fruit as I want, as often as I want" (and it's the same for sugar!) why I'm not always looking for s...

When Michelle was in her 30s, she got gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with her second child. She had to change her diet and she felt restricted, so after she had the baby and was told that she could eat "normally" again, she went bonkers! She would buy dozens of candy bars, eat them, and hide the wrappers. She felt so ashamed. At 5 feet 3 inches Michelle reached 200lbs. She fe...

In this episode, you’ll get the answers to frequently asked questions such as: What is intermittent fasting (IF)? Won't I get hungry if I don't eat? How are sugar and IF connected? Find these FAQs on my website here . Are you saying that I can’t eat sugar ever again? I thought cutting calories was the way to lose weight. What’s all the fuss about insulin? Isn't it unhealthy to skip...

Natalie Speakman was a teenage drug addict and alcoholic. She got clean and sober  when she was 22 years old, but continued to smoke cigarettes for 18 months after.  And then her food and sugar consumption went way up. In this episode Natalie tells how she remembers that eating sugar made her feel "high" and gave her a shift in her mood. For years after she got sober, she used to eat des...

Phoebe Lapine knows all about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)... and sugar! Phoebe is the author of SIBO Made Simple , which is a must-read not just for those suffering from unwanted GI symptoms, but anyone looking to improve their gut health without sacrificing delicious food. In this episode, Phoebe talks about her health issues, including the auto...

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...