The Hidden Dangers of Sugar: An interview with Connie Bennett and Stephen Sinatra, MD authors of Sugar Shock

The Hidden Dangers of Sugar

Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN

An interview with Connie Bennett and Stephen Sinatra, MD authors of Sugar Shock

Do you need candy bars, chips, or soda just to get through the day? Are you depressed, sluggish, or fuzzy-headed - and don't know why? Do you find it tough to lose weight? And are you tired of hearing mystified doctors and loved ones telling you, "Get over it! It's all in your head!"

In this interview:

•Sugar hides in 100 names; find out what they are

•Learn how to decode your cravings and get control

•Uncover the effects of sugar on memory, mood, and mind

•Sugar ages us; find out how

•Find out if artificial sweeteners are a viable alternative

•Examine the role of nutritional supplements

•See how L-Glutamine is used to alleviate addictions

•High fructose corn syrup is not our friend; discover why

"Tough as this is to remember, back in 1998, I was mystified by a host of 44 debilitating symptoms. I was a pooped-out, fuzzy-headed, depression-plagued woman with the life force of a slug under an immovable boulder."Not only that, but I suffered from erratic mood swings, crushing headaches and unpredictable crying spells. Finally, in that same landmark year (1998), after years of frustrating visits to doctors and shrinks, a savvy physician diagnosed severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). His 'prescription' - if you want to call it that - annoyed me, to say the least. "He told me to quit all the red licorice, chocolate, and hard candies that I so regularly relied on. He also ordered me to stop eating all processed carbohydrates - you know, foods like white bread, white rice and refined pasta. "Once I recovered from my sadness at having to break my reliance on my favorite quickie carbs, I quit them all cold turkey.

Amazingly, kicking sweets worked! All 44 of my perplexing maladies went poof. Soon after I quit sweets and much-like-sugar carbs, I became energetic, enthusiastic and elated. I also lost five annoying pounds. (No, I wasn't overweight or obese.) Suffice it to say that I was blown away by my transformation! In fact, nowadays, I have fun laughing at my sugar-obsessed past. I even jokingly dub myself a 'Sugar Shrew No More!' "Restored to good health and humor, I became determined to get to the bottom of the sugar story, I was well equipped to launch into this investigation. I'm a widely published journalist with credits from coast to coast, and I even have a master's in journalism from Northwestern University.

So, I began interviewing more than 250 researchers, physicians, nutritionists, public-health advocates and fellow sugar addicts. In addition, I and a team of researchers poured over medical studies, most of them recent."Many "Sugar Kickers" that Connie has coached say that she motivated and inspired them to kick their habit and make peace with it by using an innovative, gentle, compassionate, life-affirming approach. Ultimately, Connie helps people to discover that "Life is Sweeter Without Refined Sweets".

Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN Is the host of the Access to Health Experts interview series. She holds a doctorate and is board certified in Clinical Nutrition, is the author of Digestive Wellness, Digestive Wellness for Children, and Leaky Gut Syndrome. She is the Director of Doctoral Studies at Hawthorn University, and the nutrition editor for Pilates Style Magazine. Dr. Lipski is the founder of several web-based health information sites including Innovative Healing and Access to Health Experts.