Frequent Questions

Why do I feel so bad when I eat sugar?

Many of us are addicted to sugar and don’t even realize it. This addiction can affect our body and mind in different ways. Sugar plays a large role in our management of emotions, depression, anxiety and anxiety or panic disorders.

All of us need to understand the link between sugar,  consumer beverage and food industries and our own family medical histories. We should also be aware of our personal eating habits and lifestyle. Sure, most of us don’t really want to delve into the relationship between our own eating habits and our health. We find excuses to excuse our bad eating habits: “I was stressed”, or “I like comfort food”, or “I didn’t know any better then.” Well now you do. And you need to change your way of thinking and make a commitment to change.

Sugar found in many foods and drinks is as addictive as tobacco or smoking for some. We respond to certain foods when we’re upset, happy or anxious. Many of us can literally get “high” on certain foods and beverages, and I’m not talking about beer or liquor. Components in foods and drinks can affect us like any drug or chemical; affecting our moods and responses to a variety of situations. Our sense of responsibility, not only to self, but work and families, can change.

Sure, it’s hard to break these food and drink addictions, but it can be done. I had the hardest time letting go of soda. I didn’t realize that the sugar contained in soda could really damage my body and thought processes. Worse, I thought if I sipped it through the morning or afternoon, it would satisfy my sugar cravings, but realized only later that the constant intake of sugar wreaked havoc with my insulin and blood sugar levels. This led to an increase in chemical production in my brain, including neurotransmitters that affected my mood, my thought processes and processing speed and led to periods of anxiety and depression.

How can I stay motivated?

No doubt about it; sometimes, it’s hard to stay motivated when we’re trying to eat healthier or exercise for optimal health and fitness. Yes, motivation is sometimes difficult even for me, and I’ve been practicing for years! The truth is, I used to enjoy sugar just as much as anyone else. For most of my life, I ate sugar and enjoyed junk food, which worked to cement my addictions into my mindset and make me feel as if I could not live without it.

Today I know better and I don’t even crave sugar anymore, but it was tough at times to stay motivated in my desire to eat healthy and reduce the amount of ‘bad foods’ and drinks in my life. Now, I find it fun to challenge myself to stay motivated. I like to know what I need to eat and why. Sure, I slip up once in awhile (after all, I am human), but I get back on track real fast.

I know what I need from the store, and I know what needs to be on my weekly shopping list and what doesn’t. I know what I like and know what kinds of things I can eat to satisfy my infrequent cravings and you know what? I feel so good about my ability to work through these feelings when they come.

I love to see and feel the changes in my body caused by my good eating habits and for me, that’s plenty of motivation to continue. Yes, I have days where I don’t want to cook, but I always switch around my menu plans so I don’t get bored with food and there’s always something new and exciting on the horizon.

What do I do when I slip up?

Are you perfect? Neither am I. Yes, even I slip up once in a while, but I don’t beat myself up for it too long. We all find different ways to deal with temptation and backsliding. What’s yours? We can all learn from each other, whether we’re new to eating healthy or we’ve been eating healthy for years, or decades. We can all be students and teachers to each other. When you slip up, you have to learn how to forgive yourself and move on.

Whether your addiction to sugar is relatively new or you’ve been dealing with it all your life, don’t expect perfection. We’re human. We will have our moments of weakness and succumb to them. Don’t hate yourself for it. I don’t. I acknowledge my slip-up and move on. So should you. Give yourself a break.

One of the best ways to deal with temptation and guilt of a slip-up is to envision the results of both good and bad eating habits. On the one hand, you can envision a healthy, strong body, while on the other hand you can envision a body that is overweight, weak and perhaps ill. You have to remember both your short and long term goals and results when you do this, and be brutally honest in your imagination. Better yet, the mind is a powerful tool. Imagine yourself eating that piece of chocolate cake and you may be surprised by the satisfaction your mind can deliver without you lifting a fork. And it’s less fattening.

Such motivation tools can help you get past rough spots and pace yourself through your healthy eating plans. Picture yourself “before” and “after”, but don’t focus too heavily on these images. Learn to accept yourself and your limitations and temptations, always striving for improvement.

Won’t I get bored eating just vegetables and fruits?

If you just eat plain vegetables and salads all the time, you will get bored. The good news is that this program offers more options for flavorful dishes than many cooked foods! Check out my recipe section for some examples, or purchase a few live “un-cook” books for ideas on appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes and desserts!

How do you cope with all the problems surrounding sugar?

Most people aren’t completely aware of the damage sugar can to do many organs in the body, or even that it can affect our moods and brain processing functions. Once you reduce and eliminate sugar from your diet, you’ll be amazed at how much energy you have. This sense of freedom is a great emotional and mental booster, in addition to enhancing our physical health and wellbeing.

Learning how to control our own emotions requires some of us to practice with techniques like meditation and what is known as interactive self-hypnosis as we learn to focus on and control our own thought processes and emotional reactions to anxiety and stress. Doing so also enables us to make healthy choices when it comes to the food we purchase from the grocery store and put into our bodies. We learn how to eliminate all kinds of obstacles from our minds when we can think clearly.

Many of us seek spiritual growth or a connection to our inner selves, leaving us calmer and more able to view situations and circumstances around us with a clear mind. We learn to understand that our faith and beliefs may have a huge impact on how we deal with our peers, our loved ones and our extended circle of family and friends.

Most of all, we learn inner strength. Yes, I can now go to parties and be surrounded by drinks, foods and snacks that smell wonderful, but don’t tempt me at all. I merely reaffirm before I go to such parties and gatherings that I’m not going to eat such food and I don’t stress over it. People can ask me why I’m not eating the triple-fudge brownies and I can smile and say I don’t eat that. No big deal. No fuss, no mess.

My strength and determination comes from knowing I am doing a good thing for my body and it doesn’t bother me. Actually, I feel great about it. Give yourself this gift of strength and know that you have just made the connection between your body and your spiritual self.

Can you help me get organized?

How often have you found yourself at the end of a hectic day standing in front of the refrigerator thinking,  “What am I going to make for dinner?” I’ll bet you never thought of this as a habit at all, but it is! When we don’t plan ahead for what we’ll eat for the day, we opt for quick (and usually unhealthy) food choices. Think about it—you’re really hungry and you want to eat NOW, not to mention the mayhem of kids or spouse asking, “When are we eating?” Your hand is going to reach for something fast— a frozen pizza, a hamburger, or the telephone to order take-out. Fortunately, planning is a fairly easy habit to get in to, and a very valuable one. Aside from the benefits to your waistline and health, you’ll also spend less money, throw out less food and waste less time staring at the refrigerator or driving all over town in search of a quick meal.

NOTE: NEVER PLAN YOUR FOOD WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY! When you’re hungry, that unreasonable part of your brain that makes poor health choices tends to take over, clouding your ability to plan healthy and balanced meals. Instead, wait until the rational side of your brain is in control and you can make appropriate decisions about a balanced menu and proper portion sizes.

Once a week, sit down and plan all of the foods you will eat at each meal. At the same time, create your weekly grocery list so that you have exactly what you’ll need.

Have your calendar beside you so you can note special circumstances when you’ll be traveling, extra- busy, or just out of your regular routine and far from your own kitchen. Have some set options for healthy choices you can find in those places, or plan to prepare them ahead of time and bring them with you. This food plan is also what you will commit to your accountability partner each morning. Since you will have your calendar open anyway, this also might be a good time to schedule in your exercise sessions as well.

What about eating out?

Everyone can eat out! It’s fairly simple to ask for a live meal from the foods they usually use at restaurants. Look over the menu and request variations, such as a grilled chicken salad (without the chicken) or a stir- fry dish. You can also take a small bottle of organic oil or a homemade dressing with you when you go out, to put over your veggies or salad.

Will I be hungry on this diet?

You will find that you need less food and not get hungry as you lose fat and toxins and rebuild with healthy whole nutrients. Most people overeat because they are undernourished, not because they are hungry. Every day, people stuff themselves until they’re uncomfortably full, but the empty calories their food contains push the cycle along until they become obese.

While transitioning on this diet, your body will rid itself of the unsuitable materials that it stored and replace them with fresh living food nutrients.

You may feel hungry as your intestines and all your tissues throw off old stored matter that has little use. If you persist, you will find that when your body has been thoroughly cleansed, you will desire less food and feel entirely satisfied from the living foods you do eat. Parasites are another overlooked factor to hunger. Most people have parasites, although they may not be aware of it. Parasites steal the nutrients you eat, making you feel hungry when you shouldn’t. Switching to live and detoxifying food will help you eliminate them.

Many recipes exist to aid in this transition. These recipes provide heavier, but healthy, food to help trick your body and stay in the system longer. These foods include nut burger mixes and nut-based patés, avocados and oils. Generally, living foods are lighter, so you will eat less at a time, but eat more frequently.

What is the most important thing for me to do first?

Preparing to make healthy lifestyle changes involves a very special kind of planning & of course, power tools. This board & my websites are filled to the brim with tools for you to achieve in all areas of your life. You may be familiar with some of these tools & that is great. Here you will also be finding new applications for old tools & so I ask you to stay open & receptive to this work. Try it….you may like it!

I’ll also be presenting some very new tools to you.

Most of us tend to sleep-walk during the day & tend to be lost in fantasy programs. The work here is Mind body Work & requires a wake-up from our daily sleep walking & to refocus on the work at hand.

Working with the subconscious mind is not a mystery, nor is it difficult. I will guide you through this as you begin your work in self-assessment.