Subject:    Don't Spook Kids By Giving Non-Nutritious Candy This Halloween!
Date:         2006-10-23

Don't Spook Kids By Giving Non-Nutritious Candy This Halloween!
Hand Out Fun, Glow-in-the-Dark Objects, Stickers, & Other Party
Favors Instead
By Connie Bennett
www.SugarShockBlog.com

Adults, don't fall into the candy-giving trap this Halloween when those adorable, costume-clad kids ring your doorbell. Handing out those traditional blood-sugar bouncing "treats" is a "tricky" proposition. All that candy could send your neighbor's kids into Sugar Shock!--which means you could contribute to their getting all kinds of health and emotional problems.

You certainly don't want to do anything that could help make these innocent children become angry, moody, depressed, tired, wired, sleepless, unfocused, or fat from those sugary foods, right?

This Halloween, choose fun alternatives instead. There's no limit to the options. You could give out all kinds of fun, age-appropriate doodads and gizmos, such as:

• Glow-in-the-dark insects, spooky fingers and other objects

• Halloween-themed stickers, pencils, temporary tattoos, or other toys

• Holiday chalk, crayons, colored pencils, pens or animal-shaped erasers

• Rubber worms, spiders, or other creepy figures

• Non-Halloween-themed party favors such as hair clips, hair bands, scrunchies, plastic bracelets and rings (for girls).

• Party favors such as engine whistles, key chains, pens, and stickers. (For boys or girls).

Rest assured, too: Kids will like your creative Halloween-giving ideas. In fact, researchers found that these non-candy favors can be a big hit.

One study from Yale University revealed that half of the 284 trick-or-treaters aged 3 to 14 didn't want lollipops, fruit-flavored chews, or hard candies. Yeah, instead they preferred such toys as glow-in-the-dark insects, stretch pumpkin men, or Halloween-themed stickers and pencils.

If you still insist on giving out food, try giving trick-or-treaters small, pre-packaged:

• Almonds or walnuts (Stay away from peanuts since some children are allergic to them.)

• Shelled sunflower seeds or pistachios

• Raisins (Although these are high in natural sugar, they're far preferable to candy.)

• Bottled water (Yeah, kids will be thirsty from all that trick-or-treating door to door!)

So this Halloween, forego those nutrient-lacking candies. Decide to do something nice for your neighborhood's kids and instead give out something fun or at least more healthy.

About this author: Connie Bennett is an experienced journalist (Los Angeles Times, TV Guide, cbs.com, etc.) and former, dedicated “sugar addict,” who reluctantly quit sugar and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998. She now laughingly pokes fun of herself as a “Scary Sugar Shrew No More!” — see her fun cartoons at www.sugarshock.com/cartoons.shtml. These days, Connie is regarded as a sought-after “Savvy Sugar Sleuth,” who playfully and seriously educates people about the dangers of sugar and culprit carbs, which could include mood swings, depression, anger, “brain fog,” and, of course, weight gain, and she helps “sugar sufferers” to break free from their dangerous habit. Connie is author of the engaging, engrossing book Sugar Shock! (Berkley Books, Dec. 26, 2006); founder of an international KickSugar support group; founder of the award-winning Sugar Shock! Blog (www.SugarShockBlog.com); a featured contributor to eDiets.com; a certified holistic health counselor; and a popular speaker. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com

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Subject:     Tips to Lose Weight Easily: Just Cut Out Soda and Sugary Drinks
Date:         2006-10-02

Tips to Lose Weight Easily:  Just Cut Out
Soda and Sugary Drinks
By Connie Bennett
www.SugarShockBlog.com

Soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks are on my mind lately. Not because I drink them myself, but because just cutting out the non-nutritive, sugar-filled, potentially harmful beverages is a highly effective way -- if not the most easy way -- to lose weight and improve your health.

That's right. Just making that one simple diet change---removing chemically created soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks such as sports drinks and juice drinks -- could enable you to peel off the pounds – possibly to the tune of 15 pounds in one year.
In fact, a recent scientific review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition pointed out that a mere 12 ounces of sugar-laced soda a day could pile on 15 pounds in a year.

Just do the math. The most popular soft drink sold nowadays is a 20-ounce bottle or can, which comes to 250 unnecessary calories and about 16.87 teaspoons of sugar. (Usually, you'll be getting high fructose corn syrup, which some researchers now finger as a leading cause of obesity and other health woes.)

Bear in mind that I'm not even talking about those popular 42-ounce soft drinks promoted at some fast food restaurants and many convenience stores. If you order one of these gargantuan drinks, you'll get about 410 calories and around 35.28 tsp. of sugar.

It's also well known that if you drink soft drinks, you just don't get full or satisfied the way you would from regular food so you may end up overeating and packing in more extra calories. (Incidentally, diet drinks aren't any better. Some studies even suggest that the sweet taste in an artificially sweetened soft drink could trigger sugar cravings and lead to weight gain, too.)

If you're a soda drinker, I urge you to tackle your habit right now, whether it's to lose weight or improve your health. Here are 7 tips to curtail your soda guzzling when you hanker for this empty-calorie beverage:

1. Have a glass of sparkling water, with lemon, lime, or even a piece of orange tossed in for flavor.

2. Drink a glass of good old water instead. It'll quench your thirst like a soft drink never can.

3. Steep a couple of bags of tasty herbal tea (from Yogi Tea, Celestial Seasonings or Good Earth) in hot water for a couple of minutes. Then add a bunch of ice cubes. This is much more flavorful and satisfying than a soda.

4. Make your own lemonade or orangeade. Just squeeze a lemon or two into a glass of water. You don't even need to add a sweetener. Or take an orange and hand squeeze half of it into water. (Eat the other half.)

5. If you're really adventurous and really want to get out from under your soda habit, drink a glass of green vegetable juice instead. (As you'll notice, I'm not recommending fruit juice, but that can be quite high in sugar, too.)

6. Be daring and concoct your own blended goat's milk yogurt beverage with cinnamon or nutmeg. Then, if you like, add a few strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. (Don't add too many berries, because even though you're getting natural sugar from fruit, you don't want to get too much.)

7. When you're absolutely desperate and insist on having a soda, then share it with a friend so you get half the calories, half the sugar, and half the caffeine that you'd otherwise get.

8. If you're just not ready to say no to soda just yet, then make yourself “earn” that empty-calorie, nutrient-lacking beverage. First take a walk for a half hour. Then jump rope for 5 minutes. Then play with a hoola hoop for another 5 minutes. Then drink a glass of water. Next, before downing that soda, chew on an apple, pear, or some strawberries, with a handful of almonds. Hey, by the time you've done all of this, you may find that you're not in the mood anymore for that soft drink...

While initially it may seem a bit overwhelming to give up a long-standing habit of drinking soft drinks, sweetened teas, or sports drinks, rest assured that your life will be so much better just from saying no. Indeed, the benefits could be many just by following these simple steps. You may lose weight more readily, get more sustained energy, concentrate better, feel more even-keeled mood-wise, and even get a boost in your libido. So go get ‘em! Kicking soda and other sweetened drinks is a great first step in the right direction.

About this author: Connie Bennett is an experienced journalist (Los Angeles Times, TV Guide, cbs.com, etc.) and former, dedicated “sugar addict,” who reluctantly quit sugar and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998. She now laughingly pokes fun of herself as a “Scary Sugar Shrew No More!” — see her fun cartoons at www.sugarshock.com/cartoons.shtml. These days, Connie is regarded as a sought-after “Savvy Sugar Sleuth,” who playfully and seriously educates people about the dangers of sugar and culprit carbs, which could include mood swings, depression, anger, “brain fog,” and, of course, weight gain, and she helps “sugar sufferers” to break free from their dangerous habit. Connie is author of the engaging, engrossing book Sugar Shock! (Berkley Books, Dec. 26, 2006); founder of an international KickSugar support group; founder of the award-winning Sugar Shock! Blog (www.SugarShockBlog.com); a featured contributor to eDiets.com; a certified holistic health counselor; and a popular speaker. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com

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Subject:    The Power of Delaying to Squash Sugar Cravings
Date:         2006-04-10

The Power of Delaying to Squash Sugar Cravings
By Connie Bennett
www.SugarShockBlog.com

Quite often, wanna-be Sugar Kickers ask me: "How can I curb my carb cravings to keep myself from tasting and then inevitably gobbling handfuls of cookies or crackers?"

One of the most powerful and potent strategies is so simple that you'll wonder why you never tried it in the first place. Simply hold off before doing anything -- especially something that you'll later regret. After all, if you mindlessly shove those fast-acting, Much-Like-Sugar Carbs™ in your mouth, you might later feel wiped out, spaced out, moody and depressed because the numbers on your scale continue to climb.
Think about it: Just about all of us are good at delaying in the first place. You know how you keep putting off cleaning the house, giving your boss that proposal or even throwing out the garbage? More to the point, many of us are pretty darn good at procrastinating, right? I know I am. While I'm certainly not proud of this dubious skill, delaying, I've found, is a fun, clever way to give procrastination a positive spin!

I hit upon this incredible strategy back in 1998 when I kicked sweets and simple carbs on doctor's orders. To this day, I'm struck by how easy, effortless, and darn effective it is to just delay!

Everyone of any age—unless you're maybe a tot—can cultivate this tactic. All you have to do is promise yourself to hold off for a brief period of time. Then, you can delay over and over again, even for hours. Just think: The next morning you'll be relieved and proud of yourself that you didn't cave into your cravings.

Here are 7 ways delaying can be your remarkable ally to help you pull the plug on your unwanted sugar habit. (It's one of "6 D's" strategies that I've developed to help both myself and other "Sugar Kickers.")

1. Delaying (first 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, etc.) before eating that brownie, cookie, or candy bar gives you a golden opportunity to break away from your impulses so that you can easily detach from them.

2. Delaying for 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, etc. allows your cravings to readily subside while you get involved with other things.

3. Delaying lets you take positive, health-promoting action by simple inaction. Yes, doing absolutely nothing can be pivotal when kicking or cutting back on sweets and quickie carbs.

4. Delaying turns procrastinating into an effective art form and proactive gesture.

5. Delaying allows you to zero in on what foods—if any—you're really craving. Does your body really need cookies, cake, and pretzels? I highly doubt it!! Or would your amazing body rather have water, fresh vegetables and fruits, high-quality protein or healthy fats?

6. Delaying gives you a chance to get in touch with your true feelings. What the heck is really going on that makes these quickie carbs so tantalizing to you?

7. Delaying permits you to take pride in yourself that you put off a short-lived, self-defeating immediate gratification in favor of a long-term positive outcome. (Isn't it far preferable to lose weight, have more energy and concentrate better than giving in during one moment of weakness and then suffering the consequences?)

In short, simple delaying is truly one of the most effective tools a successful Sugar Kicker can use.

Pro-active action to cut your cravings
I encourage you to become a delaying artist now. Of course, as you know, "practice makes perfect."

• Next time you have a hankering for something sweet (that's processed), begin by delaying. Look at your watch or a clock and now wait for 5 minutes before putting any refined sweets in your mouth—you can easily do that!

• Now, step outside your obsessive sugary thoughts and wait 10 minutes. It can help if you do something else in the meantime.

• Then hold off another 20 minutes. Be creative with your delaying time. Some people find doing the dishes or putting clothes away is a way to pull the plug on your food thoughts.

• Then really challenge yourself! Wait an hour, then 2 hours, or maybe even the whole evening. You can do it!

Finally, write about your experience in a journal or notebook.

By delaying, you could learn a lot about yourself and the power of a focused mind.

To this day, I thank Ms. Delay for helping me to learn that Life is Sweeter Without Refined Sweets.

About this author: Connie Bennett is an experienced journalist (Los Angeles Times, TV Guide, cbs.com, etc.) and former, dedicated “sugar addict,” who reluctantly quit sugar and refined carbs on doctor’s orders in 1998. She now laughingly pokes fun of herself as a “Scary Sugar Shrew No More!” — see her fun cartoons at www.sugarshock.com/cartoons.shtml. These days, Connie is regarded as a sought-after “Savvy Sugar Sleuth,” who playfully and seriously educates people about the dangers of sugar and culprit carbs, which could include mood swings, depression, anger, “brain fog,” and, of course, weight gain, and she helps “sugar sufferers” to break free from their dangerous habit. Connie is author of the engaging, engrossing book Sugar Shock! (Berkley Books, Dec. 26, 2006); founder of an international KickSugar support group; founder of the award-winning Sugar Shock! Blog (www.SugarShockBlog.com); a featured contributor to eDiets.com; a certified holistic health counselor; and a popular speaker.  Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com

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Halloween: 5 Tips to Treat Kids, Not Trick Them
& Have a Healthier Halloween
By Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C.

Halloween frightens me.

Not because of ghosts, goblins or ghouls - or even the costumed monsters, witches and pirates.

What's spooky about the holiday is that it's a mandatory "Sugar Overload Day." I'm dismayed that, despite soaring rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes among kids, on Halloween, it's an accepted tradition to send your and your neighbors' kids into Sugar Shock.

But, let's face it, when kids come knocking on your door to playfully trick-or-treat, you're actually tricking them, not treating them, by giving them candies galore to gobble.

Around Halloween, people tend to completely forget and ignore the fact that too much sugar could spell downright scary news for your children's health.

Even more spooky: The average child scarfs down between 20 to 50 teaspoons of sugar and hundreds of calories on that one night alone!

But research suggests that cutting back on sugar could make your kids more energetic, better spirits, focus better, do better in school, lose weight, score better grades and get along better with their peers.

So why give in to the accepted sugar-gorging way of celebrating? Instead, I invite you to help your children and your neighbors' kids to observe Halloween in a safer, healthy way.

Here are 5 tips to create a healthier Halloween.

1. First off, don't give trick-or-treaters candies where sugar or high fructose corn syrup is the first, second and third ingredient on the label. Also steer clear of candies with hydrogenate fats. All of these are dead giveaways that what you're contemplating passing out has zip in the way of nutritional value. What's more, all that sugar will send blood sugar levels soaring.

2. Offer costumed kid's small, pre-packaged boxes of raisins, non-sugary fruit leather, and packets of cheese, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, pistachios or shelled sunflower seeds. (Make sure you tell the child not to eat any of these foods if they have particular allergies.)

3. Think about passing out tiny packages of dark chocolate - of course, the less sugar, the better. (As course, research shows that dark chocolate has many anti-oxidant properties.)

4. Hand out small bottles of water. The trick-or-treaters need to stay hydrated.

5. Bring healthy fun to children's Halloween by giving out non-edible treats and toys.

Giving out party favors is becoming trendy in parts of country, as evidenced by the variety of fun doodads and gizmos you can find at 99 cent stores across the country and also at www.OrientalTrading.com.

Children will be delighted with getting toys instead of candies, claims Marlene B. Schwartz, Ph.D., deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University.

Dr. Schwartz-who's been handing out toys for the past five years at her home near New Haven, Connecticut---has had virtually no complaints. OK, only one.

"Only about one child of out of 500 trick-or-treaters ever wanted candy instead of toys," says Dr. Schwartz, who was principal investigator for a study, which found that half of 3- to 14-year-old trick-or-treaters preferred these non-sugary favors over candies.

Here are 10 examples of non-sugary treats you could pass out on Halloween:

1. Glow-in-the-dark insects

2. Spooky fingers

3. Halloween-themed stickers or pencils

4. Rubber worms, creepy fingers

5. Party favors such as engine whistles, key chains, pen, and stickers.

6. Action figures

7. Kazoos and whistles

8. Baseball cards

9. Plastic animals

10. Spin tops

So, join in the Halloween fun. Help to reclaim the holiday by showing that kids can trick-or-treat without candy. Besides, Dr. Schwartz adds, "it can be just as fun and exciting."

Connie Bennett, M.S.J., C.H.H.C. is author of Sugar Shock! (Berkley Books). Connie is an expert, speaker, frequent TV and radio show guest ("CBS News Sunday Morning," "Oprah & Friends Radio," etc.), and certified holistic health counselor. She runs the popular Sugar Shock! Blog (www.SugarShockBlog.com); hosts the Stop Sugar Shock! Radio Show; and offers a Stop Sugar Shock! Inner Circle Membership Program. Connie also is an experienced journalist and columnist, who has been widely published (The Los Angeles Times, TV Guide, eDiets.com, etc.) To learn if you've been brainwashed to become a sugar addict, take the Sugar Shock! Quiz at www.SugarShockBlog.com.

You may reprint this article, but please include the description above, as well as the following credit information: © Copyright 2007. Connie Bennett, www.SugarShockBlog.com. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.

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