Life After Sugar

My guest this week, Dr. Elizabeth Wanek, has a chemistry degree, a medical doctorate, and decades of practice.

She challenges conventional healthcare thinking by connecting physics, chemistry, and biology to how we see energy, food, sugar, and cravings.

You don't need a science background or a medical degree to get inspiration from this episode.

In fact, both Elizabeth and I agree that the basics of biochemistry and hum...

What actually counts as a whole food — and why does that matter when it comes to sugar?

In this episode, I unpack the difference between foods with added sugars and whole foods that naturally contain sugar, like fruit and dairy. 

I talk about what “minimally processed” really means, why "food products" that contain forms of added sugars have quietly become part of everyday eating...

and how all of this affects cravings, bloo...

In this episode, Mirinda shares her honest journey with sugar, dieting, and the lifelong food noise so many women know well. 

Growing up with mixed messages about food and years of yo-yo dieting, Mirinda explains how sugar slowly began to rule her mood, her thoughts, and her sense of self.

We talk about what finally changed: shifting away from weight loss and rules, and toward nourishing her body, stabilizing blood sugar, and focusin...

In this episode, I’m joined by Aaron, a family physician who explains why most doctors get surprisingly little training in nutrition — and how that gap shaped the way medicine treats chronic disease. 

Aaron shares how his upbringing influenced his relationship with sugar, why Type 2 diabetes in kids has risen so dramatically.

Aaron also talks about the personal turning point that changed his approach to health: adopting his daughter ...

Cutting or reducing sugar can feel incredible… and also uncomfortable.

In this episode, I talk honestly about both sides of the journey to your "life after sugar" — the benefits we love and the challenges we don’t always talk about.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever wondered:

• “Why does it feel harder before it gets easier?”
• “Is something wrong with me if I struggle when I cut back on sugar?”
• “Can I reduce su...

Hi, it's Netta.

I'm recording this episode in December 2025, and if your year wasn’t perfectly sugar-free… don't worry. 

I'm guessing that nobody's year was perfect — not even mine! ;-)

In this episode, I explore what it really means to make progress without expecting perfection — and why being human matters more than being “perfect.”

I share my own ups and downs, how diet culture feeds that all-or-nothing mind...

In this episode, I talk with Dr. John Oberg about his groundbreaking work helping people with Type 2 diabetes.

His medical practice dramatically improves their blood sugar through small, sustainable changes. 

He shares behind-the-scenes details from his clinical research, including how his team helped patients lower their A1C from dangerously high levels in just weeks, and why a personalized, step-by-step approach works better than s...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Ty, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was just 8 years old.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the pancreas stops making insulin, so the body can’t regulate blood sugar on its own and needs insulin from injections or a pump to survive.

Ty takes us behind the scenes of what that has really looked like: from massive early insulin pumps, constant injections, organ transplants...

Cutting sugar can feel empowering… until the cravings hit. 

In this episode, I walk you through what’s really happening when you stop eating sugar and refined carbs, why your body and brain can feel out of control at first, and why this doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. 

You’ll hear about:

• Why cravings can feel stronger when you first cut sugar (and why this is normal)
• What’s happening in your body as it switches from sugar...

In this episode, I talk with Uma, a health coach and yoga teacher based in South Africa. 

Uma shares her personal journey of growing up with a diet full of sugar and flour, how her health began to decline, and what finally inspired her to make a change. 

Uma opens up about the fear of developing diabetes, which runs in her family, and how she learned to take control of her health, not just through food, but by exploring the deeper em...

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Carolyn Dean, who is a medical doctor, naturopath, and author of Exposing Sugar Toxicity.

We discuss sugar and cravings, and how they’re often linked to much more than willpower. The main culprit could actually be yeast overgrowth.

Carolyn shares her personal story (which starts with late-night bowls of ice cream in high school) and explains how she came to understand the deeper connections between ...

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 relationship with food, especially sugar....

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 health, and encourages patients to cu...

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 mom, she shares how that approach shap...

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 — they’ve meant comfort, connection, e...

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 between eating disorders, disordered ...

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 to rethink her relationship with sug...

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.

Eating meals together is a priority too.

An...

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 eating, as well as how much and how ofte...