Life After Sugar

Change is hard.

But sometimes, NOT changing can keep you stuck.

In this episode, my guest Dr. Mark Sherwood talks about the challenge of changing what you eat... And how you think.

He also explains how you can age more gracefully... with less sugar.

Find Dr. Mark here.

To get personalized guidance from me, plus support and accountability in a small group... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do th...

You probably know quite a few fermented foods and drinks, like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, cheese, miso, and kombucha.

Even wine and beer are fermented!

But not all fermented foods are probiotic.

This episode will explain the benefits of making your own fermented (probiotic) foods and drinks, for your gut health and your general health, but also for your wallet!

And guess what? 

When you eat less sugar and take care of y...

Dasha is a registered dietitian who grew up in the US with Russian parents. Her family ate home-cooked meals but also sweets.

In this episode, we talk about:

• food and meal prep in different cultures
• what is an extreme diet
• what is a balanced diet
• sugar and salt
• what happens when we deprive ourselves
• the notion of balance

Find Dasha here.

To get personalized guidance from me, plus support and accountability in a small group... apply...

Alex joined the Freedom from Cravings Formula 12-week program in January 2025.

She's been following the 5 steps of the program and attending our weekly Accountability Calls, and she gave me permission to share part of one of those calls.

In this episode, you'll hear how Alex is slowly changing her habits around sugar because she's getting new insights every week.

As Alex is learning, freedom from cravings happens via sm...

Jodie grew up eating relatively healthy foods. 

But it was later in life, when she started having health issues, that she was diagnosed with celiac disease.

She changed her diet significantly, and started to study nutrition and especially how sugar affects the liver.

In this episode, Jodie explains about different types of sugar, and how the fructose molecule in sugar can lead to a fatty liver, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NA...

Reverend Emmanuel is an empath. That means that he's very sensitive, and feels everything around him.

From a young age, he used processed foods and candy bars to shield him from pain and toxic energy.

In his mid-30s, he started to heal himself. He learned to start feeling and to deal with his feelings.

He cleaned sugar out of his diet and healed his microbiome. He started to listen to his body. 

Because, as Emmanuel says, the body...

This episode is all about hidden sugars and how to spot them on food labels. 

And also the question: what about naturally occurring sugars? 

I want you to benefit from the exact same information as my Freedom From Cravings Formula program participants do about food labels and hidden (or not so hidden!) sugars.

You'll get tips about spotting sugar in:

1. tomatoes, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce
2. cereal
3. bread

I call these tips ...

When she was younger, Jennifer suffered terribly from pain, inflammation, lack of energy, bloating, plus a ton of other symptoms.

But she was always told that she was "healthy".

Gluten was not talked about 15-20 years ago, so Jennifer had to keep pushing to get to the root cause of her symptoms.

Then one doctor sent Jennifer to a dietitian who told her that she shouldn't eat gluten. 

And that was the beginning of a whole...

Denise grew up in an abusive and traumatic household.

She tried all kinds of ways to numb her pain, and sugar was always there for her.

In high school, Denise went to counselling and started to learn other coping skills, but she still turned to sugar when she was tired and stressed.

It was challenging for Denise to overcome her pain and to learn how to deal with her emotions and stop numbing her pain with sugar.

Listen to discover what...

Irene grew up with parents who grew up on a farm. Her mother loved sugar and processed foods, but she also did a lot of cooking, making hearty meals.

Both of Irene's parents were overweight, and eventually they were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

In this episode, we discuss:

• saturated fats
• moderating sugar versus abstaining
• weight loss
• sweeteners
• feeling better, and different ways to get there
• what we eat in a day (and how often)
• ...

Rosemary is in the Freedom from Cravings Formula 12-week program.

She very generously gave me permission to share an excerpt from one of her weekly Accountability Calls.

In this episode, Rosemary shares her insights about how she used to see treats, and how that has changed since she joined the program.

Rosemary also shares what she's discovering about her triggers.

When we recorded this coaching call, Rosemary had completed about...

When she was in her 20s, Shannon's body was constantly stressed. 

She was managing a gym and doing bodybuilding shows, but she'd never felt LESS healthy. 

In fact, she was dealing with fatigue issues, hormone issues, gut issues, inflammation, pain... She  couldn't walk, or she had to walk with a cane.

The only thing Shannon was offered were drugs, and she was told she would be on drugs for the rest of her life, and that...

In this episode, I share a few of my favourite sugar free recipes.

Full disclosure: I'm no Masterchef! 
Plus I have a pretty busy life.

So listen to get some yummy ideas for quick and simple meals that don't contain refined sugar or flour.

P.S. Unlike the processed food industry, when I say "sugar free", I mean it!

For example, here's the recipe for chaffles:

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 large eggs 
• 1 cup finely shredd...

Marieke lives in Belgium. She grew up eating healthy foods like whole grains and vegetables. 

But Marieke also had a bit of a sweet tooth.

And she had been suffering from migraines since she was 3 years old. And when she became a teenager, her migraines became monthly.

Marieke's parents took her to see doctors. And when her doctor recommended that she cut sugar, Marieke went home and started reading food labels. 

In fact, she thou...

Mark's health issues started early in his teenage years. Growing up in the north east of the UK, he'd been put on antibiotics for an ear infection, and at the age of 16 his doctor wanted to put him on anti-depressants. 

But instead, Mark decided to study in the health field, which included changing his diet. And he started cooking for himself and experimenting with different foods.

Mark was experiencing inflammatory bowel s...

It's a question I get a lot: What if I don't have enough willpower to cut sugar?

Well... here's my own question: What if it's not even about willpower?

In fact, you don't need willpower to cut sugar. Really!

So in this episode, I borrow the definition of willpower from authors and researchers who've studied it.

In fact, here's a couple of other questions: 

• Did you know that willpower is unreliable ...

This is part 2 of my chat with best-selling author Steven Gundry MD.

Listen to Part 1 of our chat here.

2500 years ago, Hippocrates said: "All disease begins in the gut".

In this episode, Dr. Gundry and I talk about which foods feed the good bacteria and improve your gut health...

and which foods feed your cravings!

You may not know a lot about fermented (probiotic) foods and drinks, because they aren't very popular in No...

Steven Gundry, MD is a cardiothoracic surgeon and bestselling author of "The Plant Paradox" as well as his most recent book, "The Gut-Brain Paradox".

In this episode, we talk about gut health, a subject that is close to my heart (no pun intended!).

And guess what substance is terrible for gut health?

Yes - sugar!

 Dr. Gundry and I have so much to talk about that I made two podcast episodes with him. This is Part 1 o...

If you're a layperson like me (that is, not a health professional or a nutrition expert), then you may not know what "insulin resistance" is.

I certainly didn't.

It was only when I stopped eating sugar in my mid-40s, and experienced the amazing benefits of being sugar-free, that I started reading up on what insulin does.

And after that, I read about how insulin resistance affects your body and your health.

In fact, ...