This is a brazen community announcement, as I figured you might be interested in this little update. The third round of my I Quit Sugar 8-Week Program is about to start and it’s bigger and better than, um, the last round (not so keen on too much hyperbole, as you all know!).
I won’t take up too much marketing oxygen here; you can read more about it over at I Quit Sugar. I just wanted to highlight something that I think adds to the value and bigger picture of what I’m doing.
One of the biggest reasons I developed the 8-Week Program was to be able to provide emotional and informed support for people during their sugar quittage. I just couldn’t do it via books, or via random encounters in the street. By having an online Program, and taking on extra staff (eek!!) I could set up forums where questions can be answered in an intimate yet bulk manner. The Program has gradually attracted support and endorsement from some high-profile players in the anti-sugar debate, many of whom are wanting to support what I do and help many folk in their quest to quit. They’re doing so by joining our panel of experts who answer all the niggling, nagging and emergency questions that come up as we go.
I’ll introduce them below, along with a few things I’ve learnt from each of them.
Dr Robert Lustig
Pediatric endocrinologist Dr Robert Lustig is the author of Fat Chance and, most recently, The Fat Chance Cookbook. But it was Lustig’s lecture “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”, with over four million views on YouTube, that placed him at the forefront of the sugar debate.
Lustig and I were both keynote speakers at the recent FIZZ symposium in New Zealand.
* Rob often shares that obesity isn’t the problem. Metabolic disease is and obesity is just one “symptom” of metabolic disease. This has stuck with me… and has alarmed me (obesity is only the tip of the health disaster iceberg!).
* Rob and I chatted about this in NZ – red wine can actually assist the balancing of blood sugars when consumed with a meal. Ergo, as I say above, we allow a glass of red wine with meals on the Program.
* Rob: “…the bottom line is real food is the only answer out of this, but that is exactly what we don’t have around us.”
You can catch up on my recent podcast with him here.
Dr Aseem Malhotra
Cardiologist, writer, researcher and runner, Aseem is the science director of Action on Sugar. We met up for dinner during my recent London visit and ranted for hours about the emerging science in this haory debate. You can catch up on the podcast I did with him and Paul Blanchard here.
* Aseem shares that not all calories are the same (contrary to what the food companies will tell you). Recent research has shown that for every 150 sugar calories (from a can of Coke, for example) consumed above the recommended daily calorie intake, there is an 11-fold increase in the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes compared with 150 ‘excess’ calories consumed from a non-sugar source.
* Aseem: “the links between Government ministers and food manufacturers, and indeed between scientists who are supposed to advise the Government and the food manufacturers, are nothing short of astonishing. For these are the same food manufacturers who have been adding extra sugar to processed foods, confectionery and fizzy drinks for decades. I was due to go on Channel 4 News to discuss the WHO’s new recommendations but the debate was cancelled when the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) withdrew, apparently after discovering that I would be up against them.”
Professor Timothy Noakes
South African professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, Tim is the author of Lore of Running, Challenging Beliefs, Waterlogged and Real Meal Revolution. Tim is also a runner and follower of the low carb/paleo diet.
* Tim used to believe, and wrote about this in his Lore of Running book, that without a high carbohydrate intake he wouldn’t be able to exercise properly. What he says he now understands is that carbs are relatively ineffective fuels so there is no risk that exercise performance will be impaired if athletes cut their carb intake. He also now says that the less carbohydrate athletes ingest (both in training and in racing), the better they will perform.
* Tim: “My experiment has shown me that I can do any amount of exercise I wish without increasing my carbohydrate intake. (I walk for 6 hours on the mountain and race up to 21km without needing any more the 50-75 grams of carbohydrates a day that is already in my diet). We are currently researching a group of serious and some elite athletes who have adopted the Banting diet and who have found that their performances have improved substantially with weight loss and reduction of their carbohydrate intakes both before and during racing. We need to understand why this is possible.”
* To steer clear of high carb intake, Tim avoids sugar, all sugary drinks, bread, rice, pasta, all confectionary, high energy fruit like bananas, desserts and artificial sugars. He also stays away from anything “low fat”. Sound familiar?!
I recently did a podcast with Dr Noakes and it will run on IQuitSugar.com soon.
I’m thrilled to have these guest experts on board. You can find the rest of our team of experts here.
And if you’re keen to sign up for the Program, or you’re after more information, click here.
