Why Diets Fail (Because You're Addicted to Sugar) (35 page)

Food Addicts Anonymous (FAA)

foodaddictsanonymous.org

This website can help you find FAA meetings—in person, online, or via telephone—and features testimonials from recovering food addicts.

Food Junkie (Dr. Avena’s blog):

psychologytoday.com/blog/food-junkie

Provides a simple-to-understand account of the science behind food addiction.

Overeaters Anonymous (OA)

overeatersanonymous.org

This website can help you find OA meetings and includes many other helpful features, including inspirational podcasts.

Promise of Recovery

promiseofrecovery.com/tag/food-addict-blog

A member of Overeating Anonymous shares her spiritual approach to dealing with her struggles with overeating.

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

A Weigh Out

aweighout.com

Includes information about compulsive and emotional eating, such as podcasts for compulsive and binge eaters, and offers phone seminars.

Choose My Plate

choosemyplate.gov

A project started by the US government’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion to promote better nutrition and well-being among Americans. This website includes tips on how to eat healthy on a
budget, a BMI calculator, nutrition information for thousands of food items, and trackers for food intake, physical activity, and goals.

First Ourselves

firstourselves.org

Includes support and guidance for bingeing, food cravings, sugar addiction, body image, weight loss, and more. Also includes a discussion forum.

Normal Eating

normaleating.com

Features an online forum that offers information and support for emotional eaters and features a test to see why you may eat.

Spark People

sparkpeople.com

Offers nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources, including food and fitness trackers.

Sugar-Free and Low-Carb Living: Inspiration and Recipes

Carbohydrate Counter

carbohydrate-counter.org

Find out the carbohydrate content of many common foods.

Diabetic-Friendly Recipes

cooksrecipes.com/category/diabetic.html

Tons of free recipes!

Diet Grail

dietgrail.com/sugars

Find out the sugar content and glycemic index of many common foods.

George Stella’s Low-Carb Community

stellastyle.com

Includes a family’s weight-loss story, how- to guide for low-carb diets, and low-carb recipes.

Going Sugar Free: Delicious Eats without Artificial Sweets

goingsugarfree.com

Includes recipes and helpful hints on sugar substitutions, lists products on the market with little to no sugar, and explains the various names of sugar that you may come across when reading a nutrition label.

Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb

livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog

Jimmy Moore’s personal account of his discovery of a low-carb lifestyle.

My Years Without Sugar

myyearwithout.blogspot.com

Documents a personal quest to live on a sugar-free diet.

Sarah Wilson

sarahwilson.com.au

Offers recipes and ebooks, like the
I Quit Sugar Cookbook
.

Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

simplysugarandglutenfree.com

In addition to recipes, this website includes a list of helpful ingredient substitutions.

Spoonful of Sugar Free

spoonfulofsugarfree.com

Includes a new sugar-, dairy-, and gluten-free recipe each day.

Sugar Stacks

sugarstacks.com

A helpful site for visualizing how much sugar is contained in various foods.

USDA National Nutrient Database

ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

Searchable database compiled by the USDA regarding the nutrient, calorie, carbohydrate, and sugar content in foods.

ENDNOTES

Introduction

  
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Flegal K, Carroll M, Ogden C, Curtin L (2010). Prevalence and trends in obesity among US adults, 1999–2008.
JAMA
303(3): 235–41.

  
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Finkelstein EA, Khavjou OA, Thompson H, Trogdon JG, Pan L, Sherry B, et al. (2012). Obesity and severe obesity forecasts through 2030.
Am J Prev Med
42(6): 563–70.

  
3.
Taubes, G (2011, April 17). Is sugar toxic?
New York Times Magazine
: MM47.

  
4.
Taubes G (2011).
Why we get fat: And what to do about it
. New York: Anchor Books.

  
5.
Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, Shahar DR, Witkow S, Greenberg I, et al. (2008). Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet.
N Engl J Med
359(3): 229–41.

  
6.
Astrup A, Meinert Larsen T, Harper A (2004). Atkins and other low-carbohydrate diets: Hoax or an effective tool for weight loss?
Lancet
364(9437): 897–9.

Step 1: Why Your Past Diet Attempts Have Failed

  
1.
Sikorski C, Riedel C, Luppa M, Schulze B, Werner P, König HH, et al. (2012). Perception of overweight and obesity from different angles: A qualitative study.
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40(3): 271–7.

  
2.
Cecil J, Dalton M, Finlayson G, Blundell J, Hetherington M, Palmer C (2012). Obesity and eating behavior in children and adolescents: Contribution of common gene polymorphisms.
Int Rev Psychiatry
24(3): 200–10.

  
3.
Neumark-Sztainer D, Wall M, Story M, Standish AR (2012). Dieting and unhealthy weight control behaviors during adolescence: Associations with 10-year changes in body mass index.
J Adolesc Health
50(1): 80–6.

  
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Perri MG, Nezu AM, Patti ET, McCann KL (1989). Effect of length of treatment on weight loss.
J Consult Clin Psychol
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5.
Drewnowski A, Specter SE (2004). Poverty and obesity: The role of energy density and energy costs.
Am J Clin Nutr
79(1): 6–16.

  
6.
Raynor HA, Kilanowski CK, Esterlis I, Epstein LH (2002). A cost-analysis of adopting a healthful diet in a family-based obesity treatment program.
J Am Diet Assoc
102(5): 645–56.

  
7.
Sonneville KR, La Pelle N, Taveras EM, Gillman MW, Prosser LA (2009). Economic and other barriers to adopting recommendations to prevent childhood obesity: Results of a focus group study with parents.
BMC Pediatrics
9: 81.

  
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Christie C (2010). Maintaining a heart-healthy diet most of the time.
Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing
25(3): 233.

  
9.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). How much physical activity do adults need? Accessed 30 Mar 2013,
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html
.

10.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Overcoming barriers to physical activity. Accessed 30 Mar 2013,
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/getactive/barriers.html
.

11.
“Atkins survey finds Americans are confused about carbohydrates” (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.atkins.com/Library/Press-Releases/2012/Atkins-Survey-Finds-Americans-Are-Confused-About-C.aspx
. Accessed May 5, 2013.

12.
Shai I, Schwarzfuchs D, Henkin Y, Shahar DR, Witkow S, Greenberg I, et al. (2008). Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet.
N Engl J Med
359(3): 229–41.

13.
Brehm BJ, Seeley RJ, Daniels SR, D’Alessio DA (2003). A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab
88(4): 1617–23.

14.
“Atkins survey finds Americans are confused about carbohydrates” (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.atkins.com/Library/Press-Releases/2012/Atkins-Survey-Finds-Americans-Are-Confused-About-C.aspx
. Accessed May 5, 2013.

15.
Ibid.

Step 2:
Weigh In on Your Sugar Intake

  
1.
USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (2011). A brief history of USDA food guides. Retrieved from
www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/MyPlate/ABriefHistoryOfUSDAFoodGuides.pdf
. Accessed May 5, 2013.

  
2.
Roberts S (2000). High-glycemic index foods, hunger, and obesity: Is there a connection?
Nutr Rev
58(6): 163–9.

  
3.
Beulens JW, de Bruijne LM, Stolk RP, Peeters PH, Bots ML, Grobbee DE, et al. (2007). High dietary glycemic load and glycemic index increase risk of cardiovascular disease among middle-aged women.
J Am Coll Cardio
50(1): 14–21.

  
4.
Willett W, Manson J, Liu S (2002). Glycemic index, glycemic load, and risk of type 2 diabetes.
Am J Clin Nutr
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Rothman RL, Housam R, Weiss H, Davis D, Gregory R, Gebretsadik T, et al. (2006). Patient understanding of food labels: The role of literacy and numeracy.
Am J of Prev Med
31(5): 391–8.

  
6.
Johnson RK, Yon BA (2010). Weighing in on added sugars and health.
J Am Diet Assoc
110(9): 1296–9.

  
7.
Young LR, Nestle M (2002). The contribution of expanding portion sizes to the US obesity epidemic.
Am J Public Health
92: 246–9.

  
8.
Nielsen SJ, Popkin BM (2003). Patterns and trends in food portion sizes, 1977–1998.
JAMA
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9.
Rolls BJ, Morris EL, Roe LS (2002). Portion size and food affects energy intake in normal-weight and overweight men and women.
Am J Clin Nutr
7(6): 1207–13.

10.
American Institute for Cancer Research (2003).
Awareness and action: AICR surveys on portion size, nutrition, and cancer risk
. Washington, DC.

11.
Wansink B, van Ittersum K (2007). Portion size me: Down-sizing our consumption norms.
J Am Diet Assoc
10(7): 1103–6.

12.
Lin B-H, Guthrie J, Frazão E (1999). Chapter 12: Nutrient contribution of food away from home. AIB-750. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved from
http://ers.usda.gov/media/91062/aib750l_1_.pdf
. Accessed May 5, 2013.

Step 3: The New Science of Sugar Addiction

  
1.
Karim R, Chaudhri P (2012). Behavioral addictions: An overview.
J Psychoactive Drugs
44(1): 5–17.

  
2.
Alcoholics Anonymous of Akron, Ohio (n.d.).
Manual for alcoholics anonymous
(5th ed.). Akron, OH, 21.

  
3.
Kampov-Polevoy AB, Garbutt JC, Janowsky DS (1999). Association between preference for sweets and excessive alcohol intake: A review of animal and human studies.
Alcohol
34(3): 386–95.

  
4.
Dotson CD, Spector AC (2004). The relative affective potency of glycine, L-serine and sucrose as assessed by a brief-access taste test in inbred strains of mice.
Chem Senses
29(6): 489–98.

  
5.
Ren X, Ferreira JG, Zhou L, Shammah-Lagnado SJ, Yeckel CW, de Araujo IE (2010). Nutrient selection in the absence of taste receptor signaling.
J Neurosci
30(23): 8012–23.

  
6.
Ibid.

  
7.
Ibid.

  
8.
Aston-Jones G, Smith RJ, Sartor GC, Moorman DE, Massi L, Tahsili-Fahadan P, Richardson KA (2010). Lateral hypothalamic orexin/hypocretin neurons: A role in reward-seeking and addiction.
Brain Res
1314: 74–90.

  
9.
Fulton S, Pissios P, Manchon RP, Stiles L, Frank L, Pothos EN, et al. (2006). Leptin regulation of the mesoaccumbens dopamine pathway.
Neuron
51(6): 811–22.

10.
Mebel DM, Wong JC, Dong YJ, Borgland SL (2012). Insulin in the ventral tegmental area reduces hedonic feeding and suppresses dopamine concentration via increased reuptake.
Eur J Neurosci
36(3): 2336–46.