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Processed sugar is as addictive as cocaine. The high fructose corn syrup in many sodas is even worse.

It is better to recommend a diet that solves the sugar issue instead of a pharmaceutical. There are several great programs that help with this and they have common characteristics: The McDougall Plan, Dean Ornish, Plantstrong (formerly Engine2), and Joel Fuhrman. I like McDougall's model because it has moved online, has a free offering, and is much more accessible and supportive.

When choosing a physician there is now a board certification for Lifestyle Medicine. It is possible to search for board certified lifestyle medicine physicians: https://www.lifestylemedpros.org/home. One of the key areas is assisting with treating Type 2 (Adult onset) diabetes with lifestyle and diet rather than drugs.

There is also a peer reviewed journal in the area, the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, which is too technical for the general public.

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The more sugar you eat, the more you crave it. Your taste buds now are left needing more to get the same taste. Plus, like a drug, your body enjoys how sugar gives you a high followed by a crash. A high-sugar diet triggers your body to want more of it.Apr 10, 2024

According to a study by the University of Florida, sugary foods can be as addictive as nicotine and cocaine.

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Kat Toups is California psychiatrist specializing in reducing dementia symptoms or bringing it into remission. Her message is that there are multiple reasons that dementia occurs and sugar is just one of them. The ketogenic or the Paleo diet, which also can bring diabetes into remission within a matter of weeks is a key part of her treatment. The keto diet has been used since the 1920s to minimize seizures in people with a diagnosis of epilepsy. It now seems to have tremendous healing potential for mental illness as well. Kattoups.com or follow her on Facebook. She has completely turned some peoples’ lives around.

For those who still believe that fat is bad for you, you are way behind the times. Check out the New York Times bestseller The Big Fat Surprise byNina Teicholz. The reason our diet is so full of sugar these days is because when fat became demonized, food tasted terrible until sugar was added.

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Sorry again! Two links were wrong: MetabolicMind.org, not .com.

And for psychiatrist Kat Toups: Bayareawellness.net. She also has a page on Facebook that is useful as well.

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We would all do better with a SOS (sugar,oil and salt) free whole food plant diet.

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I apologize if that comment about being behind the times sounded snarky. The fact is that our food systems are so deeply entrenched. The “sugar is good and fat is bad” message is so fixed in the public consciousness,, that the powers that be will not give up without a big media fight. To find out more about how mental illness is being reversed with the ketogenic diet, check out metabolicmind.com and the same on YouTube. There is also a famous TED talk with Dr. Sarah Hallberg: “Reversing type two diabetes starts with ignoring the guidelines.“

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