Questions and Answers

It seems doctors are always claiming that one to two glasses of red wine are good to have every day. I know you talk about eliminating it completely. Do you agree with their claim at all? Also, once a person tries eliminating sugars, including alcohol, how long does it take (on the average) for the mood swings to level off and the person become calm?

You know, of course, that I have a bias about red wine (or any form of alcohol). The health benefits obtained from red wine can be achieved in other ways. Alcohol is a solvent and achieves its effects by melting the lipid layer of the brain. For some people a little alcohol is great, but for many of us, it is not so good. I have a GREAT life without alcohol.

Is milk really bad because of the lactose? Could this be why my sugar sensitive three year old became a different child the minute we stopped his bottle?

Milk can be a problem for anyone at any age who is sugar sensitive. Milk does contain milk sugar. Sometimes a milk allergy can exacerbate the problem because food allergy can evoke beta-endorphin and create euphoria. So we crave the foods we are allergic to.

How closely do I need to watch for hidden sugars?

Depends where you are in the process, how sensitive you are and how able you are to cope with reading every label.

Won't potatoes be a problem for a sugar addict? I read they have a high glycemic index. I have found it is very unusual for any one to binge or even crave potatoes. And yes, potatoes do evoke insulin - although with the skins it is far slower than what is reported as the glycemic index that was developed with mashed potatoes. But remember, we want a timed insulin response to get that tryptophan to go from your blood into your brain!

Can George's Snack serve as a meal substitute three times a day? Or maybe twice like Slim Fast?

George’s Shake or George’s Junior can be an incredible support to your program but do not use them more than once a day. Please, please don't rely on supplements as regular meal replacement. Remember, we are also working on "behavioral" change that encourages you to be taking care of yourself. Food, eat food.

Can I substitute an apple or orange juice for the baked potato at night?

Use the potato unless you have diabetes and then use a sweet potato.

Any suggestions for nausea in early pregnancy?

You get nauseous because the baby is growing and sucks up all your glucose and your blood sugar drops. You may need to eat more frequently. But sloooow foods are best. You may want to add regular planned snacks for a couple of months. Baby comes first. But I also think that reducing your sugars during pregnancy makes it less likely that baby will be so vulnerable to their effect later. Sometimes I wonder if what we call "colic" may actually be sugar withdrawal.

I have your book, and I was doing really good eating the right foods. But I work with candy all day. I am the manager of a candy shop. My mother was an alcoholic, and I have always been a heavy sweet eater. I have been able to go with out eating candy for 40 days. But I always go back when I get stressed out, all it takes is just one piece and I am on my way. Help! Any suggestions?

If you do the three meals with protein and the potato before bed for a couple of weeks and then choose a day to be sweet free, it should be easier. Then you will have to approach it "one day at a time" or perhaps, as I do, one choice at a time. Rather than thinking about whether you will give up candy for the rest of your life, it will be whether you can choose at this one time not to have it. It is hard, but if you have one piece, all your little molecules will be dancing and will sing for more (this is the effect of beta endorphin up regulation). The other important thing is to have support. Not one of us can do this process alone.

I am wondering why some people say breakfast is a MUST. I don't like eating breakfast and when I do, I am definitely hungrier afterwards than if I eat nothing. This seems to be a classic sign of carbohydrate addiction. Do you think that everyone should eat breakfast or just sugar sensitive people? Also, I can't stand the thought of eating before I go to bed AND whenever I used to eat a baked potato alone, I would be craving everything in sight. I think each of us is unique and we can't all follow one person's rules. I am absolutely a sugar sensitive person but there is no question that I do better when I don't eat in the morning.

You certainly will feel better without breakfast because when you don't eat for that long, your body thinks you are moving towards starvation mode and releases beta endorphin. And every sugar sensitive person loves that! So when you do eat, you help to stabilize the brain imbalance. You might try having a protein shake as an alternative. Many people who can't stand the idea of breakfast do very well with it. Why should you eat...:-) After a long fast overnight, your body needs fuel.

If you are still "hungry" afterwards, several things may be going on..it may not be "hunger" per se, but the flaw in your appestat that doesn’t tell your body to stop after your stomach has reached appropriate distention. of it may be emotional or you may be triggered by what you have eaten. You don't "have to" eat before going to bed - it's only a suggestion designed to maximize increasing the serotonin in your brain.

But my whole premise is that if you have adequate and full information, you can find what is right for you. I really have no agenda about telling any one what to eat, only, if you do these things, this will happen.

I'm wondering what you think of the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet (Drs. Richard and Rachael Heller). Thanks for any comments you might have. It's different from the "Zone" in that you are only supposed to eat high carbohydrate foods once a day and just protein and vegetables at the other meals.

Actually, I am quite familiar with the Heller plan. I tried it when it first came out. I LOVED the idea of being able to have whatever I wanted in that one-hour interval. It didn't work for me. At the time I couldn't understand why. But now I realize that the beta endorphin receptor sites start to up regulate even in 24 hours of nothing sweet and then the large hit of sweet at once creates a HUGE priming effect. I also question the advisability of any addictive personality being in a plan that tells you that you can do whatever you want for an hour. We have a hard enough time with boundaries as it is. But the Heller's seem to be well received and very successful with their plan. My idea is to give people information and let them make intelligent choices that suit their own lifestyle.

I'm uncertain about when to apply the potato at bedtime since I'm doing the three meals a day plan.

Sorry, that part is confusing. It really should be three meals AND a baked potato before you go to bed.

I have no doubt that I am sugar sensitive as you define and use that term, but I have never been attracted to bread, pasta or cereal - in fact I almost never eat bread and only rarely eat pasta or cereal. Soda pop and candy are my weaknesses (maybe if I couldn't get these, I would go for the others). I occasionally have very strong urges for ice cream and/or cookies. So, the question is what, if anything, does the fact that neither bread, pasta nor cereal "do it" for me mean?

Your sugar fix is coming from soda and candy :-)

Also I have noticed for a number of years that my typical day starts with overeating on sugars and then much of the rest of the day is spent trying to "balance" out my body chemistry, with cravings for protein and/or fats (cheese?) and then back to sugars. Any comments? Try three meals with protein and complex carbs at each meal, have a potato before you go to bed and see what happens.

I am trying to eat three meals a day, but I get hungry before lunch and dinner. Do you think for someone who exercises a lot it is ok to eat in between meals? If so do you have some suggestions on good snacks?

Are there any other tips you might give for someone who is trying to control their diet, but gets so hungry after a big race that I feel like I could eat an entire loaf of French bread and a whole meal.

And one last thing; while on long rides I sometimes have to eat or I won’t make it - any suggestions on what to eat during exercise? I have been watching the sugar content and picking the things with the least sugar, but most of them are loaded, is that OK for when you are exercising?

If you are in training, it is realistic to add more food into your plan. Use the "eating on the Run" list for in between meal snacks. You may find that if you have more protein and really complex carbs at your meals that you are less frantic after exercise. I would try having George's Shake. Mix it with oatmilk that will keep without refrigeration. But remember wanting "French bread" is not about hunger - it’s about craving. And come join our radiantfitness online group.

I have been a member of OA for six years and have recently begun to gain weight again. Your book seems like it might be useful in my efforts to return to cleaner eating, but I need to know if your ideas are in line with the overall OA philosophies, etc. THANKS!

I also think that the biochemical piece of Radiant Recovery® is a huge addition to their recovery plan.

Have you noted that your diet decreases violence by the violent prone men?

I have seen a huge effect on guys with very short fuses. They are much better able to control both anger and impulsivity.

Why not Protein Not Prozac? I know this is a seemingly trivial bit of criticism, but it confused me when I first picked up the book and started skimming it to find out what it was about. (Yes, I understand where the potatoes fit in.) The protein without the potato won't do the trick - it's a two-phase process.

One thing that makes me nervous is the protein. I don't eat meat or fish, and only small amounts of chicken. What do you do when people are vegetarians?

Check the book again -- there is info for vegetarians.

Is there any problem in following this plan and taking St. John's Wort?

No, St. John's Wort can be a nice addition, but follow directions on dosage and be careful about sun exposure. Also pay attention to foods that are high in tyrosine because they may cause an adverse reaction. Dr. Michael Murray has great info on the herb.

What do you think about using the supplement 5HTP as a way to increase serotonin?

I have had a number of clients who have used 5HTP and had very difficult experiences with it. I am extremely cautious about using supplements for which we have little factual information and whose processing standards are not regulated. By using a supplement, you are *cranking up* the levels without letting your body sort out and finding its own level. As you might guess, my bias is always to use the least harmful method first, i.e.. food.