Entries by Mark Neese

The Culture of Sugar

cul·ture /ˈkəlCHər/ Culture is a word for the ‘way of life’ of groups of people, meaning the way they do things… Sugar has become a “way of life” in modern America! Why is it so difficult to cut back on, avoid, or cut out sugar in America? The simple answer: It’s everywhere and in everything. But the […]

The Sweetening of America

I DO NOT think that there is a sugar “conspiracy” in America. I DO think, however, the food industry and sugar producers have realized that they can make lots and lots of money by adding sugar to the foods we eat. Good Calories, Bad Calories Gary Taubes, in his book, “Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, […]

We Love Our Sugar! But Are We Addicted To It?

A good friend shared a saying that goes like this: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!” I’ve discovered through the years that for many, many people, sugar tastes better than skinny feels. It’s like an addiction. Cassie Bjork, RD. LD, founder of Healthy Simple Life writes that, “Sugar activates the opiate receptors in our […]

Little Sugar Addicts

I think most people believe that our children are eating too much sugars (Just maybe not the people in the food or sugar industry.)  I suspect even these “sugar pushers” believe their children are eating too much sugar. They are not monsters. In her book “Little Sugar Addicts,” Kathleen DesMaisons believes (as the title implies) that […]

How to Increase Your Insulin Sensitivity

Until recently, I had not heard of Insulin Sensitivity. I had heard of Insulin Resistance. Insulin Resistance means your body can’t respond properly to the insulin it makes. Insulin can’t enter the cells and over time this increases blood sugar levels; eventually leading to type 2 Diabetes. Insulin Sensitivity is the degree to which the […]

The Frontier Diet

Aka The Mark Neese Diet. I didn’t coin this phase and it’s really not a diet. Rather, it’s a mindset. I seriously doubt that people on the Frontier ate all that well. I’m guessing that they had periods of starvation during times of famine. They ate whatever they grew or killed, depending on its availability. […]

Added Sugar – It’s in Everything!

If you want to read a life-changing book, read “Pure, White, and Deadly: How Sugar is Killing Us and What We Can Do to Stop It,” by John Yudkin. Actually, the book will change the way that you look at sugar. And what happened to Yudkin during the 1970s, will change the way that you […]

Feed the Craving

That just about sums up the way most of us live. I noticed the sign at the entrance near my office today. It reminded me that I was craving sugar, or really bread. We are “Craving” or spoiling ourselves to death! Today was the third day of my attempt to follow the Whole30 Diet. After […]

Sugar. Sugar. Sugar.

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that I’m a Psychotherapist, and a Personal Trainer with a background in fitness and general nutrition. I am not a Registered Nutritionist (see Disclaimer below). I’ve done a lot of reading over the past 2 or 3 years and recently I have been reading about sugar. Sugar […]