Swedish Mom's Stand Against Sugar Goes Viral (BBC NEWS)

Anna Larsson has inspired thousands of moms, as her story about cutting daily sugary treats out of her 4-year-old's diet goes viral.

So what happened? Larsson posted about her experiment, and the fabulous results, on Facebook. Her post has been shared thousands of times! This is the grassroots mother-to-mother movement we need to restore the health of our families.

Anna shared that her daughter got 'new taste buds' and no longer rejected healthy meals. Plus, "She was calming down so quickly, falling asleep so quickly in the evenings - and she did not want to look at the television all the time, she wanted to do things."

Read the entire article on the BBC News site.

A timely story, as Gary Taubes' book, The Case Against Sugar, published in December, makes the case that sugar is driving major chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Yet we routinely feed so much sugar to our kids. It doesn't have to be this way.

For more on what diets help you quit sugar and what to eat instead, explore the rest of this site! You can sign up for our monthly newsletter, here.

Photo Credit: BBC NEWS, Sara Jonasson

106 Years Young... and Still Eating Butter!

Amy Hawkins turned 106 recently. She credits her longevity to a "quiet life and a healthy diet – but [adds] that you can have lots of fat and butter!"

This easy going Welsh centenarian is considerate of others but gently feisty about doctors and pills... she avoids them. She reports it has been 10 years since she has seen a doctor.

When reflecting on her healthy, long life, Hawkins says, “I think my diet is pretty good. I eat a lot of fish because it is good for you, but I also love butter, I always have lots of it.”

Mmmm... very wise. And very vintage.

Read more about Amy Hawkins in The South Wales Argus—

'Lots of butter is the secret,’ says 106-year-old on birthday celebrations

For more reasons to eat more fat, check out this page. And for more on the benefits of eating butter, check out my post "Why Butter?"

Sumo... Up Close and Personal

I spent last Saturday night ringside, watching live Sumo wrestling... both professional exhibition matches and some amusing amateur antics. This is not your typical weekend activity in Pittsburgh. Funny to see some brave friends and local celebs wearing a mawashi (over lycra shorts, because... well, just because).

In the professional match, it was former world champions, Yama (600+ pounds) vs. Byamba (350+ pounds)... You might know Byamba as the figure skating sumo wrestler in the recent Geico commercial. (Worth 30 seconds if you haven't seen it.)

Although Byamba seemed pretty agile for a big guy, Yama labored under his 600 pounds. So how do these guys get this big? What do sumo wrestlers eat? Lean protein, vegetables, and grain. (Lots and lots of rice.) A low-fat, high-carb diet. Sound familiar? Like MyPlate?

If you want to stay as far away from the Sumo physique as possible, try the opposite approach to eating—low-carb, full-fat. Take a look at these six real food diets.

Food for thought.

Our Theory of Obesity Is Wrong... #Problem

Doctors and nutritionists think they know what makes people fat: "It's because they take in more calories than they expend." But if that theory is wrong, all of the analysis and advice that falls out of that paradigm is likely to be wrong, too. Which might explain why, in spite of kale, My Fitness Pal, and yoga pants, so many of us just can't keep our weight under control. 

So, what is really causing Americans' struggles with weight? Nutrition expert and contrarian Gary Taubes thinks hormones and metabolic defects should take center stage. And SUGAR is a key offender. Read on and also listen to Gary Taubes live on Bite's podcast, "You Don’t Get Fat For the Reasons You Think." (2nd of two guests.)

MOTHER JONES reports: The Most Popular Theory About What Causes Obesity May Be Very Wrong