In this episode, I want to talk about something that confuses a lot of people: cholesterol. What it actually is, why your body needs it, and why the LDL number on your lab report doesn't tell the whole story.

A new documentary that just came out in April 2026 called The Cholesterol Code got me thinking.

It follows Dave Feldman, an engineer who went low-carb, stabilized his blood sugar, felt great, but then saw his LDL go up, and decided to find out why.

What he discovered is turning a lot of what we thought we knew about cholesterol and heart disease upside down.

Because here's the thing — what if LDL cholesterol isn't really the villain we've been told it is? What if the real problem is chronically elevated insulin?

In this episode, I ask the questions:

• What is cholesterol? And why is it essential?
• What is the difference between LDL and HDL?
• How could sugary foods, insulin resistance, and inflammation be risk factors for heart disease?
• What can you ask your doctor if your cholesterol has changed since cutting sugar?

Science is about asking questions, and these ones may challenge 50 years of conventional wisdom about cholesterol, statins, insulin, and heart disease.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...

John grew up in Indiana eating Hungry Man dinners, boxes of sugary cereal, and green-frosted Ninja Turtle pies... and no-one ever told him sugar was a problem!

By his early 30s he was pushing 290 pounds, prediabetic, and on blood pressure medication.

After discovering low-carb eating and spending years experimenting with ketosis, John learned how to train his body to burn fat instead of sugar and refined carbs for fuel.

John's wake-up call at age 46 led him to build Rebel Health Alliance, which is a virtual clinic available across all 50 states where physicians, dietitians, strength coaches, and genetic counselors all work together on the client's behalf.

Today at 50, John is lean at 6'4" and 220 pounds, and is training to qualify for a marathon!

Find John here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...

Christine spent 30 years trapped in the cycle of yo-yo dieting.

She tried everything from Weight Watchers to a hospital-supervised liquid protein program. But nobody ever taught her why her body was working against her.

In this episode, Christine opens up about growing up on the Standard American Diet (SAD), the childhood bullying that shaped her relationship with food, and how she reached 230 pounds.

It was when she began to understand the role of insulin, carbohydrate intolerance, and emotional eating in her health struggles that her life changed.

But Christine's story doesn't stop at weight loss. She shares how a renewed daily Bible practice transformed her spiritual life and helped her realize she had been filling the "holes in her soul" with food — and how that breakthrough became the foundation of her coaching methodology for Christian women.

Find Christine's work here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...

What do you say when someone offers you something with sugar in it… and you don’t want it?

Or you kind of do... but you don't want to sabotage your efforts to break free from sugar cravings?

In this episode, I walk you through simple, real-life ways to respond without feeling rude, awkward, or pressured to explain yourself.

We also look at what’s really going on in those moments, including the self-doubt that can show up later, even after you’ve said no.

This is about learning to have more compassion - for yourself and for others - so that you can feel more confident in your choices.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from sugar cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...

Angela grew up with a lot of stress and tension around food at home.

In her 20s, she struggled with severe sugar addiction alongside anxiety and depression, using sugar as a primary coping mechanism.

In this conversation, Angela shares how that breaking point led her to eat more mindfully, and how learning to be present in everyday moments slowly changed her relationship with food, cravings, and emotions.

Today, Angela is a functional and integrative health practitioner. Her work blends physiology, nervous system regulation, and mindfulness, with a strong emphasis on helping women understand why their bodies are responding the way they are.

We talk about mindful eating, why cravings often have nothing to do with hunger, and how building awareness in small, ordinary moments can help you feel more in control around sugar.

Mindfulness may not completely eliminate cravings, but it can change your relationship to them.

Find Angela here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...

When Violet's husband’s health crisis forced them to look for solutions, sugar and white flour weren’t even on the list.

In this episode, Violet shares how her husband’s Crohn’s disease led them to completely rethink the way they eat.

They were trying to keep him off of meds because he didn't like the side effects that came with them.

But when their version of healthy eating wasn't working, Violet and her husband decided to dive into functional medicine. And that really changed their whole perspective on nutrition.

They immediately cut all sugar and all gluten.

And to their amazement, their health got so much better!

Violet also talks about baking without white flour, navigating family meals and eating out, and how they’re raising young kids on mostly whole foods without making it feel restrictive.

This is an inspiring story of how cutting white sugar and flour changed Violet's and her husband's lives, and how it will also have a positive ripple effect on their children.

Find Violet here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...

If you’ve ever thought about cutting sugar, flour, and processed foods, it's better to be prepared for what you might experience.

In this episode, I talk about the symptoms people often call “detox” and what’s actually happening in the body during that transition.

We look at why you might be peeing more, why headaches are so common, what metabolic flexibility means, cravings, and why the brain and body can feel temporarily worse before they start to feel better.

I also talk about what helps during this phase, including food, salt, rest, and why this is not the time to pile on more restriction.

If you’re in the middle of this right now, or thinking about cutting back on sugar and flour, this episode will help you understand what’s going on and how to find support through it.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...

Evon Dennis grew up in a large family where most meals were home-cooked. But as her family’s income increased, so did the presence of ultra-processed foods.

After leaving home as a teenager, and becoming a young mom, food became comfort for Evon. It became numbness. It became a coping tool.

In this episode, Evon shares:

• how ultra-processed food slowly became her main coping tool
• her experience with bingeing and compulsive overeating
• what made her start digging into the science behind cravings
• her experiment with eliminating certain foods, especially sugar
• losing 60 pounds sustainably
• what relapse taught her about ego, self-worth, and self-prioritization

This is an honest conversation about self-worth, experimenting, relapsing, and figuring out how you want to live your life.

Find Evon here.

To get personalized guidance to stop emotional eating and break free from cravings, plus support and accountability... apply here to join the 90-day program, Freedom from Cravings Formula TODAY.

Do the Cravings Quiz and take the first step to get rid of your cravings!

Struggling with cravings? Download your 5 tips HERE to discover how you can get rid of cravings... even when you feel tired or stressed.

To rate and review this podcast:

1. scroll down in your podcast player on your phone and click on the stars.
2. To leave a review, scroll down a little more and click on "Write a Review".
3. Once you’ve finished, select “Send” or “Save” in the top-right corner.
4. If you’ve never left a podcast review before, enter a nickname. Your nickname will be displayed on your review.

After selecting a nickname, tap OK. Your review may not be immediately visible, but it should be posted soon.
Thank you! - Netta

Disclaimer: Information provided by Life After Sugar is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. This is general information for educational purposes only. The information provided is not a substitute for medical or professional care. Life After Sugar is not liable or responsible for any advice, information, services or product you obtain through Life After Sugar. You should always seek the adv...