Great advice and information... Here is what I found on the Ellen Show website:

Tips from Nutritionist Dr. Neal Barnard and How You Can Win His Book! On Monday, Ellen had a candid discussion about diets with leading clinical researcher and nutritionist Dr. Neal Barnard. According to Dr. Barnard, each year the average American consumes 205 pounds of sugar, 10 pounds of chocolate and 32 pounds of cheese! Here are some of Dr. Barnard’s healthy alternatives to sugar, chocolate, cheese and even meat.

Alternatives to sugar:

Fresh fruit -- As a dessert, or as a snack; keep some sliced cantaloupe in your refrigerator, for example.
Maple syrup -- It’s sugary, but is so flavorful that people consume less.
Stevia


Alternatives to chocolate:

Cocoa powder -- Can be used for chocolate-dipped fruit, for example. Only the thin outer surface is chocolate.
Carob -- doesn’t cause migraines, as chocolate can.
Chocolate sorbet -- lower in fat and calories, compared with chocolate ice cream.


Alternatives to cheese:

Soy cheese -- widely available, but variable in quality.
Nutritional yeast -- makes a cheesy flavor in sauces and casseroles.
Avocado -- has the “mouth-feel” of cheese, without cholesterol or animal fat.


Alternatives to meat:

Veggie dogs, burgers, deli slices, etc.
Beans -- for burritos, tacos, and sauces.
Seitan -- a wheat derivative that tastes like meat.
TVP, tofu, and tempeh -- soy products that can simulate meat.

Breaking the Food Seduction: Free Yourself from Unhealthy Foods

Order Breaking the Food Seduction Today

If you saw Neal Barnard, M.D., on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, you know that many people are hooked on unhealthy foods ranging from chocolate to cheese. Do you know that Ellen DeGeneres loves Oreo Sandwich Cookies? She's not alone. To some people, chocolate is an occasional treat. But for a true chocolate addict, it is a deep-seated need. It's even likely that someone you know has a food addiction that they are trying to break.

As Dr. Barnard discussed with Ellen and her audience, his research shows that diet and lifestyle changes can break these stubborn craving cycles. Evidence suggests that a hefty portion of our current epidemics of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and other health problems are, in fact, nothing but the natural outcomes of food habits exerting their effects year after year.

In Dr. Barnard’s book, Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings—and Seven Steps to End Them Naturally, he outlines a path for conquering those unhealthy food addictions. In addition to fascinating insights into the chemical reasons behind cravings and important advice on how to halt kids’ sugar cravings, Breaking the Food Seduction also offers these seven simple steps to break craving cycles:

Seven Steps to Breaking the Food Seduction

1. Start with a good breakfast. Cutting hunger is the first step in cutting cravings.

2. Choose foods that steady your blood sugar. Beans, green vegetables, fruit, and whole grains help prevent blood sugar dips that can lead to cravings.

3. Eat at least 10 calories each day per pound of your ideal body weight. This tip is directed at calorie-cutting dieters who do not realize that, if they eat too little, their bodies stop making an appetite-controlling hormone called leptin. A person whose ideal weight is 150 pounds needs at least 1,500 calories per day, and probably much more.

4. Break out of craving cycles, which can occur daily, monthly (with a woman’s cycle), or yearly (with the change in seasons). Monthly chocolate cravings, for example, can be reduced with a low-fat, vegetarian diet, which tends to reduce the hormone swings that lead to cravings.

5. Exercise and rest are keys to restoring your physical resilience.

6. Use social support. Enlisting the help of friends and family makes changing habits much easier.

7. Take advantage of other motivators. New parents, for example, may decide to eat healthy foods not just for themselves, but for the sake of their children.

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