132,625
edits
Changes
From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to searchno edit summary
We start with a clear-eyed look at sugar's impact on your health. It's not just the chance of diabetes. There's an increased risk of cardiovascular problems, cancers, mental health disorders and premature death. Yes - it's frightening and this chapter alone was sufficient for me to go and have a clear-out in the pantry. I spent a morning back and forth between the office and the kitchen.
''A grande Starbucks® Caramel Macchiato can house 33g of added sugar per serving,''
The clear-out was more difficult because of all the places sugar can hide. There's a useful appendix which gives the names under which sugar can hide - and there are 259 of them. Some of them sound healthy, too. We need sugar to live but what we don't need is ''added'' sugar as our bodies will ''make'' sugar. Sugars are found in foods such as breads and pastas but you might feel more reassured about ''Sugarless'' when I tell you that the intention is to wean you off 'sweet', added sugars rather than pastas, breads and fruit.
Nicole Avena says that sugar 'can be' addictive. This has been established in the lab - it's not just anecdotal evidence. In many ways, it's not surprising when you consider the stresses of modern life. Just when you're convinced that it's a vicious circle with no way out, the book looks at ways of breaking our dependence. This is probably what is going to take the most time and effort simply because we're looking at long-term advantage rather than short-term (and probably unsustainable) gain. There's sensible, realistic advice on dealing with cravings, triggers and the withdrawal from sugar. Most useful to me was advice on managing stressors, setbacks and social pressures - particularly the social pressures. It's amazing how many people think they're doing you a favour by 'giving you permission' to have a cake or a sugar-laden drink. ''Sugarless'' is reassuring and empowering.
There are 30 recipes to help you get to grips with the new way of eating and there's something for everyone . I loved the granola and the oatmeal breakfast cookies. The chickpea avocado sandwich is a revelation and I liked the idea of a BLT without bread. I've one niggle and that's that the recipes use cups and I don't get on with them. It's a book by an American author and it's aimed primarily at the American market but it travels well and there's a lot to take away from the book even on this side of the pond.
The book is easy to read - the science is there but the jargon is minimal and comprehensible. I came away with a feeling that I could do this.
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1454947802}}
{{waterstones|url=https://tidd.ly/3TgUI5r}}
