What do you think?
Rate this book
Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies
A step-by-step guide to kicking the sugar habit and living a healthier, happier life With many Australians and New Zealanders drawing as much as a third of their total caloric intake from sugar and enriched flour, sugar addiction is a rapidly growing problem. Global sugar consumption has tripled in just the last 50 years and the result has been increasing levels of obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. Even worse, the more sugar we eat, the more sugar our bodies want, leading to a dangerous cycle of sugar addiction. "Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies, Australian and New Zealand Edition," presents a simple, step-based program that gradually weans you off sugar in large amounts to let you live a healthier and fitter life. The book explains the hidden sources of sugar we consume, the effect that eating too much of it has on us, and how to cut down on sugar without sacrificing the foods we love. Plus, you'll find healthy, simple meal plans and recipes that include little or no sugar. Features practical guidance and a simple plan for cutting down on unhealthy levels of sugar consumption Includes simple meal plans and 50 great-tasting recipes with little or no sugar Offers tips on dealing with sugar cravings and what to stock in a low-sugar pantry
No one wants to give up the sweet things in life, but too much sugar is a recipe for ill health and addiction. "Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies" gives you the information and advice you need to break the cycle and find a healthy balance.
No one wants to give up the sweet things in life, but too much sugar is a recipe for ill health and addiction. "Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies" gives you the information and advice you need to break the cycle and find a healthy balance.
- GenresHealthNonfiction
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
56 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 2, 2016
Why are self-help books so damn repetitive?
Oh wait; I know. Because an article's worth of information is expanded to book length.
Clearly, the solution is to find a good article...
And skip the book.
Sans repetition, the information in this book would make a quite nice article, but after chapter 3 or so, my e-reader finger ( the middle one, if you must know) got a bit fatigued from all the rapid skimming I was doing.
Oh wait; I know. Because an article's worth of information is expanded to book length.
Clearly, the solution is to find a good article...
And skip the book.
Sans repetition, the information in this book would make a quite nice article, but after chapter 3 or so, my e-reader finger ( the middle one, if you must know) got a bit fatigued from all the rapid skimming I was doing.
December 7, 2013
The book I read to research this post was Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies by Dan De Figio which is a very good book which I bought from kindle. Sugar is as addictive as cocaine & if you go a couple of days without sugar you will find it's physically addictive. A lot of the problem is the huge amounts of sugar and salt put in processed food. Another problem is the prevalence of simple carbohydrates which give you a surge of blood sugar just like sugar does and a few hours later you come down with a crash and need more. Yet another problem is like with a lot of things as time goes on you need more and more sugar to achieve the same effect. In Japan they have a saying you should only eat until you are 80% full which is a good maxim. In America 80% of the population are pre diabetes insulin resistance meaning they are going to have a massive diabetes problems in the years to come. In addition around 60% of the population are overweight. In most cases you can cut out sugar a bit at a time. This book suggests getting a nutrition counsellor & incidently has lots of healthy recipes towards the back of the book. It also suggests drinking distilled water as the nutrients in even mineral water are only in very small quantities & the potentially harmful substances far outweigh it and that includes if you have a water filter which doesn't remove every potentially harmful substance. Also you should focus on consuming complex carbohydrates and protein. Bananas & porridge are a good source of complex carbohydrates. The author reckons eggs and red meat are good for you if they are organically farmed. Obviously they feed the animals all sorts of dodgy things like huge amounts of antibiotics which you in turn consume in factory farming. I really enjoyed reading this book.
April 25, 2016
Very helpful and practical.
Read
December 11, 2024I should have read this a long time ago. Understanding what sugar does to your body makes it a lot less appetizing.
August 23, 2013
What's Quinoa?
Dan DeFigio is a nutrition counsellor who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He founded the websites GettingFit.com and BeatingSugarAddiction.com, and living in Nashville, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he is quite a piano player.
His book, Beating Sugar Addiction for Dummies, covers not just the sweet poison, but also other aspects of health and nutrition, as well as stress reduction, exercise, sleeping, and living purposefully. To paraphrase Defigio:
Living purposefully rather than reactively is difficult because you feel like your life is totally out of control. You don't have the time to stop and plan. But really, if time is an issue, and it always is, you don't have the convenience of NOT planning. People don't plan to fail, but they certainly fail to plan. And failing to plan is a sure way to fail. The Chinese have a word for this: xinyuan, which roughly translates into "monkey mind." The word was adopted into Confucian and Buddhist teachings, and has also become popular in modern psychology.
Mindfullness is the key to quieting the monkey mind. It is really just another word for meditation, such as zen or yoga. Though it is true that meditation aims to empty the mind, through chanting mantras, this is so you can return to the world with greater awareness. Also, meditation practices such as focusing on your breath are essentially being mindful of your breathing--practicing mindfulness.
Chapter 8 covers eating mindfulness. Mindfulness is the act of being mentally and emotionally present, without judgement, while being aware of and intentional about your state of mind and your behavior. With regards to eating, you are mindful of the food you are eating, not just shoveling it down. You experience it deeply, savoring the flavor, the texture, and the aroma. You have planned what you will eat, when you will eat, and how much you will eat. You are focused on the food while eating, or on whatever you are doing. Multitasking doesn't really get things done faster or better.
As I skimmed through the book I was a bit wary that DeFigio was an OCD food fanatic. At one point he was talking about glutten or something and putting cheese on something, and he asked, both parenthetically and snarkily: (Why would you want to do that?).
Why, indeed? Say, "Cheese," Danny Boy. A really great cheese can taste like the feet of god. Parts of the book do get a bit paranoid-food-conspiracy-theoristy, but for the most part he offers sound advice backed up with scientific facts. There are some things that I intend to disregard. I have enough things to worry about. Microwave Popcorn is poison? Too bad. I am having some as we speak.
I think that I resonated most with Chapters 8 & 9 on Mindfulness and breaking the Cycle of Failure & Staying on Track. The final chapters offer low or no-sugar recipes for delectable dishes such as Three Bean Quinoa Salad. I am going to make some, just as soon as I find out what Quinoa is and find those other two beans.
Dan DeFigio is a nutrition counsellor who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He founded the websites GettingFit.com and BeatingSugarAddiction.com, and living in Nashville, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he is quite a piano player.
His book, Beating Sugar Addiction for Dummies, covers not just the sweet poison, but also other aspects of health and nutrition, as well as stress reduction, exercise, sleeping, and living purposefully. To paraphrase Defigio:
Living purposefully rather than reactively is difficult because you feel like your life is totally out of control. You don't have the time to stop and plan. But really, if time is an issue, and it always is, you don't have the convenience of NOT planning. People don't plan to fail, but they certainly fail to plan. And failing to plan is a sure way to fail. The Chinese have a word for this: xinyuan, which roughly translates into "monkey mind." The word was adopted into Confucian and Buddhist teachings, and has also become popular in modern psychology.
Mindfullness is the key to quieting the monkey mind. It is really just another word for meditation, such as zen or yoga. Though it is true that meditation aims to empty the mind, through chanting mantras, this is so you can return to the world with greater awareness. Also, meditation practices such as focusing on your breath are essentially being mindful of your breathing--practicing mindfulness.
Chapter 8 covers eating mindfulness. Mindfulness is the act of being mentally and emotionally present, without judgement, while being aware of and intentional about your state of mind and your behavior. With regards to eating, you are mindful of the food you are eating, not just shoveling it down. You experience it deeply, savoring the flavor, the texture, and the aroma. You have planned what you will eat, when you will eat, and how much you will eat. You are focused on the food while eating, or on whatever you are doing. Multitasking doesn't really get things done faster or better.
As I skimmed through the book I was a bit wary that DeFigio was an OCD food fanatic. At one point he was talking about glutten or something and putting cheese on something, and he asked, both parenthetically and snarkily: (Why would you want to do that?).
Why, indeed? Say, "Cheese," Danny Boy. A really great cheese can taste like the feet of god. Parts of the book do get a bit paranoid-food-conspiracy-theoristy, but for the most part he offers sound advice backed up with scientific facts. There are some things that I intend to disregard. I have enough things to worry about. Microwave Popcorn is poison? Too bad. I am having some as we speak.
I think that I resonated most with Chapters 8 & 9 on Mindfulness and breaking the Cycle of Failure & Staying on Track. The final chapters offer low or no-sugar recipes for delectable dishes such as Three Bean Quinoa Salad. I am going to make some, just as soon as I find out what Quinoa is and find those other two beans.
August 14, 2016
This book contains a LOT of great information but you really have to dig for it throughout as you are reading. The author explains to you all the hidden names of sugar, why it's everywhere and so difficult to avoid, hidden sources of sugar you may not think about, and a handy quiz that helps you figure out what kind of sugar addict you are (four types). You may be a combination of two types with one being more dominant over the other, but either way, once you have identified the kind of sugar addict you are, it will help you understand WHY you are addicted and how you can take steps to reducing it.
It's a comprehensive book and covers sections on which exercises to focus on, recipes to try (not so great if you're gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy free, but I realize many people don't have those restrictions), and a section on what to buy (and what to avoid) at the grocery store.
Far from being a "cold turkey" type of book that is all about placing restrictions on readers, the book explains why the cold turkey or "all or nothing" approach doesn't work and why it leads to consumption of ever MORE sugar, so the author gives the reader some handy tips not to fall into that trap, which I thought was important.
The reasons for why someone is addicted to sugar are very diverse and complex. Psychology is a huge factor as well, and not just because we are genetically hard-wired to seek out foods with sugar so they can provide us with energy, and not just because sugar boosts serotonin and dopamine and the other "happy" brain chemicals. A huge part of sugar addiction that NO ONE likes to talk about or acknowledge is the loneliness aspect. Some people self-medicate with cigarettes or alcohol to block out their feelings of loneliness or to deal with stress or to deal with the fact that they're not happy with their lives. Other people use sugar. Some people do all of those things, and more. We're all human beings and we all have our vices, but it's important not to discount the emotional aspects that are play when it comes to sugar addiction.
Another thing is that I found the information in this book to be incredibly repetitive at some points, hence the four stars and not five--in some ways, this is useful because it reinforces in the reader's mind why diet soda is so terrible, for example, but in other ways, it was a bit of a nuisance.
Still, this is one of the best books on the subject of beating sugar addiction and it approaches the matter in an even and balanced way, so this should be at the top of anyone's reading list who wants to get started on the topic but doesn't know where to look for good information.
It's a comprehensive book and covers sections on which exercises to focus on, recipes to try (not so great if you're gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy free, but I realize many people don't have those restrictions), and a section on what to buy (and what to avoid) at the grocery store.
Far from being a "cold turkey" type of book that is all about placing restrictions on readers, the book explains why the cold turkey or "all or nothing" approach doesn't work and why it leads to consumption of ever MORE sugar, so the author gives the reader some handy tips not to fall into that trap, which I thought was important.
The reasons for why someone is addicted to sugar are very diverse and complex. Psychology is a huge factor as well, and not just because we are genetically hard-wired to seek out foods with sugar so they can provide us with energy, and not just because sugar boosts serotonin and dopamine and the other "happy" brain chemicals. A huge part of sugar addiction that NO ONE likes to talk about or acknowledge is the loneliness aspect. Some people self-medicate with cigarettes or alcohol to block out their feelings of loneliness or to deal with stress or to deal with the fact that they're not happy with their lives. Other people use sugar. Some people do all of those things, and more. We're all human beings and we all have our vices, but it's important not to discount the emotional aspects that are play when it comes to sugar addiction.
Another thing is that I found the information in this book to be incredibly repetitive at some points, hence the four stars and not five--in some ways, this is useful because it reinforces in the reader's mind why diet soda is so terrible, for example, but in other ways, it was a bit of a nuisance.
Still, this is one of the best books on the subject of beating sugar addiction and it approaches the matter in an even and balanced way, so this should be at the top of anyone's reading list who wants to get started on the topic but doesn't know where to look for good information.
February 4, 2017
Great book about the dangers of sugar consumption! Sugar is likened to heroin in its addictive nature and only matched by smoking in its long-term negative effects on the body! Lots of recipes at the end. Only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that recipes don't show gluten-free options.
February 12, 2015
A pretty unbiased primer on the hazards of sugar. As with many "anti" food books, I feel like they've scoured the Earth to find every smidgen of bad news that can be attached to the evil topic, but generally, I felt that this was mostly solid. I usually take this type of book with a grain of salt. (But only ONE grain, because SALT is also bad for you!!)
July 29, 2016
I always knew sugar isn't healthy but my goodness! How am I still alive??? Well written argument for kicking sugar out of your life forever.
April 4, 2017
I have cut back on a lot of sugar since reading this. Was even able to find healthier snacks for my kids.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews