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No Sucre !
Journaliste trentenaire aimant profi ter de la vie, Nicole Mowbray a arrete du jour au lendemain de manger du sucre - y compris les edulcorants - et tout ce qui en contient. Tout a change pour sa silhouette, sa peau, son sommeil, sa sante et jusqu'a ses relations avec sa famille et ses amis. Car on le sait aujourd' le sucre n'est pas bon pour la sante. L'OMS a recommande que l'on reduise de moitie la consommation de sucre, qui est de plus en plus considere comme une substance addictive, au meme titre que l'alcool et le tabac. Dans ce livre qui est a la fois un temoignage, une enquete et un guide pratique, Nicole Mowbray raconte en detail comment elle a procede pour son sevrage, ses diffi cultes, mais aussi tous les benefi ces qu'elle en a retires. Elle interroge de nombreux specialistes (nutritionnistes, cardiologues, psychologues), donne quantite d'informations pratiques sur ce que l'on peut continuer a manger, et nous montre que SI ELLE L'A FAIT, TOUT LE MONDE PEUT LE FAIRE."
- GenresNonfictionHealth
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2014
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51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 30, 2016
As a caveat for this review: I'm not the target audience for this book. I've read this (and a number of other books of this ilk) to better understand what some my clients are going through and have an awareness of the books that my clients might have read.
This book starts off a little more measured than Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar" (review coming soon) but by the end of the book, I got the feeling that Nicole Mowbray also became somewhat caught up with "healthy" eating.
In general it's great that she learned there's hidden sugar in lots of food and figured out how to eat with more awareness. But buying into the need for vegan protein powder to help with post-exercise body repair is something else altogether.
"I have tried a lot of different brands and my favourite is the Bodyism Protein Excellence Vanilla: no added sugar, low GI and vegan. At £50 for 500g, this powder is an investment. However, you'll use it sparingly and it will last you months and months."
If you're going to use it so sparingly that it last you months and months, how much protein are you getting each time? At that point, aren't you just as well eating regular food?
Here's another example:
"From time to time I'll have a glass of good red wine (organic, if possible, as it usually contains fewer sulphites, which are used to preserve it, but a nice quality one if not)."
It's one thing to stop eating sweet food but quite another to start worrying about the sulphites in the one glass of wine that you very occasionally have (wine is excluded in the no-sugar lifestyle).
"I never microwave food as it kills all the nutrients inside"
I don't like cooking with a microwave (for other reasons) so I'm not here as a microwave advocate but I also feel uncomfortable with a statement like that being bandied about as though it were a fact. I would have liked this book more if it didn't have stuff like that in it. It's hard to give a book three stars when it makes claims like this one.
"Most of us don't have time to scramble eggs or make a healthy kedgeree before trundling off to work."
On the next page after that quote, she suggests making pancakes (the batter already made the day before). Unless she's making French-style custardy scrambled eggs, pancakes generally take longer to cook. Again, it gives the feeling of someone who is knee-deep in the clean-eating world of 'coconuts will solve all your problems' and 'ooooh dahling...do get get a high powered blender and make your own nut butters too'.
And...
"Go for organic (smoked salmon) so it's not too bright pink."
What?
"Turkey. This meat contains an amino acid called L-tryptophan, which is needed to produce the body's calming feel-good hormone serotonin."
This makes it sound as though chicken, or indeed lots of other food, may not have this amino acid.
I feel saddened that there's so much unnecessary bollocks (in the "healthy", "clean-eating" literature) masking what could be sensible nudges towards eating more nutritious food.
This book starts off a little more measured than Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar" (review coming soon) but by the end of the book, I got the feeling that Nicole Mowbray also became somewhat caught up with "healthy" eating.
In general it's great that she learned there's hidden sugar in lots of food and figured out how to eat with more awareness. But buying into the need for vegan protein powder to help with post-exercise body repair is something else altogether.
"I have tried a lot of different brands and my favourite is the Bodyism Protein Excellence Vanilla: no added sugar, low GI and vegan. At £50 for 500g, this powder is an investment. However, you'll use it sparingly and it will last you months and months."
If you're going to use it so sparingly that it last you months and months, how much protein are you getting each time? At that point, aren't you just as well eating regular food?
Here's another example:
"From time to time I'll have a glass of good red wine (organic, if possible, as it usually contains fewer sulphites, which are used to preserve it, but a nice quality one if not)."
It's one thing to stop eating sweet food but quite another to start worrying about the sulphites in the one glass of wine that you very occasionally have (wine is excluded in the no-sugar lifestyle).
"I never microwave food as it kills all the nutrients inside"
I don't like cooking with a microwave (for other reasons) so I'm not here as a microwave advocate but I also feel uncomfortable with a statement like that being bandied about as though it were a fact. I would have liked this book more if it didn't have stuff like that in it. It's hard to give a book three stars when it makes claims like this one.
"Most of us don't have time to scramble eggs or make a healthy kedgeree before trundling off to work."
On the next page after that quote, she suggests making pancakes (the batter already made the day before). Unless she's making French-style custardy scrambled eggs, pancakes generally take longer to cook. Again, it gives the feeling of someone who is knee-deep in the clean-eating world of 'coconuts will solve all your problems' and 'ooooh dahling...do get get a high powered blender and make your own nut butters too'.
And...
"Go for organic (smoked salmon) so it's not too bright pink."
What?
"Turkey. This meat contains an amino acid called L-tryptophan, which is needed to produce the body's calming feel-good hormone serotonin."
This makes it sound as though chicken, or indeed lots of other food, may not have this amino acid.
I feel saddened that there's so much unnecessary bollocks (in the "healthy", "clean-eating" literature) masking what could be sensible nudges towards eating more nutritious food.
Read
July 3, 2021This book shows that you can do all the right things and still not be happy
January 24, 2015
Was really good and I couldn't put it down, but it did start to get quite repetitive, to the point where I thought "I've already read this in another chapter" and the "sources" were mostly websites, even Wikipedia :S. Good and informative though.
July 19, 2017
Livre bien documenté et très intéressant. L'auteur nous fait part de son expérience avec quelques notes d'humour.
October 2, 2018
This book is my favorite anti-sugar read thus far. The author uses a fun and light tone to convey her personal story.
March 20, 2020
Simple enough premise. She is fairly personable in her narrative but wasn't for me
August 9, 2021
I really liked the way this was written- similar to a lot of alcohol quit lit- and found it really inspiring. I’m hoping to make some changes!
September 20, 2014
Part memoir and part-guide, Nicole explores her own reasons for giving up sugar and the health benefits that this led to. I was particularly interested in the fact that she suffered from tonsillitis (as did I which led to me having a tonsillectomy as an adult) but after giving up her sugar consumption, states that she no longer suffered from repeated bouts of this. As this is my main reason for wanting to quit sugar, I found this truly inspiring.
I loved reading all of Nicole’s anecdotes from her childhood about her love of sweets and puddings, as I used to have an equally sweet tooth before completely overhauling my diet. Although I struggle with the absence of some foods, I’m gradually learning to live without chocolate and have tried to turn all of my previous chock-full of sugar cake recipes into healthier alternatives.
I found myself nodding along to many of the sections in the book where eating out is the main focus of the chapter. It’s all very well only having the right foods in your cupboards at home, but what about when your friends ask you to meet them for your usual Saturday morning tea and cakes? There is some handy advice in the book about how to deal with situations such as these, as well as useful tips about always being prepared with some sugar-free snacks of your own when you’re out and about.
There are some brilliant recipes in the back of the book which I will definitely be having a go at making, as well as a handy guide to which foods you should be avoiding. A lot of things are obvious, such as cakes, chocolate, fizzy drinks and sauces but then there are all the those items which contain hidden sugars and which aren’t so obviously bad for you.
As Nicole states, she is not an expert or a nutritionist but just someone that decided one day she was going to change her life around by giving up sugar. I admire her determination and her commitment and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone facing a similar situation. It has definitely inspired me and it’s a book that I will be reaching for again and again to keep me on the right path.
I loved reading all of Nicole’s anecdotes from her childhood about her love of sweets and puddings, as I used to have an equally sweet tooth before completely overhauling my diet. Although I struggle with the absence of some foods, I’m gradually learning to live without chocolate and have tried to turn all of my previous chock-full of sugar cake recipes into healthier alternatives.
I found myself nodding along to many of the sections in the book where eating out is the main focus of the chapter. It’s all very well only having the right foods in your cupboards at home, but what about when your friends ask you to meet them for your usual Saturday morning tea and cakes? There is some handy advice in the book about how to deal with situations such as these, as well as useful tips about always being prepared with some sugar-free snacks of your own when you’re out and about.
There are some brilliant recipes in the back of the book which I will definitely be having a go at making, as well as a handy guide to which foods you should be avoiding. A lot of things are obvious, such as cakes, chocolate, fizzy drinks and sauces but then there are all the those items which contain hidden sugars and which aren’t so obviously bad for you.
As Nicole states, she is not an expert or a nutritionist but just someone that decided one day she was going to change her life around by giving up sugar. I admire her determination and her commitment and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone facing a similar situation. It has definitely inspired me and it’s a book that I will be reaching for again and again to keep me on the right path.
March 23, 2015
I think Nicole has written this book really well. It's well researched, factual, non-judgemental and not "sugar-coated" (haha). I think I may have loved it because if I could put words on paper the way a good writer can this is how my non sugar journey looked almost exactly! I didn't withdraw quite like Nicole or have skin problems but the rest is spot on. I learnt a lot from this book because even though I'd thought hard about my decision and looked into the reasons I was feeling the way I was I hadn't researched as in depth. The more medical understanding I now have just reinforces my decision and helps me to make even healthier choices. I'd recommend this to anyone thinking about a health change or if you are always just "not right" or even if you have already given up sugar.
February 22, 2016
Quite a badly written book. In the introductory acknowledgements she reveals that the book was written in six weeks and this really shows in the rambling structure and bad editing. The endless chunks of quotes from the 'experts' got tedious and there is little scientific references to back up the expert views.
However as entertaining anecdotal account of how a London singleton journalist (think Brigit Jones type) gave up sugar it is OK. For anyone thinking of giving up the white poison it does give a personal insight into what to expect and some hints and tips on how to keep going.
If nothing else it has got me reading the nutrition labels and realising that - it's true -there is sugar in absolutely everything!
However as entertaining anecdotal account of how a London singleton journalist (think Brigit Jones type) gave up sugar it is OK. For anyone thinking of giving up the white poison it does give a personal insight into what to expect and some hints and tips on how to keep going.
If nothing else it has got me reading the nutrition labels and realising that - it's true -there is sugar in absolutely everything!
July 14, 2014
Just the book I have been looking for as I had been on the look out for a diet or lifestyle memoir so I was delighted when I found this in an independent book shop. I am very overweight and I struggle with sugar intake, so this book will have a spot on my bedside table as my guide and support. This memoir is fascinating and well written.
January 23, 2016
Not as easy to read as Year of No Sugar, but still very interesting and probably more useful for those of us about to start cutting back on sugar. Nicole did the harder No Sugar, Very little fruit, and no High GI road, which would be more successful in weight loss, but harder to do than just No Added Sugar. Good book, though I skimmed a little bit at times.
February 7, 2016
Intéressant mais je n'ai pas aimé ce côté donneur de leçon. J'ai appris beaucoup de choses qui me permettent de prendre conscience des mefaits du sucre mais je trouve l'auteur beaucoup trop catégorique, ce qui ne me donne pas le courage de la suivre. Dommage! Si je souhaite fortement réduire ma consommation, ce n'est pas grâce à ce livre...
December 1, 2019
This book made me eat more sugar than a used to...
I began seeing sugar like something that is preciousq because is forbiden. I did not like this book. The autor don't have any psychological thinking. You can't talk abous how bad something is for you without take away the psychological craving for it.
I began seeing sugar like something that is preciousq because is forbiden. I did not like this book. The autor don't have any psychological thinking. You can't talk abous how bad something is for you without take away the psychological craving for it.
July 7, 2019
Intéressant, mais HYPER redondant. Honnêtement, j'attendais un peu plus d'aspect scientifique dans ce livre. Il s'agit tout bonnement d'un bouquin disant que le sucre c'est pas bien et que le sevrage est difficile. Je ne l'ai pas totalement terminé, et j'ai sauté quelques pages.
Toutefois, ça m'a quand même donné envie de réduire ma consommation de sucre.
Toutefois, ça m'a quand même donné envie de réduire ma consommation de sucre.
March 24, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, it was well informed but with a casual, relatable approach. I read it while I was in the process of cutting sugar out my diet and it helped by reminding me why I was doing it and it kept me on track.
March 24, 2016
Readable account of the author's experience of giving up sugar. Nicole Mowbray conveys the benefits of a low sugar lifestyle without coming across as at all preaching, hectoring or scare mongering.
March 31, 2015
It's a good account of the pros and cons of giving up sugar.
April 16, 2015
I found it a great follow-up to Lustig's book on sugar, which she often quoted as well.
July 1, 2015
A personal account that is readable and sensible.
December 9, 2015
Thinking of quitting your sugar habit? This book will tell you why that might be important and inspire you to get cracking! Easy to read style, would appeal to 20 and 30 something young adults.
March 25, 2016
Un livre très enrichissant, intéressant, facile à lire et plutôt bien écrit, pas trop "sectaire" pour autant. Le seul petit bemol : j'ai trouvé que c'était parfois un peu rébarbatif...
May 2, 2016
I found this book quite inspiring, and just what I needed to give me a few reminders on why we should be cutting down on sugar and how to go about it.
December 27, 2023
so repetitive, and filled with some 'facts' that weren't even true or from a very unreliable source.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews