As a librarian, I obviously get a great many resources sliding across my desk. All genres, mediums, types, categories and kinds, whatever, pass through my grubby little paws and are whipped out onto the shelves, or forwarded onto another library ...
Some things DON'T attract my attention, such as Fifty Shades of Grey, Mills and Boon novels, or gossip magazines like New Idea. Such things are cast out of my presence. However, others seem to grip me with their titles and subject headings, and I cant help but peruse the pages. Through this process, I've been exposed to a plethora of books and resources relating to diet and dietary fads, produced by, or endorsed by all sorts of nutritionists, doctors, sporting personalities and various practitioners. Many of these people claim that THEIR program for eating is gospel, and some masquerade as objective sources when they are really acting on behalf of some corporate interest ("meat is critical for your diet, or you die from lack of iron!"). With these divergent dietary opinions comes confusion, and the stress of it all causes one to revert back to the Kiwi epic of meat and three veges at night, with Weetbix in the morning....talk about first world problems!
BUT, from the great many resources I've seen, there is almost NO authority in the realm of food and diet which claims that added sugar is good for you. In fact, added sugar is of no nutritional value to your diet. Sugar is a major contributor to a variety of health conditions: obesity (which is related to manifold health issues), dental problems and diabetes. It's a stimulant and it drives teachers and parents nuts due to hyperactive kids. Moreover, sugar is hiding as the second ingredient in many of those typical wholesome and "healthy" "fat free" options: cereal, yogurt, fruit juice, bread. And we all eat such products thinking we're being healthy!
That's why, without trying to tell people how to live their lives, Sarah Wilson's "I Quit Sugar" books are so good and so timely for our sugar-bent society. Its important to note that Sarah Wilson is NOT a professional in the area of nutrition, but this journalist and media consultant's books and programs are well-researched, helpful, full of yummy recipes and draw on her own experiences as an ex-sugar junkie. She noticed that once she began to purge sugar from her diet, "my energy, skin and wellness changed so dramatically, I kept going".
Possibly the best part about these books is that they are practical. So many recipe books and resources on diet don't really provide a lifestyle plan, whereas Sarah's books provide handy instructions on which foods to look out for that contain sugar, sugar detox plans, and plans on how to stack the pantry and fridge with "ready to go sugar-free foods". She also provides "advice on how to lose weight and kill (sugar) cravings".
Most importantly though, the recipes work, and they are yummy, legitimate substitutes for sugary treats. Trust me, you'll notice the difference after a few weeks. Just don't do what I did and get back into sugar after months off it like I did last Christmas time, when I got too hypo and ranted away at the dinner table about contentious issues and offended the family in law ... I'll blame that on Sarah Wilson.
- See also I quit sugar Sarah Wilson's website
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