Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction [Paperback]

Sugar addiction, according to studies cited by Appleton & Jacobs, is more addictive than cocaine! If someone has never had an addiction to sugar he or she must have very enlightened parents--or be living in the rural area of some remote part of the world.

On p. 10 the authors list 31 types of sugar. Some are ones many of us have thought of as healthful, such as agave, honey, molasses, raw sugar and maple syrup. But just because they are natural doesn't mean they are healthful.

Chapter 2 lists 140 reasons why sugar is ruining our health. Each of these has footnotes at the back with scientific studies to back them up. Chapter 3 shows how sugar throws off our body's homeostasis, disrupting the balance of minerals. Chapter 4 teaches us about how sugar destabilizes our blood sugar, as we learn about glycemic index, glycemic load, 8 things to consider when choosing a carbohydrate, as well as the dangers of the oral glucose tolerance test and better alternatives to use.

In chapter 5 we get the hard facts about soft drinks (you really won't want to have another one after reading this, I promise!) We learn how to calculate our BMI (body mass index) to see if we are overweight, or even obese. (Currently 74.1% of Americans are overweight!) We learn to interpret deceptive labels, and to calculate the number of teaspoons of sugar in a product. We uncover the horrors of high fructose corn syrup, and how it has a double whammy in creating the obesity epidemic: it becomes fat faster than glucose or sucrose, and it releases the hormone ghrelin which stimulates the appetite. We also discover the alarming truth of what happens when you cook food--how it creates toxic byproducts called AGEs that age you. (If you must cook, steam at low temperatures, and use water.) As the author of a raw food diet book, I was pleasantly surprised that Nancy went into such detail about this.

Chapter 6 discusses some of the major sugar-related diseases and conditions: obesity, hypoglycemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dementia, cancer and even epilepsy. Chapter 7 gives us the strategies to fight sugar addiction, choosing from 3 different food plans that involve 5 food categories. There are a few recipes that include sweet potatoes and beets. (When we get off the intense sugars, vegetables like these taste very sweet and satisfying!)

At the end of the book is a glossary, resource guide, recommended reading, and plenty of footnotes to support the authors' claims. There is also a page on how to order a Body Monitor Test Kit which helps you figure out, through urine tests you do at home, whether your body is in homeostasis or not.

This book is easy to read and a must for the vast majority of eaters--carnivores, frugivores, vegetarians, vegans, etc. All parents and teachers need to read this, no matter how much they think they know about the dangers of sugar.

I love Dr. Nancy Appleton! She doesn't pull any punches in her writing style while sharing the truth about the danger that sugar has become to the health of Americans. She's been doing it for a very long time and is back yet again pulling the cover off of the #1 addiction in the United States today!

Using a word like "suicide" might be considered strong when you're talking about something as innocuous as sugar consumption, but think about it. In light of all the health and weight problems that we know sugar causes (and that Dr. Appleton so readily points out for us in this book!), isn't that exactly what people are doing to themselves albeit ever-so-slowly? My brother Kevin died at the age of 41 because of his severe addiction to sugar and while his actual cause of death was heart failure, it makes you wonder if they'll give any credence to "suicide by sugar" at some point in the future. The shoe certainly fits.

Dr. Appleton arms you with facts, figures, statistics, and information that quite frankly you're just not gonna get from the mainstream health organizations like the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, or the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. None of those groups seem to care about the health of people enough to give them this information and explain why it is so important to remove sugar from your diet for good. Issues like obesity, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome, brain disorders, cancer, and epilepsy are all addressed in Suicide By Sugar.

Unlike the so-called health "experts" out there who say there's a problem but refuse to do anything about it, Dr. Appleton has a clear-cut set of practical solutions for beating your sugar addiction once and for all. It includes various tricks and tips for making it happen, tests, menus, new habits, and delectable recipes to keep your sweet tooth at bay. All in all, whether you think sugar is good or bad for your health, you owe it to yourself to read this book from one of the best in the business!

I was a fan of Lick the Sugar Habit. I've read it and re-read it for motivation. I've also read Sugar blues, Sugar Busters and every other anti-sugar book. After 20 years of informally studying nutrition and trying many different ways of eating I have definately come to the conclusion that SUGAR is the main reason for the poor health that plagues so many of us. It has really only been used in significant qualtity for the last 100 years. Prior to that it was a treat to be consumed in small quantities on rare ocassions. Cancer, Heart Disease, Obesity?? They are rocketing off the charts...especially in the last couple of decades. The rise in these diseases correlates quite perfectly to the rise in Sugar consumption. The addition of HFCS in the mid 70's really added fuel to the fire.

The solution to so much of our suffering (and impending financial doom as we struggle to pay for the costs associated with these diseases) is ridiculously simple......return to a sugar free whole foods diet like the one that sustained our ancestors for MILLIONS of years. Sugar IS a drug. It is added to so many processed foods and the makers of those foods know exactlly what they are doing. They need to get you hooked...and they have. Of all the people I know, I can't think of one who doesn't eat mostly processed sugared foods. Bring it up in conversation and they will acknowledge that their diet sucks but no one wants to take any REAL steps at correcting it. I thinks so many people have associated suffering/deprivation with improving their diet. This is because so many people are making half assed changes. Sugar is a drug and the only way to free yourself from its grasp it to quit it completely. Can an alcoholic "cut back"....No. Of course not. My only problem with Suicide by Sugar is that it seems to preach a bit of moderation when it should be preaching abstinance. Some of the foods suggested in the food plans are also not things I'd consider eating as my first choice....too many crappy carbs as opposed to good ones. Overall the book is awesome though.