Customer Reviews

Lick the Sugar Habit

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

For thirty years, I have been studying nutrition as a personal interest. I own dozens of books on the subject as well as having taken a college course. I can honestly say that I consider LICK THE SUGAR HABIT to be one of my most valued possessions. You will find eye-opening information here that's hard to come by in the mainstream press. Appleton's documentation is excellent, as she draws on many sources, including many scientific journals, to back up her statements. Her personal story of how she regained her health is fascinating as well. This book is much more solidly based on science than Duffy's SUGAR BLUES. Until I read it, I never dreamed excess sugar could be the cause of so many ills, including accelerated aging. By acting on what I learned, I've been amazed at how my allergy symptoms have cleared up, my emotions have stabilized, and I seem to be spared the "bugs" that plague my family and friends(I used to be hit hard by every germ that came along).

I read this book about 1 year ago, and since then I have made major changes in my diet, following many of the suggestions in the book. It is amazing what a difference sugar makes in your health and energy level. I used to have at least 2 and sometimes 7 hypoglycemic attacks a week. I now haven't had one in over 10 months! If you have a sugar addiction, hypoglycemia, or diabetes I suggest this book highly!!! Even if you just want to improve your immune system and not get sick as much, this book is for you. I have been striving for better health since I was 6 months pregnant, and this was one of a few integral books in my success.

This is an excellent easy to read handbook about health and nutrition and the "foods" to avoid putting in your mouth. The only thing I would change about it is it's title. I have purchased MANY copies of this book and when I give it to family and friends, they all have the same reaction -- "sure I like sugar but it's not a habit -- I don't really eat that much". The title is a turnoff to most people for a few reasons -- 1. they are in denial 2. they don't realize how much sugar is in all of the packaged, canned and bottled "stuff" they consume and 3. people do not like to think that they have bad habits". It ought to be published under a title something like: "Have More Energy and Save Lots of Money in Doctor's Bills" or "Eliminate That Excess Fat You Are Carrying Around".

are writing on this subject. Read _The Yeast Connection_, by Dr. William Crook (and _The Yeast Connection and the Woman_, _The Body Ecology Diet_, by Donna Gates, _The Food Doctor_, by Vicki Edgson Dipion and Ian Marber Dipion. Also, _Potatoes, Not Prozac_.

The author does seem bent on this one cause and, therefore, many of the conclusions feel incomplete. There is much good in this book. Especially the list and categories of foods.

Take it from one who lost most of the "evil" symptoms of sugar poisoning by eliminating it for one year. Thought I was becoming diabetic, passed out almost every afternoon and woke up with a hangover, had symptoms of MS, had a red rash on my face, itched all over, ached all over, cried all the time, had symptoms of bipolar disorder. You name it. They all disappear in my life when the sugar does.

If you suspect you have a problem read any book on the symptoms of sugar addiction.

Well, I am not a real new age type of person but I have to say that I believe a great deal of what is said about the harmful effects of sugar. It is my general impression that the substance simply is not good for us and is the cause of numerous health problems. That being said, I will admit that Nancy Appleton is no great writer or scientific authority but I think that much of what she argues here is correct. Yes, her long list of sugar's deleterious effects is probably overstated and overblown, but there is clearly an element of truth in her positions. I found that reading these pages helped to motivate me on my quest to get all the silly and pointless carbs out of my diet so, for that reason, I found the book useful and have to recommend it. The recipes at the end were not real helpful to me but they may be for you. I got it from a z shop on the cheap and you certainly can too if you want to give it a chance. It will add to your will power if nothing else.

I appreciate Nancy Appleton's passion in this area of diet. Education in the dangers of excessive sugar is much needed in our society. But at times she can get a bit extreme. She seems to blame nearly every ill on sugar intake and sometimes lacks the science to back up her claims. But the premise of the book is right on. I have greatly reduced the amount of sugar in my diet and have noticably better health because of it. I have more energy and strength, and no more headaches or stomachaches. It definately gives one an incentive to rethink the average American diet.

Nancy is onto something here. If you do just a little bit of research into the beginnings of cardiovascular diseases in the United States you will find a correlation between sugar and heart disease. Prior to the 1940's heart disease was not common then refined sugar hit the market,processed foods became readily available, and the fast food industry took off. Everyone claims that heart disease is caused by cholesterol from eating animal fats but consider the diet of the Eskimo. They eat a diet that is almost exclusively meat and fish and the rate of heart disease among Eskimos is shockingly lower than the rest of us. Why? They don't eat sugar. Constrastingly, India has the highest rate of heart disease and the majority of them are vegetarians! Why? Because too much sugary sweets!! Think about it !!

Whenever you read one of these advice books, the first thing you always need to do is make sure that the source of the advice is a credible one. Nancy Appleton holds a Ph.D. from Walden University, which is one of those bogus online universities that will basically give you a diploma if you're willing to shell out enough money. Secondly, her Ph.D. is in healthcare administration or some other such field, so she's not really an expert on the topics she covers in this book. Third, there's nothing in this book to indicate that she did any sort of scientific research on this topic. It seems like she basically just read a bunch of research papers on sugar intake written by other people and compiled them together into an advice book for publication.

Even if you overlook Appleton's credibility, the way in which this book is written also leaves the reader in suspicion of the author. The advice given in this book is no better than what you mother probably told you when you were 5-years-old. On top of that, the length of this book is not indicative of the detail and thoroughness of its content. This book could have been written in 5 pages or less. Virtually every piece of information in here has been repeated at least twice. In fact, there are times when the exact same piece of information is repeated twice on the same page. There are also numerous mistakes in spelling and grammar. Whoever edited this book clearly didn't do a very good job of it.

I recommend this book especially to anyone who has a degenerative disease, such as arthritis, osteoporsis, cancer, etc. If you want to avoid these diseases, you should read this book! I have fibromyalgia. After eliminating sugar, I feel much better. I no longer need to take drugs for energy (such as steroids) and pain relief. This book gives you a list of things you can eat (it's a long list) as well as what you should avoid. It has changed the way I shop for food.

This book is more than just about sugar and mineral imbalance. So what if she is not a doctor? A PhD is useless? You don't have to study medicine to read reports in medical journals about the effects of refined sugar on your health. One reviewer complains about the subject of pollution not being in her book. Why? The book is about sugar, not pollution.