Genre: Non-fiction (2009)
About: "A Startling look at our #1 National Addiction" and "why our sweet tooth may be killing us"
Did you know that...1) The average person consumes 23 teaspoons of added sugar every day, which is 460 calories that supply no additional nutrients and upset the body's chemistry? 2) There are 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 12-ounce soda? 3) Sugar can lead to ovarian cancer and alcoholism and can cause varicose veins and juvenile delinquency, among 136 other cancers and diagnoses listed by the author.
Overall: It was eye-opening but just okay. Too scientific at times. I skipped to the parts I was interested in.
Liked...The inside scoop (hehe) on sugar and the awareness I gained as to the amount of sugar I eat and what it does to me. I'm hypoglycemic and shouldn't eat sugar anyway, but I love gummy worms, Skittles and ice cream. According to the book, I'm addicted and need a 12-step program (yes, they really have them for sugar addicts). My new found awareness is keeping my candy-loving self in check, but I will not give up my occasional glass of wine or my caffeine every morning as recommended by the author. Man, this book is hard core.
Didn't like...how scientific and extreme the book is in it's advice to avoid sugar. Give up ketchup? Uh...not going to happen.
Source: Library
Why I chose: Hi, I'm Lynne and I'm an addict.
Recommend? Yes if you have a problem with sugar addiction, want to lose weight (because there really are only empty calories in sugar), or you are curious to know what sugar does to the body. It's not pretty.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Addendum: Since reading the book a few days ago, I took the time to read food labels at the grocery store, and WOW. It's amazing how much sugar is added to food. Some yogurts have as much as 25 grams of sugar, which is a little over 6 teaspoons. I couldn't find any yogurt that had under 10 grams of sugar (2 1/2 teaspoons). Aaaaand I've lost two pounds since watching my sugar intake. That's worth half a star :)
