Lick the Sugar Habit

by Nancy Appleton

Are you a sugarholic? As Americans, we consume on average 150 pounds of sugar a year, and that’s as bad for you as it sounds. Sugar upsets body chemistry and devastates the endocrine and immune systems, leading to a host of diseases and conditions including hypoglycemia, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, cancer, heart disease, headaches, allergies, asthma, obesity, periodontal disease, tooth decay, and more. A sugarholic since childhood, Dr. Nancy Appleton cured herself of chronic illnesses by changing her diet. In Lick the Sugar Habit, she explains how it worked for her, and how it can help you too through a variety of simple techniques, and mouth-watering, healthful recipes.
 

Are you a sugarholic? Answer the questionnaire to find out
Test yourself for food allergies caused by sugar
End sugar-related calcium loss, heartburn, and indigestion—without drugs!
Follow one of three detailed food plans to east yourself into a low-sugar life
Through a variety of simple techniques, learn how to banish sugar cravings
Savor healthy, hearty dishes like Hot Asparagus Soup, Persian Lamb and Bean Stew, and Savory Pepper Pilaf. Choose from an entire chapter of easy-to-prepare recipes

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Nutrition, Disease, Food

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Milka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some commonsense advice on why and how to remove sugar from our diets. However some of the "research" used to support the theories looked very thin. A few people studied doesn't have a lot of weight in my opinion. Still, there are some interesting ideas to get out of this book.

[Ro_runner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very quick & easy read. While I agree completely with the premise that sugar & other sweeteners can wreak havoc on health & homeostasis, there are some physiological claims in the book that puzzle me (i.e., the notion that "undigested protein" can move through the intestinal wall & cause allergies). I also agree with the idea of decreasing white flour & increasing whole grains, but not to the point of being gluten-free. The recipes look interesting, but not practical. I have no idea where to find quinoa flour (I've never seen it at the natural food stores where I shop) or how much it would cost. If we want to change peoples' habits, then the solution must be practical & affordable.

[Jeannie Romanello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that opened a narrow gate that I needed open to change my behavior in caring for my physical body. Today, I am making changes, in my food preparations and personal choices.

I no longer suffer from a continuously struggling with what I was calling my sinuses. Yes, I do believe I had created an allergy to sugar.

Now because of what I have read in this book, it has lead me to also incorporate coconut oil into my daily care of my body.

I can honestly recommend this book as a must read. Especially for the ones I love and admire.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

reading for a book group... blah. Couldn't get through it. sketchy research, jumping to conclusions, long winded and out-dated.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a full year to finish this book because it was so dry and boring and hard to get through. I love Nancy Appleton, however, and her research. She pioneered a lot of the work in sugar addiction and other areas.

For example, she was the first to attempt to find out the ingredients in fast food restaurant items. It used to be a big secret. She also pointed out the relationships between mineral imbalances in the body and how they are related to each other. Finally, she was the first to start using the word “homeostasis” which now, 20 years later, is a common term in academic health-related books.

She shows firsthand what sugar does to our bodies and the negative effects it has on our health. This book is outdated now, but I remember when it first came out. There are still some very good tips in here for discovering food allergies, changing your diet, how sugar affects homeostasis, how it affects each system/organ in the body, and how to stop eating so much sugar and refined foods. She does not exaggerate its danger to our overall health.

I believe she is a lone voice out there speaking the truth, but nobody is listening. The most disheartening claim in the book is this: even if you eat the healthiest meal ever, with the right amount of protein, veggies, fruit, etc.,but then you follow it with a sugary dessert, you have just undone all the good that that nutritious meal provided. Isn’t that just great?

[Max Karmazin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very enlightening book on our food habits and how sugar, often in combination with other products like wheat or dairy, distress our body and challenge our immune system, wearing it down after some time of abuse.

She also gives a lot of practical info on how the minerals, enzymes and other elements function, how food affects it and how you can spot some of the problems on your own.

A must-read for everybody who is interested in health and nutrition.

[Samuel Mustri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated, bur classic. Hard to achieve the goal.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very, very information book about sugar and why it is harmful to most peoples health.

[Quratulain · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Julie Grace Immink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Licked it, and loved it!

[Bob Redmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appleton (a PhD) describes her theory that sugar creates an emergency response in the body, and puts our balance of vitamins, minerals, and hormones totally out of whack. For instance, eating sugar causes the pancreas to secrete insulin into the blood, but also affects how the pancreas will process -- or won't process -- calcium and potassium, because it is receiving mixed messages. As a result, eating sugar can effectively neutralize the benefits of eating a range of otherwise beneficial and necessary substances. Sugar, according to Appleton, also causes allergies, not to mention diabetes and other major illnesses.

She paints an interesting theory, and includes some helpful data and recipes, but stops short of in-depth analysis or nutritional science. This may be a factor of the book being published in 1988 and directed towards a mass-market audience. On the other hand, that's a weak excuse for not having better editing and more comprehensive research. Ultimately, the book just scratches the surface of a very important topic.

*

WHY I READ THIS BOOK: My book group decided, after reading about food in general, to focus on sugar. The book club doesn't always read the exact same book; instead, we pick a topic and everyone reads from various material. This book was one of the more promising ones that appeared in searches at the local bookstore and Amazon.

[Ivana Blaťáková · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tak tahle knizka je fakt otresna! Vrele nedoporucuju, aby s ni nekdo vubec travil cas. Jednak je opravdu hodne silne "amerikanizovana" a jednak je teda autorka opravdu hloupa a jeste je na to pysna. Povazuje sama sebe za odbornici na zdravou vyzivu se specializaci na problematiku skodlivosti cukru a chlubi se, ze kvalifikaci k tomu, aby mohla o tomto prednaset a vzdelavat ostatni ziskala diky vlastnim zdravotnim problemum, ktere se tahly jejim zivotem uz od detstvi. Spoustu "odbornych" poznatku ale ziskala hlavne v dobe, kdy uz byla sama matkou. Treba zjistila, jak skvele lze resit problem alergie kojence na umele mleko - proste ho nechate vypit celou lahev, a sotva ji v alergicke reakci vyzvraci, date mu hned vypit druhou a telo uz nestihne, resp. nebude mit schopnost vyvolat reakci i na tu druhou, takze v nem to mleko udrzite. "Skvela rada", ne? A dalsi z jejich uchvatnych objevu - svetova populace ma tak hodne problemu s cukrem a obezitou proto, ze si dava ke snidani kazdy den vajicka a sklenici pomerancoveho dzusu. Typicka snidane pro vsechny narody, ne? :-/ Achjo, proste fakt spatna a divna knizka. Nedoporucuju.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Appleton, PhD's book on sugar addiction has given me some more ideas on the direction I am already taking with my lifestyle changes. She addresses the impact sugar has on the body and explains the reason for cravings. I appreciate that she also listed ways to counteract the cravings and foods that are possible triggers. The book was easy to read and the food lists and recipes are helpful. I think this book will appeal to those who are ready to make some changes. The book has great information but might be too basic for someone who already has the knowledge and background in nutrition and physiology. I am keeping this book as a reference.

[Lindsey]

I was hoping to scare myself into not eating sugar anymore, and this did the trick, temporarily. Seeing as how I just ate a brownie, I apparently need a booster shot. But this was really informing as to exactly what sugar does to the body and why it is bad, and it inspired me to make some major changes to my eating habits, so I'd really recommend it, even if she's not the most entertaining communicator. (And if you want to hear something REALLY painful, listen to the audio CD that comes free with the body chemistry testing kit, available on her hilariously crude website.)

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read this before, but my sugar addiction has reached new highs so I figured I was ready for a reread! I am putting this back on the shelf after trying to finish it for months. There is lots of technical, chemical and physiological reaction discussion in this book and I just can't seem to want to wade through it. Bottom line, sugar does very bad things to our bodies and nobody should eat as much of it as I do!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good info on how your body reacts to the food you put in it... specifically, but not limited to, sugar. It's unfortunate that it's poorly edited and her thoughts seem more passionate than well constructed. The book tends to repeatedly circle around certain concepts without giving a clear-cut answer or path to follow, but it's a great starting point in exploring the "why" in the argument against sugar.

[Daniela · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was pretty confusing and rather technical. It spoke too much about disease for my taste. It stated minimal about specific foods and how they reacted in the body. The book also indicated that sugar was bad for you and negatively affected body chemistry but then went on to say white flour was okay to eat which baffled me because it breaks down into simple sugars. Definitely not a book of choice for me.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read... do not know how up-to-date the information in is some points... Though I do agree that food is the best medicine I don't know if I can agree that never ever having wine (not even special occasions) nor ever taking a pain killer (not even for migraines) sounds a little too extreme for my tastes.
However, a lot of great information... if only I could begin to quit the sugar and get on the path to health!

[Awallens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the premise behind the body chemistry and how sugar causes imbalances was interesting, though a little hard to follow. I think her solution is a little extreme though. To never have chocolate, caffeine, painkillers, etc. seems extreme and not practical. I was a little grumpy the first eight chapters because I was expecting more tips, but they kind of felt like they were crammed in at the end. By the end of the eight chapters I was just like OK. I get sugar is bad. Stop preaching.

[Mariella · Rating 5 out of 5]

everybody should read this book, and then think twice before eating sugar / todo el mundo debería leerse este libro, y después pensarlo dos veces antes do comer azúcar. P.172 ""what you do not put in your mouth is as important (or possibly more important) than what you do.... you are also responsible for what comes out of you mouth, as well as what you think and how you feel."

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Am I going to give up sugar? Um, no. But this book makes a great case for at least cutting back, which I intend to continue. I think she got her point across in the first chapter and the remaining chapters were kind of boring. But a good scientific debate about how sugar affects the body in more ways than we probably thought.

[Skyqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago (pub. 1996, present day 2012) and it definitely changed the way I viewed healthy and food. Of course, sugar is not a food. Easy, straightforward and before it's time yet still timely. Can be the first step towards a better life. Addresses recipes, allergies, diseases, and self-help techniques.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick and straightforward read on the effects sugar has on the body. It's put into scientific terms that anyone can understand. Pretty obvious but needed the reminder: sugar (among pharmaceuticals and other health abusers) disrupts the body's natural chemical balance and causes a number of health problems.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great info, too much. I dont' want to know! Seriously...this book is full of reasons why we should give it up. We know...some are a little over-the-top, but, filled with great references. Needs updating. I read one from 1990's.

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very motivating. She uses many studies, explanations and anecdotes to condemn the evils of sugar. If you eat sugar and have health problems of any kind, this book would be a good one to read.

[Andy Nieradko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. The newer editions have updated statistics and studies. Sugar addiction is the elephant in the living room nobody seems to want to really address, thank God for Nancy Appleton.

[Martha Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the author's older books but it is worth the read. I love her newer books. She has updated the newer books with current science. We all know sugar is bad for us. It is important to know why. Educate yourself. :-)

[Christy Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this a few years back, should probably read it again to see if I still feel it should be such a high rated book. I thought it was amazing then, so that is good enough for now. Great persuasion to stop eating refined sugar and to be careful of natural sugars.

[Jillian Getting · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated and some of the claims are extreme but the overall point is sound - we eat too much sugar and it's hidden everywhere. If this book were updated I'm sure the stats would be even more terrifying. Eat clean, eat veggies, read labels. There you go.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting! It helped me with my decision to cut back on sugar. This is an older book, but it has some great information in it.