Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Review of Beat Sugar Addiction Now!

I am not unfamiliar with Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.  He is the author of one of the most important health books on my shelf - From Fatigued To Fantastic.

This book was recommended to me following the initial suspicion that I was suffering from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain Syndrome.  It helped explain these illnesses to me, and reassured me that I wasn't crazy (which is what most doctors I had seen regarding these symptoms had claimed).  Many treatments were proposed throughout the course of the book; D-Ribose being the most prominent.  I started taking D-Ribose more than a year ago, and I can say that it has been a very useful addition to my pill and vitamin arsenal for lessening my symptoms.

On to the point, I am here to review Dr. Teitelbaum's new book, Beat Sugar Addiction Now!  I consider this a great time for such a publication, as so many individuals in the Western world are eating mostly sugar and white flour in their processed foods (claiming it not to be an addiction, when the opposite is true).

He breaks the book down into four types of sugar addiction:
  • Type 1 - "Sugar as an Energy Loan Shark.  Chronically exhausted and hooked on quick hits of caffeine and sugar."
  • Type 2 - "Feed Me Now or I'll Kill You. When life's stress has exhausted your 'stress-handling' adrenal glands."
  • Type 3 - "The Happy Ho-Ho Hunter.  Sugar cravings caused by yeast/candida overgrowth."
  • Type 4 - "Depressed and Craving Carbs.  Sugar cravings caused by your periods, menopause, or andropause."
Dr. Teitelbaum explains how excess sugar in a diet can cause chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, pain, autoimmune disease, hormone issues, and decreased immune function (a fact I naturally found VERY interesting!).

There are neat quizzes at the beginning of the book so that you can figure out what kind(s) of sugar habit(s) you have, and then there is a special plan just for that circumstance.  When I do the quizzes, I definitely have qualities of Type 1, Type 2, and Type 4 sugar cravings.

He then recommends that you cut out ALL sugar, unless you have severe withdrawal symptoms in which case you should have a nibble of dark chocolate or fruit.  The best replacement sugar = stevia; worst replacement sugar = aspartame.  You are allowed one cup of coffee a day on this diet, and then should switch over to tea.

Other great advice:
  • Add vitamin powder
  • Drink more water
  • Get enough sleep
  • Exercise
It proposes a variety of ways to stick to these lifestyle changes as well, which is something I find most health books lacking!

It tells me everything I should and shouldn't eat in order to get my adrenal glands, regulating hormones, and immune system functioning better (very necessary it my topsy-turvy body).

It is the EXACT book I need to start my spreadsheet on foods that are low glycemic index, anti-inflammatory, and gluten-free.  

I recommend to everyone, as I feel there is far too much pollution in our current food.  A must-have book for anyone looking to increase their health! :)


                         












xoxo,
Annie

4 comments:

Alex said...

Hi Annie! I nominated you for the "One Lovely Blog Award", if you don't know what to do, you can read my blog post entitled "A lovely surprise. x

Ash B said...

Great blog post! :) I need to read this because I may actually have to cut out sugar, whether I want to or not, lol! (And I do obviously have the autoimmune issues, am gluten-free, as well, and have adrenal problems, too!) So.....well-said and quite relevant! Thanks for posting. - Ashley B a.k.a. "BuellaMarie" ;)

Migrainista said...

Sugars and processed flours, pastas and such are a real problem. And so darn hard to avoid, especially when dealing with health issues - it is in everything except fruits and veggies. Thanks for the great book review!

A'n'G Johnson said...

I can't wait to check this out