The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program

Rating:
Summary: Totally changed my life for the better
Review: This book is the best thing that happened to me. This is not a quick fix. This program took me 15 months to get through, but once I got to the last step, I started losing weight. I have lost 86 lbs and a whole new me. I am so grateful to Dr. Des Maison. She has a great website for support, tips and questions. If you have tried everything else, give this a try. You have nothing to lose. It will change your life....

Rating:
Summary: Oh, please....
Review: This is my favorite book on carbohydrate metabolism. It's not just a book on sugar sensitivity when you think about it; Dr. Desmaison's approach could probably be adapted to educational literature on several chronic health epidemics. Most other books involve listening to the so called experts sit on their high perch while they try to back-seat drive readers to "success" without understanding physiological differences. People need to be empowered by knowledge of the causes and effects of their health problems in uncomplicated language that does not shy away from technically important details critical to their idiosyncracies. Several other books also fall prey to allowing self-help gobbledygook to seep into the science. I've yet to see another book that actually discourages giving up an addictive activity whenever one feels able because of a possible brain chemistry imbalance. DesMaisons instead recommends a slow and steady recovery with a sound albeit unorthodox practical biological approach.

The 7 step program is not arbitrary; it's been adjusted several times and public feedback has been good. The best part is that you aren't held to a schedule - more individualization. It's sort of like nutritional karate: a person advances to the next level whe ready for it and no sooner, when he/she can make most use out of it. There are no induced starvations and no tortuous "it only takes a few days for the cravings to go away" requirements.

Most of the naysayers who posted bad reviews here clearly reflect a poor understanding of the program and one wonders if they actually read the book, let alone applied it. For instance, an Atkins diet+potatoes is a contradiction in terms, and is not this plan at all. There is no use of Ketosis. SATRP relies on a gentler approach that encourages listening to bodily feedback and helps the reader to interpret what it means.

Making cracks about the term "addictive nutrition" as one reviewer did does not change the fact that sugar sensitivity has been laid out in crystal clear biochemical terminology with peer-reviewed literature.

Admittedly, vegans do seem to be short-changed, not only because there is not too much information specified to it, but also because this program might simply not work for many people using only vegan sources of protein and the author has openly discouraged using them because most of are not complete and not as easily assimilated by some people. If anything, this book may even be used as a case against veganism, since that dietary habit may trigger the condition for people already at risk for "sugar sensitivity". Human beings evolved as omnivores. This is an accepted fact among paleobiologists. Most modern humans cannot adapt to veganism while retaining the health they previously had on an omnivorous diet. This is a sign to stop being a vegan, not chase down more artificial foods like rice protein-powder and textured vegetable protein.