Rating: 
Summary: This Book Has Helped Change 34 Years Of Disorded Eating!
Review: "Potatoes not Prozac" is a cutesy name for a truly wonderful book that will help millions of people heal their bodies and their lives. Her concept of "sugar sensitivity" and her 7-step treatment plan will enable readers to understand and recover from addiction to foods, drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. People who have failed repeatedly at sobriety or weight loss can succeed with this plan, as thousands have already.
Kathleen des Maisons learned about the importance of sugar through her work as a drug and alcohol treatment counselor. She was having the usual low success rate in helping people stay off alcohol. Then she discovered how certain foods lead to addiction to alcohol and drugs, as well as being addictive themselves.She found that nearly all alcoholics lived largely on pasta, white breads and sweet things. She knew what they were suffering. Her own father drank himself to death at age 51, and she herself weighed 240 pounds and had had problems with drinking. When she discovered the benefits of a diet high in protein and vegetables for herself, she started using it with her clients. Her success rates soared, even with the hardest cases. She realized that addictive behavior has a lot to do with food, and that sugar was the primary culprit. She believes that some people are born "sugar-sensitive," which means they don't have enough serotonin or beta-endorphin in their brains. Serotonin and beta-endorphin make us feel secure, stable, confident, cheerful. If you have low levels of these chemicals, you are likely to feel badly. Sugar and alcohol raise your serotonin and beta-endorphin levels. So they make you feel better and more energetic, especially if your levels were low to start with. Unfortunately, eating concentrated sugars or refined carbohydrates causes a rebound effect. Your sugars levels drop quickly, you feel worse than before, and you need more sugar, caffeine or alcohol to pick back up. Pretty soon you're addicted. You feel alternately great and miserable. The sugar swings stress your adrenal glands. You blame yourself for being out of control and unfocused, for putting on weight or drinking, but actually it's the sugar. It's a physical problem, although emotions do play a part. Getting off sugar is difficult. Our food supply is awash in sugars and simple carbs. They can't be avoided. Des Maisons gives us a practical strategy based on 12-step recovery programs. Her seven steps are
1. Keep a food journal every day
2. Eat three meals a day at regular intervals
3. Take Vitamin C, B complex, and zinc
4. Eat enough protein at each meal
5. Move from simple to complex carbohydrates, or from "white foods" to "brown" and "green" foods. "Brown" refers to things like whole grains and beans. "Green" means vegetables, of whatever color.
6. Reduce or eliminate sugars (including alcohol)
7. Create a plan for maintenance. She doesn't spell out a diet or recommend a lot of supplements or medications. She says that, using her steps, each person can figure out for herself what is best for her body to eat. She wants you to go through the 7 steps slowly, not to get impatient and rush ahead. The idea is to build a better relationship with your body and with food, to learn how food relates to your physical and emotional feelings.
Des Maisons writes with a compassion that comes from living with sugar addiction herself. Chapter 3 is called, "It's Not Your Fault." (I also use that title in my book, "The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness.") Her plan is based on "abundance, not deprivation." This means you focus more on adding good things (foods, exercise, prayer, pleasure etc), rather than giving things up. She keeps telling us to be gentle with ourselves, to focus on "progress, not perfection." She also has a great sense of humor and an apparent affection for potatoes. "Potatoes not Prozac" also gives a very clear explanation of the biochemistry of addiction. She explains how serotonin and beta-endorphin are produced, get to the brain, and are regulated there, and how our food affects all those processes. She cites more than 50 studies in support of her ideas, although most of them are animal studies. I disagree with Des Maisons on a couple of points. I don't think sugar-sensitivity is all in your genes. Your early environment, including the environment in your mother's uterus, makes a big difference. Also, I'm pretty sure that too much stress or too sugary a diet at any time in your life can create sugar-sensitivity or something very much like it. I would have liked to see more on why, where, and how to get help. She mentions the need for support several times, but doesn't give much specific advice on finding it or asking for it. Reading The Art of Getting Well or Cheri Register's "The Chronic Illness Experience" will give you those skills. I also would have liked to see more on exercise. Des Maisons pretty much just says, "go do it!" Hopefully, that will be good enough for you, because physical activity is just as important as diet change, in my experience. But these are small complaints. The author's brilliant insights into sugar and addiction, her clear explanations of difficult concepts, her simple but effective treatment plan, and her generous and positive spirit make this book a treasure that can help with a wide variety of health and life issues. It's wonderful. David Spero RN wwwdotdavidsperoRNdotcom
Rating:
Summary: Clear, Simple, Brilliant and Powerful
Review: "Potatoes not Prozac" is a cutesy name for a truly wonderful book that will help millions of people heal their bodies and their lives. Her concept of "sugar sensitivity" and her 7-step treatment plan will enable readers to understand and recover from addiction to foods, drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. People who have failed repeatedly at sobriety or weight loss can succeed with this plan, as thousands have already.
Kathleen des Maisons learned about the importance of sugar through her work as a drug and alcohol treatment counselor. She was having the usual low success rate in helping people stay off alcohol. Then she discovered how certain foods lead to addiction to alcohol and drugs, as well as being addictive themselves. She found that nearly all alcoholics lived largely on pasta, white breads and sweet things. She knew what they were suffering. Her own father drank himself to death at age 51, and she herself weighed 240 pounds and had had problems with drinking. When she discovered the benefits of a diet high in protein and vegetables for herself, she started using it with her clients. Her success rates soared, even with the hardest cases. She realized that addictive behavior has a lot to do with food, and that sugar was the primary culprit. She believes that some people are born "sugar-sensitive," which means they don't have enough serotonin or beta-endorphin in their brains. Serotonin and beta-endorphin make us feel secure, stable, confident, cheerful. If you have low levels of these chemicals, you are likely to feel badly. Sugar and alcohol raise your serotonin and beta-endorphin levels. So they make you feel better and more energetic, especially if your levels were low to start with. Unfortunately, eating concentrated sugars or refined carbohydrates causes a rebound effect. Your sugars levels drop quickly, you feel worse than before, and you need more sugar, caffeine or alcohol to pick back up. Pretty soon you're addicted. You feel alternately great and miserable. The sugar swings stress your adrenal glands. You blame yourself for being out of control and unfocused, for putting on weight or drinking, but actually it's the sugar. It's a physical problem, although emotions do play a part. Getting off sugar is difficult. Our food supply is awash in sugars and simple carbs. They can't be avoided. Des Maisons gives us a practical strategy based on 12-step recovery programs. Her seven steps are
1. Keep a food journal every day
2. Eat three meals a day at regular intervals
3. Take Vitamin C, B complex, and zinc
4. Eat enough protein at each meal
5. Move from simple to complex carbohydrates, or from "white foods" to "brown" and "green" foods. "Brown" refers to things like whole grains and beans. "Green" means vegetables, of whatever color.
6. Reduce or eliminate sugars (including alcohol)
7. Create a plan for maintenance. She doesn't spell out a diet or recommend a lot of supplements or medications. She says that, using her steps, each person can figure out for herself what is best for her body to eat. She wants you to go through the 7 steps slowly, not to get impatient and rush ahead. The idea is to build a better relationship with your body and with food, to learn how food relates to your physical and emotional feelings.
Des Maisons writes with a compassion that comes from living with sugar addiction herself. Chapter 3 is called, "It's Not Your Fault." (I also use that title in my book, "The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness.") Her plan is based on "abundance, not deprivation." This means you focus more on adding good things (foods, exercise, prayer, pleasure etc), rather than giving things up. She keeps telling us to be gentle with ourselves, to focus on "progress, not perfection." She also has a great sense of humor and an apparent affection for potatoes. "Potatoes not Prozac" also gives a very clear explanation of the biochemistry of addiction. She explains how serotonin and beta-endorphin are produced, get to the brain, and are regulated there, and how our food affects all those processes. She cites more than 50 studies in support of her ideas, although most of them are animal studies. I disagree with Des Maisons on a couple of points. I don't think sugar-sensitivity is all in your genes. Your early environment, including the environment in your mother's uterus, makes a big difference. Also, I'm pretty sure that too much stress or too sugary a diet at any time in your life can create sugar-sensitivity or something very much like it. I would have liked to see more on why, where, and how to get help. She mentions the need for support several times, but doesn't give much specific advice on finding it or asking for it. Reading The Art of Getting Well or Cheri Register's "The Chronic Illness Experience" will give you those skills. I also would have liked to see more on exercise. Des Maisons pretty much just says, "go do it!" Hopefully, that will be good enough for you, because physical activity is just as important as diet change, in my experience. But these are small complaints. The author's brilliant insights into sugar and addiction, her clear explanations of difficult concepts, her simple but effective treatment plan, and her generous and positive spirit make this book a treasure that can help with a wide variety of health and life issues. It's wonderful. David Spero RN wwwdotdavidsperoRNdotcom
Rating: 
Summary: I almost judged this book by its cover...
Review: ... as I roundly despise health-fad-type books. Also, as a person repeatedly diagnosed with depression, I resent the notion that I am a generation X moron taking "happy pills" to be trendy - antidepressant medication can be a legitimate medical choice. So I was ticked off by the title, but I managed to open the book and start reading, and I really appreciate the friendly tone the author uses. And I must admit that her descriptions of imbalance due to sugar sensitivity rang true to me. I am NOT going to throw out my medication, but I am looking forward to using the information and suggestions from this book to improve my physical health and overall well-being. Who cares if the ideas are "original" - for me, and obviously many others, they came at an opportune time and in a voice that I can listen to. Thanks Mom for lending this book to me!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but note several significant flaws...
Review: An excellent working hypothesis on sugar sensitivity and its relationship to your levels of serotonin and beta-endorphin. Explains why sugar cravings are so insidious, especially when you slip on your diet, and gives a reasonable eating program to overcome them. The book also gives valuable insights into beating several other common addictions, including addictions to caffein, nicotine and alcohol. Overall, a very worthwhile buy. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Potatoes Not Prozac has a number of flaws that readers should be aware of: 1)The diet is a useful adjunct to the treatment of depression and anxiety, but shouldn't substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Don't throw away your antidepressants on the basis of this book. 2)The book unfairly and inexplicably maligns Dr. Barry Sears's Zone eating program as a high protein plan akin to the Atkins diet. In fact, the Zone eating program is a moderate-protein regimen substantially similar to the eating program outlined in Potatoes Not Prozac, and is based on the same theoretical underpinnings. Potatoes is a nice supplement to the Zone books, because it addresses the problem of sugar sensitivity that might be encountered by some on the Zone program-- nutritional bars (Balance bars, Power Bars and the like) are high in sugar and, despite their 40-30-30 composition, may trigger strong cravings and obsessive eating in the sugar sensitive. Similarly, almonds (recommended in small quantities on the Zone as a source of fat) are high in sugar, and may trigger cravings and overeating. If you are sugar sensitive, avoid these and similar items when using the Zone. 3)Author Kathleen DesMaisons' logic is occasionally muddled. She advocates combining proteins with slow-acting carbohydrates to keep blood sugar levels stable (a sound strategy), but abandons this strategy for the nightly snack of a potato or apple-- it's unclear why no protein is needed at bedtime. Perhaps this will be addressed in the paperback. These caveats aside, Potatoes Not Prozac is a worthwhile addition to the literature on diet and conquering addictive tendencies.
Rating:
Summary: This book promises to be life changing.
Review: As a recovering alcoholic, I knew from almost the beginning of my sobriety that there was "sugar connection." I read the literature on the subject (there is not much) and tried to avoid suger, but it always lured me back. This book explains why in a way that is clear, compassionate, knowing, and practical. I have been following its suggestions for 3 weeks and feel GREAT (and sometimes radiant!). On this plan, I do not crave brownies, chocolate candy, pastries and other "white stuff!" I especially appreciate that it encourages exercise, that its food plan suggestions comport with the sensible non-"magic" eating habits which I learned during previous positive weight loss experiences, and that the process does not advocate perfection. I know that I can eat sugar if I choose to, but the knowledge I have gained from this book of the brain chemistry involved (the bigger craving to following the next day) allows me to care enough for my own body chemistry to say "no thanks". Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ms. DesMaisons.
Rating:
Summary: Carb-sensitive sufferer
Review: BOOK IS INADEQUATE IN ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF CARBOHYDRATE INTOLERANCE. CARBOHYDRATES WHEN DIGESTED, TURN INTO GLUCOSE IN THE BODY AND THEREBY RAISE THE INSULIN LEVEL. THEY ARE IN EFFECT "SUGAR". INSULIN IS THE FAT BUILDING HORMONE IN THE BODY. THIS BOOK MAY BE OK FOR RECOVERING DRUNKS, BUT IT IS NOT HELPFUL TO THOSE DIET PROOF INDIVIDUALS LOOKING FOR A LIFETIME WEIGHT REDUCTION PROGRAM THAT WORKS. SHE CAN'T COMPETE WITH DR ATKINS. INCIDENTLY, THE BODY DOES NOT NEED CARBOHYDRATES AS STATED BY THE AUTHOR. PROTEINS AND FATS CAN SAFETY COMPRISE MOST OF THE DIET WITHOUT ILL EFFECTS ESPECIALLY IF VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS ARE TAKEN. OUR ANCESTERS WERE HUNTERS AND GATHERS AND ATE MOSTLY MEAT.
I AM NOT INTERESTED IN ALCOHOLICS AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT PURCHASE THIS BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: This book offers hope to millions of junk food addicts
Review: For many people the idea that someone could be addicted to junk food is comical. Indeed many of us who have struggled with the severe mood swings, depression, and sense of hopelessness related to our diets and biochemistry often ourselves make light of our plight. But with Kathleen DesMaisons "Potatoes Not Prozac" there is no longer a reason to hide our pain with self-denigrating humor.
DesMaisons' book offers tangible hope for those caught up in the web of addictive and senseless eating patterns related to biochemical imbalances. Having spent a year on Prozac myself, and having made the rounds of endless diet programs, and having read volumes of diet books, I can attest that "Potatoes" stands out from the pack. DesMaisons' findings corroborate my own 32-year struggle with compulsive overeating, sugar cravings, the weight loss/gain rollercoaster, and depression (patterns that persisted despite my best efforts, and even after 18 years of being clean and sober from alcohol and drugs). Until reading this book, I believed my eating, depression, and other behavior patterns where all things that needed to be dealt with individually, with a compartmentalized approach. Not one of the many practitioners (therapists, nutritionists) I consulted over the years had ever tied it all together the way DesMaisons does. "Potatoes" gives the reader some good and simple solutions to address the "sugar sensitive" person's condition of having low levels of blood sugar, seretonin and beta endorphin. Her suggestions are real world suggestions that don't require a personal trainer and an upper income budget to achieve. But equally important are the chapters detailing the scientific evidence for DesMaisons' conclusions. The chapter "Brain Chemistry 101," is not only layman-friendly, but is actually enjoyable to read. DesMaisons' humor and compassion for those of us who desperately need this information carry her message in an effective and communicative style. Thank God for this book!
Rating:
Summary: Peace of Mind
Review: Glucose is critical to mental clarity, mood states and the controlled release of energy in the body. "While we think of sugar as a food, it is actually a drug-an external substance acting throughout the brain and body on cellular receptors designed for an internal chemical called glucose." There are people who are very sensitive to sugar. If your body responds to sugars and certain carbohydrates adversely, you could notice a huge change in your moods. A sugar sensitivity can turn a person into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is like having two different people living inside your body. You can be completely depressed one moment and have high confidence the next. Some of the symptoms might include: Irritability
Fatigues
General Edginess
Thinking that Goes Round and Round
Feeling Teary
Emotional Fragility
Low tolerance for stress
Inability to Concentrate
Feeling of Inadequacy This book is about analyzing your behaviour and it will help you decide if you are sugar sensitive. There are charts, diagrams of brain chemistry, Lists for how to feel great, Lists of clues for Imbalance and Balance, Notes on keeping a food journal, ideas for Breakfast, The Contents Include: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Are You Sugar Sensitive?
It's Not Your Fault
The Ups and Downs of Blood Sugar
Brain Chemistry 101
Getting Started
Take Three Giant Steps
Adjusting Your Carbohydrates
Sugars and You
Sticking with It
So You Drink Coffee, Smoke and Stay Fat? Radiant Recover
The Scientific Basis for Sugar Sensitivity
Detoxification from Alcohol If you are sugar sensitive, try Stevia! I love the taste and instead of putting sugar in your coffee/tea, Stevia works just as well as a flavor enhancer. If your moods are ruining your peace of mind, you might want
to do some research on sugar sensitivity. You will rethink skipping breakfast after reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: This book explains a lot.
Review: I had adjusted to my lifelong uncontrollable moods and feelings, but I never felt truly happy for an entire day. I was unofficially diagnosed (by an M.D.) with Obsessive-Compulsive disorder and general depression. I was prescribed zoloft. I was a very angry person and yet I had no target or reason for my rage. Zoloft made the rage go away.
One month ago I began eating not only healthy, but organic foods.
Today I feel very different. There are no physiological symptoms of my old problems, which included shaking, confusion, panic. Psychologically, I still have worries, but now I am better equipped to deal with them.
I disovered Prozac or Potatoes today (a month after changing my diet) and can assure any victims of unexplained rage and manic-depressive tendencies that chanaging my diet from nearly all white foods like Italian bread, pasta, and refined white sugar to browns and the ocasional greens, changed my sense of well-being. But without the book and it's additional tips and guidelines I would never have known just how serious my change of diet was. Sugar is a drug. It fuels the mind and due to over-compensation can cause adrenaline and insulin overload (leading to fight or flight syndrome) in a sugar sensitive body. The zoloft zombified me, which was much appreciated, but my new diet invigorates me. This a book more for those interested in mental health, but anyone can benefit from a better diet.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Has Helped Change 34 Years Of Disorded Eating!
Review: I have always battled with eating sweets. I struggled with eating sweets between meals and right after eating a meal - even though I was full. I used to eat cake and cookies for breakfast and lunch. My favorite part of a meal was dessert! For the first time in my life, I actually am not craving sugary sweets after most of my meals. I am only on step 2 of this book, but I am already experiencing some wonderful and freeing changes! This book pointed out that I don't have to snack between meals - because it will encourage me to "graze" throughout the day and it's true. I have been able to actually not snack (most of the time) between meals and experience true hunger when it's time to eat (as long as it doesn't exceed 5 hours). Not grazing has helped me a lot. Though I am only on step 2 (read the book and you'll see why), I am already cutting down the white stuff - bread, pasta, rice and replacing it with brown. I had some strawberries for a dessert the other day and actually enjoyed them without sugar. That's the first time I ever did that. I used to coat them in sugar. I usually do not like water, but am learning to sip on it between meals and it is helping me not snack as it gives me a little feeling of something in my belly. I am also tasting food better and fuller now. The only time I struggle with binging on sweets is when I'm lonely or anxious! That's when it's tough and sometimes I give in. The good news is, it is easier for me to get back on track after I've "messed up." I still crave the sweets because I have "primed the pump" by having sugar. However, because I was in a daily habit of lowering my sugar intake, it was easier to get back on track. This is a very gradual book. She doesn't push you into anything and encourages you to take your time even if you are at a step for several months (like me). But I can testify that even though I have been at step 2 for 2 months now, I am making progress. Sugar was my friend and I couldn't go through this process until I was ready to refine my relationship with it. But when I was ready, this was the book to see me through. Give it a shot, you may experience a transformed way of life and eating that you've never known.
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