Rating: 
Summary: Informative and interesting
Review: I liked this book, when I started reading it I felt like it was describing me. As I got to the program though it didn't really seem like something that I would want to bother trying. I ended up not finishing the plan that she outlines and have moved on to another fitnes splan of my own that is working just fine.
Rating:
Summary: Good start to a healthy way of living....
Review: POTATOES NOT PROZAC is a great book as far as I am concerned because it nicely compliments THE INSULIN RESISTANCE DIET that I have been following for more than a year. DesMaisons is an expert in addiction nutrition, and she has much to say about sugar. Her book provides a good deal of `technical' information about how sugar interacts with bodily functions and produces unwanted feelings- both physical and emotional. You may get a high from a sugar "hit" but it's sure to be followed by a letdown. In addition, over the long haul, you are likely to find your body is not behaving well. DesMaisons uses the analogy of the fire fighter who is called out night after night and is finally so exhausted he cannot perform. I particularly like the "Impact" indexes DesMaisons has developed for white, brown, and green foods. She ranks cereals (Cheerios may not be so bad after all), fruits (forget raisons), and vegetables (can you really become addicted to carrots?). These lists are not exhaustive - for example I missed grapefruit and okra, but they are a beginning guide. One shortcoming of the book is the dearth of examples regarding appropriate food combinations. She does say to avoid combining protein (dairy, such as a nice glass of milk) with that baked potato you are supposed to eat before bed. I can't eat a baked potato without milk (besides it produces perfect protein). Her point though, is that to produce serotonin in the brain, you need to ingest something with complex carbohydrates (sugar) that will work on the protein you ate earlier in the evening. She offers substitutes for the potato such as oatmeal which will go down nicely with butter and a dash of brown sugar. DesMaisons offers a seven-step plan that includes eating three meals a day. She admits further on in her book that she knows eating three meals a day is impossible for some people. It sure is for me. I eat breakfast at my desk at 6:30 a.m. (yogurt and fruit) and I don't eat lunch until 1:30 p.m. I need that mid-morning snack of celery and peanut butter. She says snacks can be okay, but they should not be full of sugar.
Rating: 
Summary: This book presents a life changing plan
Review: Potatoes Not Prozac is a program with answers that will change lives. Dr. DesMaisons has created a nationally recognized program which not only has an impressive 92% success rate helping alcoholics to stay sober, but also boasts an incredible track record helping sugar and carbohydrate sensitive people finally kick the sugar habit for good. Different from Sugar Busters, this program gently outlines a simple seven step eating plan which will carefully and easily stabilize brain chemistry without causing suffering from cravings and hunger. When the steps are followed in the order presented, the resulting effect is a feeling of radiance and energy and good feelings that must be experienced to be believed. This simple eating program changes lives. Reading this book and following the program has changed mine. Potatoes Not Prozac is one of the most positive life-changing books that I have ever read. I recommend it highly to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: A mental/emotional lifesaver!
Review: Potatoes Not Prozac is truly a lifesaver! Combining as it does solid research, along with the author's own personal application of what she learned (walking the walk), PNP offers hope and practical solutions for the sugar-sensitive person like me! I have personally benefitted from DesMaison's lifeplan. As a professional counsellor in private practice, and a recovering alcoholic, this book provided me with the "missing piece" in my recovery puzzle. After more than 21 years invested in recovery, I still suffered from depression, low self-esteem, sporadic energy levels and wavering motivation. Now I not only know why, I know what to do about it. In the past month, I have experienced enough solid ground to know that I am on the right path. The plan appeals to me because it is both flexible, but also has a loving bottom-line which helps me stay on track. With selected clients in my private practice, I am introducing PNP as an adjunct to their recovery processes. To me, the book represents the greatest single leap forward for recovering individuals since Alcoholics Anonymous was written!
Rating:
Summary: Usually tired and depressed? You may see yourself here.
Review: The author explains how sugars and simple carbohydrates cause fatigue, depression, and a bunch of other undesirable effects in people she calls "sugar sensitive." She helps the reader determine whether he or she might be sugar sensitive, and then lays out a plan for adjusting eating habits away from sugars and simple carbohydrates to benefit from better energy and better moods. I'm skeptical of books like this one, even when they explain the "science" behind their claims, as this one does. But the proof, as this author might say, is in the sugar-free pudding. I met the author's self-diagnostic criteria for sugar sensitivity, and decided to give the plan a try. The author is adamant that you follow her plan exactly, but I have not done that. I'm following all the steps, but in an order that makes more sense to me. As the author predicts, by eating protein at (almost)every meal, cutting out obvious sugars, and favoring brown stuff over white stuff, I feel remarkably better. It's not like I'm suddenly Mr. Cheerful or have a ton of energy, but I'm able to take on the day much better and my mood remains pretty even all the time. I welcome these changes! So does my family.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Too Inclusive
Review: The author seems to know her brain chemistry, and the plan she outlines does well. For anyone struggling with sugar sensitivity, I heartily recommend this book. However, I do have a few minor issues. First, golden/white/baking potatoes are NOT a healthy bedtime snack. Their fiber to carb ratio is way too low, and there are many other slow release carbs that are better for the purpose of activating trytophan. I suspect that she uses them partly just to have a catchy title for her book. Thankfully, she does not spend too much time focusing on the potato. Besides the potato anomaly, her diet advice is on target and insightful. Second, her charts on symptoms of sugar sensitivity are much too inclusive. By her account, almost everyone I know is a sugar sensitive person, and that is simply not true. It has a certain feel that I can only compare to a fortune teller, telling you things that are so broad and vague you will undoubtedly feel they apply to you. And she removes a little too much personal responsibility. She even has a section titled, "It's not your fault." That's exactly what I like my diet books telling me. It's my alcoholic father and sugar-addicted mother; it's not me stuffing my face with sweets. However, body image is a very sensitive issue for people, especially people who, like me, experienced childhood as an overweight kid. So, maybe she needs to use these gentle methods. Of course, I think that I might be less sugar sensitive than some people reading this book. I have successfully used the Atkins for rapid weight loss, and I am currently living by a slightly personalized Sugar Busters model. Part of my disappointment with this book was my own expectations. I was looking for a book that told me the details of how sugar/carbohydrates affect neurotransmitters. She does cover this topic fairly well, but she does so in a generalizing and summary manner. This book is great for sugar sensitive people looking for an eating plan and change of lifestyle. However, if you already are familiar with the working of simple carbohydrates on blood sugar and are looking for a more detailed explanation on the interaction of simple carbohydrates and brain chemistry/neurotransmitters, I suggest that you look elsewhere.
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