BOOK REVIEW: I quit sugar

I have been obsessing about low carb diets for a while. At first a though it was just another fad. But then I tried the Cohen Diet to varying degrees of success. Before my wedding I lost about 10kg on the restricted diet, so I know it works but after little Em's birth I just couldn't commit. And that is what it requires: real commitment as it really is restrictive! Not just what you are allowed to eat but how much. 

The problem however is not while you are on it but rather what happens afterwards. I am a real sucker for breads, cakes, pastries and everything carb related. That was why I was so obsessed with the low carb diets, as I assumed that was my weakness. But then I sat down and read Sarah Wilson's I QUIT SUGAR. For the first time in ages I sat down and read a book from cover to cover, not just paging through it directly to the recipes. And what an eye opener!

It is not the carbs that have been making my dietary life miserable but the sugar!  And you know what, it makes so much sense. Now I know why low carb diets make you feel better: I was also cutting out sugar to a certain extent. So when I was following a low carb diet by only cutting out grains, I still had my highs and lows. I still had slumps, I still had cravings. I was addicted to the sugar! Just look how I eat my crabs: jams, icing, chocolate spread - sugar sugar sugar! 

Luckily I don't have to go cold turkey. Sarah suggest an 8 week "detox" program, that gradually decreases your sugar intake and to "recalibrate" your dependence on sugar, especially hidden sugar. Now this also entails cutting down on carbs as they also have the same affect as sugar. I like the idea of: this is not a diet but an experiment. You are encouraged to cut out sugar and take special note of how this affects your body. I'm so tired of diets and fads but I'm also so tired of being tired. Who is with me?