eososray's review against another edition
2.0
I was looking for baking recipes with no sugar. This seemed like a good option at the time but they aren't really no sugar, she just uses brown rice syrup or stevia substitutes.
I did read the whole detox program while I had the book. Can't say I agree with eliminating fruit. I understand no fruit juice, but not all fruit. But okay, the idea is that you are detoxing off of fructose, breaking an addiction. You only do it for 8 weeks before adding some items back into your diet. Stevia, meh, not to my taste, hard to bake with and I dislike the after taste. But what ever. Brown Rice Syrup though, that is not a good choice, just because of the concentrated arsenic levels.
I am pretty sure I read somewhere in the intro that there were vegan and vegetarian options, but there aren't many. The general concept leaned far more into the paleo type diet than anything else.
And her 'addiction' to sugar was pretty limited, it is not like she was mainlining chocolate, soda and gummy bears.
In general, I found the detox over the top, and excessive. This is really a book about eliminating fructose, not all sugar. The author was fairly unrelatable. And I found the recipes not useful, because they still have sugar, where I am looking for completely sugar free.
I did read the whole detox program while I had the book. Can't say I agree with eliminating fruit. I understand no fruit juice, but not all fruit. But okay, the idea is that you are detoxing off of fructose, breaking an addiction. You only do it for 8 weeks before adding some items back into your diet. Stevia, meh, not to my taste, hard to bake with and I dislike the after taste. But what ever. Brown Rice Syrup though, that is not a good choice, just because of the concentrated arsenic levels.
I am pretty sure I read somewhere in the intro that there were vegan and vegetarian options, but there aren't many. The general concept leaned far more into the paleo type diet than anything else.
And her 'addiction' to sugar was pretty limited, it is not like she was mainlining chocolate, soda and gummy bears.
In general, I found the detox over the top, and excessive. This is really a book about eliminating fructose, not all sugar. The author was fairly unrelatable. And I found the recipes not useful, because they still have sugar, where I am looking for completely sugar free.
elliemcc11's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this - I really want to reduce my sugar intake - but sadly none of the recipes appealed because of the mix of ingredients and cooking process, which to me was too complicated. I'm sure this book will appeal to many, especially those with more time & patience than me :)
bookchew's review against another edition
3.0
Motivated me to quit sugar, but the recipes I tried were just okay. Some of them didn’t really work at all (ie the crackers). Still on the hunt for a good sugar-free cookbook.
bookspinesandwine's review against another edition
2.0
There were things I liked and disliked about this. For the $25 price tag (paperback, U.S.) I expected more. I also ended up having to buy the 21 day sugar detox and following that instead, because this one was too vague, costing me more money.
I'll start with the good:
- great recipes and ideas for making a freezer stash and staples
-beautiful layout and photographs and typography
-easy and fast to read
- friendly tone and good tips on what kind of mental attitude is needed to follow this lifestyle and encouragement if you slip up
- after the 8 week program, she tells you how to add sugar back in and also reiterates that she is not "all or nothing". Rather, now her body is more adjusted to sweetness and knowing her limits so she can have a lapse and still recover.
The not so good (for me anyway)
-I was expecting a more concrete and clear explanation of what to eat and not eat during the plan. I was very confused. So week 3 you are suppose to go cold turkey. Ok great! She lists foods to avoid. But then directly after she starts talking about how to read labels and distinguish between fructose and glucose. This is fine but she says brown rice syrup is ok. Wait I thought we weren't adding in this sweetener until week 6 or 7??? I thought we were reading the week three cold turkey section?? Now I'm confused.
- lots of calculations on how to tell how much sugar percentage is in foods and dairy is even more confusing. Made my head hurt. But then she goes on to say that she doesn't count or calculate sugar in her diet. So do I need this stuff or not?
- it doesn't tell you what to do with carbs like bread. At all.
A note: her website has more concise articles and explanations about carbs and answers the above questions, but I was hoping this book would have all that explained already
In conclusion: rent from the library or get the 21 day sugar detox
I'll start with the good:
- great recipes and ideas for making a freezer stash and staples
-beautiful layout and photographs and typography
-easy and fast to read
- friendly tone and good tips on what kind of mental attitude is needed to follow this lifestyle and encouragement if you slip up
- after the 8 week program, she tells you how to add sugar back in and also reiterates that she is not "all or nothing". Rather, now her body is more adjusted to sweetness and knowing her limits so she can have a lapse and still recover.
The not so good (for me anyway)
-I was expecting a more concrete and clear explanation of what to eat and not eat during the plan. I was very confused. So week 3 you are suppose to go cold turkey. Ok great! She lists foods to avoid. But then directly after she starts talking about how to read labels and distinguish between fructose and glucose. This is fine but she says brown rice syrup is ok. Wait I thought we weren't adding in this sweetener until week 6 or 7??? I thought we were reading the week three cold turkey section?? Now I'm confused.
- lots of calculations on how to tell how much sugar percentage is in foods and dairy is even more confusing. Made my head hurt. But then she goes on to say that she doesn't count or calculate sugar in her diet. So do I need this stuff or not?
- it doesn't tell you what to do with carbs like bread. At all.
A note: her website has more concise articles and explanations about carbs and answers the above questions, but I was hoping this book would have all that explained already
In conclusion: rent from the library or get the 21 day sugar detox
solitarysoul's review against another edition
4.0
Just skimming through but THIS is what I was looking for!
dahall1023's review against another edition
2.0
Hello, hipster cookbook.
I picked this cookbook up because I agree that "our modern food system is set up around sugar, and seductively so" (from introduction). I hoped to get some good ideas, recipes and further motivation to cut out the sugar from my day to day eating.
Here were some of the problems I had with this book:
First off, I really couldn't relate to this girl. Prior to cutting out sugar, she only consumed maybe 25 teaspoons of sugar. Good for her but way to make me already feel isolated. This is how she describes her sugar-y diet: "I was eating three pieces of fruit a day, a handful of dried fruit, a teaspoon or two of honey in my tea, a small (1.2 oz.) bar of dark chocolate after lunch and, after dinner, honey drizzled on yogurt, or dessert (if I was out)." Maybe it's just me, but I found this pretentious.
Secondly, her recipes and ideas are not for the 'everyman'. Chia and Quinoa parfait breakfast? Warm Sprouted Pea Hash (ingredients include: sprouted legumes, liquid aminos, chopped anchovies, crumbled feta, avocado chunks, chia seeds...)? I can't feed my family on Endive Sardine Boats.
To me, this cookbook is too unrealistic. I recommend The 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook by Diane Sanfilippo or look for 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake, coming out in August.
I picked this cookbook up because I agree that "our modern food system is set up around sugar, and seductively so" (from introduction). I hoped to get some good ideas, recipes and further motivation to cut out the sugar from my day to day eating.
Here were some of the problems I had with this book:
First off, I really couldn't relate to this girl. Prior to cutting out sugar, she only consumed maybe 25 teaspoons of sugar. Good for her but way to make me already feel isolated. This is how she describes her sugar-y diet: "I was eating three pieces of fruit a day, a handful of dried fruit, a teaspoon or two of honey in my tea, a small (1.2 oz.) bar of dark chocolate after lunch and, after dinner, honey drizzled on yogurt, or dessert (if I was out)." Maybe it's just me, but I found this pretentious.
Secondly, her recipes and ideas are not for the 'everyman'. Chia and Quinoa parfait breakfast? Warm Sprouted Pea Hash (ingredients include: sprouted legumes, liquid aminos, chopped anchovies, crumbled feta, avocado chunks, chia seeds...)? I can't feed my family on Endive Sardine Boats.
To me, this cookbook is too unrealistic. I recommend The 21-Day Sugar Detox Cookbook by Diane Sanfilippo or look for 100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake, coming out in August.
rarling's review against another edition
4.0
I came into this book having already given up all things sweet. This book is one of the few I've found that has truly sugar free recipes, and not just the latest sweetener that supposed to be so much better for us as an almost one to one substitute.
I liked her recommendations for quitting over an eight week period, and had already used many of her techniques in my various efforts to cut out sweets. She had some good new suggestions, and I liked that her approach was forgiving.
I found this book lacking in the information explaining why we need to give up sweets. I had already decided to, because they are a huge cause of my migraines. Had I not come in to this book a believer I would have found it disappointing, and probably not bothered with it. The recipes, and kind guidance are worthwhile. There are, and are sure to be more over the next couple of years, better resources for the reasons behind giving up sugar.
I liked her recommendations for quitting over an eight week period, and had already used many of her techniques in my various efforts to cut out sweets. She had some good new suggestions, and I liked that her approach was forgiving.
I found this book lacking in the information explaining why we need to give up sweets. I had already decided to, because they are a huge cause of my migraines. Had I not come in to this book a believer I would have found it disappointing, and probably not bothered with it. The recipes, and kind guidance are worthwhile. There are, and are sure to be more over the next couple of years, better resources for the reasons behind giving up sugar.
letter2self's review against another edition
5.0
I am definitely reading this book over and over! Great insight! I feel so much better after going through this program. I'll probably need to do it again after the holidays!
cora273's review against another edition
1.0
This was definitely not what I thought it was and also not very helpful. It is a plan to quit sugar, sort of... Because you just kind of replace it with stevia (which I would recommend looking into before just going for it; personally I stay away from it). There was also lots of coconut everything - flakes, oil, water, etc. A few other things the book recommends which I either don't eat or try to limit are butter, ham, beef, bacon, cheese, etc. I didn't like any of the recipes or didn't want to buy special flours or other ingredients that I know I wouldn't use often. I would not recommend this book. However, I would recommend her other book - First We Make The Beast Beautiful - but it's an entirely different topic.