It’s almost January 1 (the official beginning of Diet Season) so I thought it was a good time to review the Year of No Sugar. This entertaining and educational memoir tells the story of the author’s family (husband and two daughters) during their year without sugar. It wasn’t totally “without” sugar, as they were allowed a monthly cheat meal, a personal cheat (the author’s choice was wine), and the children were free to choose sugary treats at school. Nonetheless, it was an eye-opening year and the book contains a lot of interesting information on sugar.
I had two feelings about the book. First of all, the author is a wonderful writer. The information is presented well and it is highly entertaining. I also learned a few things about sugar.
However the book also made me angry. First of all, the author was a total novice about reading an ingredients label, which is hard for me to comprehend. I look at my family – myself, my husband and my two children – who have spent 15 years avoiding gluten due to celiac disease. So it was hard to feel sympathetic when she was undertaking the experiment for a year-long project (with cheating allowed) and describing how isolating it is not to eat a common food. Those of us with real food issues don’t have that luxury. I’m guessing that other readers with dietary restrictions would feel the same way.
If you want to eat healthier and are curious about how a sugar-free diet would work, this is a very good book. Their journey started on January 1, so it’s also very timely for anyone with a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier.