Year of No Sugar Reads Like a How-To Manual for an ED

Acg67

Mmmmhmmm, sounds almost like your typical MFPer right down to believing LOLstig, then eliminating fructose but only added not natural fructose of course since they are so different

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/04/18/year_of_no_sugar_reviewed_what_eve_schaub_s_no_fructose_memoir_says_about.html

Year of No Sugar is one of those book titles that, with its telegram-like urgency, succinctly tells you exactly what to expect beneath the cover. Eve O. Schaub, a Vermont-based writer, became convinced in 2010 that fructose—the simple carbohydrate that makes sugar sweet—was toxic after watching a lecture by childhood obesity researcher Robert Lustig that argues that point. She decided that she, her husband, and her two daughters should swear off added fructose in all its forms (sugar, honey, juice, etc.) for the duration of 2011, and that she should blog about it; the blog resulted in a book deal. “I was a writer, after all, and I had been looking for a new project to focus on,” Schaub explains in the book, which was released earlier this month and is currently No. 52 on Amazon’s list of best-selling memoirs.

There are many good reasons to reduce or eliminate added sugars from your diet: Sugar consumption is associated with diabetes and heart disease, and research indicates that sugar messes with your body’s hunger and satiety cues in a way other foods don’t. Sugar may indeed be toxic at a certain level of consumption—the dose makes the poison, as the adage goes—though it’s not yet clear at what consumption level sugar becomes dangerous. Not even sugar’s most vehement opponents, like Lustig, argue that sugar is an acute toxin. Lustig (and Schaub) liken its long-term effects to those of alcohol, a substance that healthy people have been known to use in moderation.

Moderation, though, does not get you a book deal. Year of No Sugar reads like a how-to manual for an eating disorder. Schaub becomes obsessed with eliminating trace quantities of fructose from her diet: Mayonnaise, salad dressing, crackers, and deli meat are out. She frets over the fructose content of lemon juice—which she determines contains 0.53 grams per lemon—and balsamic vinegar, which she describes as “not a vinegar in the traditional sense, but rather an aged syrup made from grapes. Fruit juice! Gak!” She finds herself thinking about food more or less constantly and finds that her project drives a wedge between her family and the community. “Turns out, at least for me, the social isolation of being on a different wavelength from the rest of the world around you was one of the most difficult parts of all.” At the same time, Schaub devises ways to sweeten foods without breaking her resolution. She improvises desserts sweetened with dates and bananas (naturally occurring fructose is OK in Schaub’s book) and with brown rice syrup and dextrose powder (sweeteners that contain glucose but not fructose).

For a project that stems from such a good idea—eat less sugar—Year of No Sugar comes across as a maddeningly arbitrary yet worryingly fanatical exercise in self-control. And yet the parts of Schaub’s journey that most resemble symptoms of orthorexia nervosa are played for laughs. She jokes that she has a “Little Control Freak” on her shoulder. In Schaub’s world (and that of her editor and publisher, apparently), a hyper-controlling attitude toward food isn’t a reason for concern; it’s a completely normal trait. And cutting out fructose entirely seems to her not an unrealistic fantasy, but a magical solution to every conceivable health problem, “the Occam’s razor, the simplest answer, I had been waiting for” (not to mention a profitable premise for a memoir).

Year of No Sugar makes much of the fact that sugar is in practically everything, and that it’s easy to be oblivious to its ubiquity in American life. “Could it be that we were really all just addicts sucking away at our soda-straw hookahs, never making the obvious connection between our ‘drug’ of choice and our rapidly declining health?” Schaub asks. (Rhetorical restraint is not her forte.) “Most of all, the question I couldn’t let go of was: in a society as awash in sugar as ours, how do you escape from the opium den? Is it even possible?” (As Slate’s Daniel Engber noted in The New York Times Magazine earlier this year, “We’re more afraid of sugar than we’ve ever been.”)

Year of No Sugar is framed as an escape from the “opium den,” but it buys into one crucial American myth: that there is one weird trick somewhere out there that will make you healthy, skinny, and happy. Leave it to an American to take astute sociological and medical observations—that the proportion of sugar in the average American diet has increased over the past few decades, that sugar intake has been shown to correlate with chronic diseases, that sugar is increasingly added to processed foods that don’t primarily taste sweet—and turn it into a diet plan. If there’s one thing we’re more addicted to than sugar, it’s purported silver bullets. Schaub has drunk that proverbial Kool-Aid, even if she’s avoiding the literal kind.

_Zardoz_

I read about this a while ago and just though how sad and I pity her two daughters

zoeysasha37

Oh wow...sounds like misery to me! ( as I sip my coffee with cream and sugar in it ;-) yeah, somethings off about that!

neanderthin

2nd book based on how carbs blunt fat oxidation and capitulate that not only fructose but all carbs lead to weight gain and obesity, it only makes sense.

SezxyStef

wow I just can't imagine.

Growing up my mom didn't buy a lot of "sugary" stuff either but that was due to a diabetic being in the house.

I didn't really mind but that being said as an adult I never did that with my son...why?
I refused to impose my "oddities" on my son while he was growing up...be it religious, food, political or moral.

Let children have all the facts and then make up their minds...

PS I still love fruit loops and have them in my house alllll the time...deprived of them as a child I think made me want them more as an adult.

QuietBloom

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

neandermagnon

if someone is imposing an excessively restrictive diet on children (unless for medical reasons, in which case it should be supervised by a medical professional) then isn't that an issue for child protection services?

ETA: orthorexia by proxy.... I'm not talking about limiting snacks, or even the whole family "going paleo" etc. I'm talking about crazy, unbalanced, orthorexia type diets like eliminating all carbs being imposed on children.

neanderthin

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

I would imagine that if we looked at traditional diets of the longest lived people that actual sugar consumption would not come close to what the typical American consumed....but I haven't looked. Americans are losing ground on the longevity measure.

neandermagnon

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

more evidence that the obesity crisis is more due to lower activity levels than what we eat.... while "abs are made in the kitchen" most people who are physically very active don't tend to overeat (and the exceptions will be people who only overeat a little and their bf% isn't likely to be much above 30%), but people who sit on the couch all day will be a lot more prone to overeating and in having dangerously high bf% levels.

neanderthin

double post

RGv2

In...

cathipa

I found this to be very troubling as well. I don't know why sugar is so demonized. Unless you are a diabetic isn't everything in moderation a better motto than NO SUGAR EVER! The problem I find with her whole banning of fructose is that she continued to eat fructose. Dates & bananas are loaded with fructose, but she continued to eat them. To obsess about a minuscule amount in a lemon...give me a break. I also feel for her children who will probably have some type of eating disorder now that mommy had them on this diet and became famous by writing a book. And all the dieters looking for the next "quick fix" will be reading this and touting the glories of her "diet" when all they would need to do in the first place is eat a healthy well balanced meal and eat processed food in moderation or sparingly. Its pretty simple and I don't know why people need to complicate it.

QuietBloom

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

I would imagine that if we looked at traditional diets of the longest lived people that actual sugar consumption would not come close to what the typical American consumed....but I haven't looked. Americans are losing ground on the longevity measure.

Uh oh, we'd better up our sugar consumption! Seriously though, I have the paper I was reading at work - I will come back and post references later on this morning.

QuietBloom

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

more evidence that the obesity crisis is more due to lower activity levels than what we eat.... while "abs are made in the kitchen" most people who are physically very active don't tend to overeat (and the exceptions will be people who only overeat a little and their bf% isn't likely to be much above 30%), but people who sit on the couch all day will be a lot more prone to overeating and in having dangerously high bf% levels.

I know that since I have been completely sidelined from even walking, with plantar faciitis and tendonitis, I am finding it VERY difficult not to over eat. :grumble:

jr235

I definitely feel bad for those kids. In general I feel bad for any kids with extreme diets either because of food allergies or something their parents impose on them.

She's right, the social isolation is the worst. Imagine those kids trying to go to a birthday party? Out for a play date at another kids house? I remember a kid in my class who had some sort of extreme food allergy. His mom always had to be in tow at all field trips and birthday parties to make sure he didn't eat something that could kill him and pack him some alternate food.

And ya, I didn't have a lot of sugary things growing up, but that doesn't mean I didn't get a birthday cake, couldn't ride my bike to the corner store for a chocolate bar, or get a snow come from the ice cream truck after I'd been playing outside all summer. In fact, if I'd stuck to those 'rules' I wouldn't be as big as I am now!

pghfitgirl

Here it is folks: a year-long study proves that lack of sugar will slowly make you go crazy.

I avoided craziness this morning by eating a delicious donut.

neandermagnon

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

more evidence that the obesity crisis is more due to lower activity levels than what we eat.... while "abs are made in the kitchen" most people who are physically very active don't tend to overeat (and the exceptions will be people who only overeat a little and their bf% isn't likely to be much above 30%), but people who sit on the couch all day will be a lot more prone to overeating and in having dangerously high bf% levels.

I know that since I have been completely sidelined from even walking, with plantar faciitis and tendonitis, I am finding it VERY difficult not to over eat. :grumble:

I got fat after moving to Saudi... I used to walk everywhere in Britain (petrol is expensive, parking is a nightmare and buses can be unreliable)........ in Saudi it's too hot to even walk to the local shops 9 months of the year, and when you do manage to walk there you have to walk at a snail's pace to avoid overheating....

ETA: I also got fat the first time after I stopped playing ice hockey regularly...

bcf7683

Here it is folks: a year-long study proves that lack of sugar will slowly make you go crazy.

I avoided craziness this morning by eating a delicious donut.

Left-over banana cream pie here! :drinker:

TX_Rhon

.....At the same time, Schaub devises ways to sweeten foods without breaking her resolution. She improvises desserts sweetened with dates and bananas (naturally occurring fructose is OK in Schaub’s book) and with brown rice syrup and dextrose powder (sweeteners that contain glucose but not fructose)......

So she obsessed over the sugar count in lemon juice but bananas and brown rice syrup is fine??? :huh:

Acg67

Where are the anti sugar crusaders and sugarphobes?

AlabasterVerve

Where are the anti sugar crusaders and sugarphobes?

She's a nut job. What else is there to say?

likitisplit

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

more evidence that the obesity crisis is more due to lower activity levels than what we eat.... while "abs are made in the kitchen" most people who are physically very active don't tend to overeat (and the exceptions will be people who only overeat a little and their bf% isn't likely to be much above 30%), but people who sit on the couch all day will be a lot more prone to overeating and in having dangerously high bf% levels.

I know that since I have been completely sidelined from even walking, with plantar faciitis and tendonitis, I am finding it VERY difficult not to over eat. :grumble:

That is always my downfall.

pghfitgirl

Where are the anti sugar crusaders and sugarphobes?

I think they're busy watching Dr. Oz.

likitisplit

if someone is imposing an excessively restrictive diet on children (unless for medical reasons, in which case it should be supervised by a medical professional) then isn't that an issue for child protection services?

ETA: orthorexia by proxy.... I'm not talking about limiting snacks, or even the whole family "going paleo" etc. I'm talking about crazy, unbalanced, orthorexia type diets like eliminating all carbs being imposed on children.

I think this is an extreme example of how disordered eating has become normalized - something like this sinks in with barely a ripple.

likitisplit

Where are the anti sugar crusaders and sugarphobes?

She's a nut job. What else is there to say?

Sweetie, you are about to find out.

neanderthin

Americans are actually consuming LESS sugar than we did 50 years ago, and we are living longer than ever. Countries that consume the most sugar (we are not one of them) have the longest lived peoples. Although I doubt sugar contributes to longevity, the 'we are eating more sugar than ever and our health is worse than ever' is nothing but dogma and, is completely false.

I would imagine that if we looked at traditional diets of the longest lived people that actual sugar consumption would not come close to what the typical American consumed....but I haven't looked. Americans are losing ground on the longevity measure.

Uh oh, we'd better up our sugar consumption! Seriously though, I have the paper I was reading at work - I will come back and post references later on this morning.

Point was it's not sugar but lifestyle that dictates longevity and overall health and the USA has been headed in the wrong direction for quite a while, regardless of the sugar they consume.

susannamarie

Fretting over the fructose content of lemon juice while continuing to eat dates? WTF?

neandermagnon

I definitely feel bad for those kids. In general I feel bad for any kids with extreme diets either because of food allergies or something their parents impose on them.

She's right, the social isolation is the worst. Imagine those kids trying to go to a birthday party? Out for a play date at another kids house? I remember a kid in my class who had some sort of extreme food allergy. His mom always had to be in tow at all field trips and birthday parties to make sure he didn't eat something that could kill him and pack him some alternate food.

And ya, I didn't have a lot of sugary things growing up, but that doesn't mean I didn't get a birthday cake, couldn't ride my bike to the corner store for a chocolate bar, or get a snow come from the ice cream truck after I'd been playing outside all summer. In fact, if I'd stuck to those 'rules' I wouldn't be as big as I am now!

I agree... my younger daughter has food allergies and it's a real PITA, no reason to make that situation more difficult than it needs to be!... I don't agree with parents imposing unnecessary limitations on what kids eat... if their day to day diet is balanced and nutritious, there's no reason why they can't just eat what they want at birthday parties and other special occasions or have an ice cream here and there.... if they're active they'll burn off all these calories in no time. The last time I took my kids to McDonalds they spent so much time playing in the play area I think they burned off the calories in their happy meal before we even left... and they both refused to finish their french fries (and I wasn't about to force them lol) - kids are good at naturally following their appetite and not overeating.

neandermagnon

Fretting over the fructose content of lemon juice while continuing to eat dates? WTF?

people who write these kinds of books are allergic to logic.

Confuzzled4ever

TLDR..

But if she really fretted over naturally occurring sugars, as this excerpt seems to imply, then she is a nut job.

ndj1979

interesting read, and in..to see where this goes...