It is a dangerous, addictive white powder that can be found in abundance throughout this country. It is not illegal. In fact, it is available near playgrounds, schools, and workplaces. It is in practically everything we eat and drink, and once we are hooked on it, the cravings can be overwhelming. This white substance of abuse is sugar.

Over two decades ago, Nancy Appleton’s Lick the Sugar Habit exposed the health dangers of America’s high-sugar diet. Now, in Suicide by Sugar, Appleton, along with journalist G. N. Jacobs, presents a broader view of the problems caused by our favorite ingredient. The authors offer startling facts that link a range of disorders—from dementia and hypoglycemia to obesity and cancer—to our growing sugar addiction. Rounding out the book is a sound diet plan along with a number of recipes for sweet, easy-to prepare dishes—all made without sugar or fruit.

Suicide by Sugar shines a bright light on our nation’s addiction and helps us begin the journey toward health.

Nancy Appleton, PhD earned her BS in clinical nutrition from UCLA and her PhD in health services from Walden University. She maintains a private practice in Santa Monica, California. An avid researcher, Dr. Appleton lectures throughout the world, and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. She is the best-selling author of Suicide by Sugar and Healthy Bones.

G. N. Jacobs is a general reporter and filmmaker, with features, shorts, and documentaries to his credit. Mr. Jacobs runs the online literary magazine Smoking Lizard. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles, California.

Introduction

1. Confessions of a Sugarholic

• Addicted From an Early Age
• Time for a Change
• Sugar by Any Other Name is Just as Troublesome

   
2. 140 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health

3. Homeostasis: The Balance in the Body

• Balance Does Not Mean a Candy Bar in Each Hand
• Sugar Can Throw Off Homeostasis
• Sugar’s Unbalancing Act

   
4. What Sugar Can Do to Your Blood Glucose is No Sweet Matter

• Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test and Alternatives   

   
5. Sugar and the Food We Eat

• The Hard Facts About Soft Drinks
• Ensure is Anything But a Sure Thing
• More than a Spoonful of Sugar in Processed Foods
• Chocolate Goodness???

6. Sugar-Related Diseases and Conditions

• Obesity: The Fattening of America
• Hypoglycemia: Low Blood Sugar Does Not Mean Eat More Sugar
• Metabolic Syndrome: Tough Subject, Easy Answer
• Dementia: Rotting Teeth, Rotting Brain
• Cancer: A Cancer Answer
• Epilepsy: Sweet Seizure

7. A Practical Plan For Right Now

• Breaking the Sugar Addiction
• Tips for Healthy Living
• Homeostasis Testing
• Food Plans
• Healthy Eating Habits
• Recipes to Tame Your Sweet Tooth

Conclusion: A Sweet Ending Without Sugar
Glossary
Resources
Recommended Reading
Notes 
About the Authors
Index 
Order Forms

"Explains how the sweet white stuff represents one of our biggest dietary hazards...presents a strategy for slipping free of sugar's grasp, including food plans and recipes...If you want to resist the call of this sweet but deadly siren, Suicide by Sugar is a good place to start." 

You are about to venture on a journey about sugar, its effects on your body, and what you can do to change your habits. Some of the information you’ll pick up along this journey will shock you, other information will enlighten you, but above all, you will finish the journey knowing exactly what you can do to avoid committing suicide by sugar.

Before you begin your journey, you should know that today, when people say “sugar” or “sucrose,” they are usually referring to the sweetener made by beet, cane, and corn. The sugar and corn sweetener industries, however, do not do this. To the industries, “sugar” comes from beet or cane, not corn. “Sweetener” or “corn sweetener,” to the industries, means it comes from corn. In this book, I use the word “sugar” to mean the substance that comes from beet, cane, and corn, except in the section titled “Fructose Roulette” (see page 60), where I speak specifically about sugar (beet or cane) and corn sweetener.

Your journey begins with my story. As a sugar addict, I came close to committing sugar suicide.  I would quit but then would go back to sugar, and you probably will also. Don’t blame yourself. Just say, “Tomorrow will be a better day,” and it will. Many of you will identify with my story. Over the years, I have heard variations of my story from many people.

The core of my early work started from the proposition that many people who eat too much sugar are sick too much of the time. I certainly was. After many years of abusing my body with sugar (unknowingly), I finally came to the conclusion that sugar must do something bad to the immune system. I researched a concept called homeostasis (the balance of all the systems in the body), and bingo, the whole story came together. I found out that sugar upsets this delicate balance in the body. I also learned what sugar does to the immune system.

The next stop along your journey will take you into new territory. First, you will learn all the ways sugar is ruining your health. Next, I will tell you exactly what I discovered about sugar’s effect on homeostasis and the immune system.  Then, you will find out about the glycemic index, glycemic load, and the importance of not taking an oral glucose tolerance test. You will also learn about Ensure and Pediasure, and you’ll find out some information about soft drinks that you may not want to know. Additionally, you will discover how much natural sugar is in many products and how much sugar is added. There are also a few misconceptions about chocolate that are documented.

Next, I explain that sugar and its cousins (like honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, fructose, glucose, and others) can lead to a host of diseases. You will learn how sugar feeds cancer, dementia, and epilepsy, to name a few. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is explained in depth.

Now that you have found out what sugar does to the body, you will find out how to remove this sugar and keep it out of your body.  There is a whole section on helping you get and stay healthy with food plans, suggestions for snacks, and recipes to soothe the sweet tooth. And there is more—much more.

Research into sugar has exploded in recent years, and it’s not just crank nutritionists, dentists, and chemists doing the work—a few MDs are getting into the act as well. This represents a titanic shift in medical opinion, at least for the average doctor on the street. Even though the American Medical Association (AMA) has not directly come out against sugar, some of the associations for the many specialties contained within the AMA have made statements about sugar. Clearly, it is a case of waiting for the dinosaurs to die off.

So read on, dear reader, to start your journey and find out information that you did not know existed about sugar. If by the end of this book you haven’t decided to lick your sugar habit, illness and a long, slow death may result—truly Suicide by Sugar.