Amazon.com Review
Author Q&A
Q. What do you mean when you talk about sugar addition? I don’t take sugar in coffee or add it to my food, so I would say I can’t be addicted to sugar – can I?
A. Even if you are not deliberately adding sugar to your drinks or food, sugar is already an ingredient in many foods and beverages – some of which you might not expect. This book discusses which types of foods and drinks contain high amounts of sugar and includes a questionnaire to help readers see if they show signs of a sugar addiction.
Q. What is a ‘hidden’ sugar, and how do I discover which foods contain them?
A. Hidden sugars are sugars contained in foods or beverages that you might not suspect. We know that many dessert items, such as ice cream and pastries, contain high amounts of sugar, but there are also a number of food and drink items that you may not expect to contain a lot of sugar, including certain yogurts, energy bars, barbecue sauces, etc. Hidden sugars can be identified by looking carefully at a food or beverage’s nutrition label, a topic we discuss further in the book.
Q. How does your eating program handle eating out and holiday times, especially if there are hidden sugars everywhere?
A. This book discusses the types of foods that tend to be high in sugar and that may contain hidden sugars, as well as the social factors that may influence food choices, equipping readers with information to make eating out and holidays less challenging.
Q. If I cut out the hidden sugars from my diet, will I be able to lose weight?
A. If you were to continue to eat the exact same way you have been minus hidden sugars, which also mean hidden calories, you would most likely lose weight, and this weight loss would be even greater if you cut out or reduced the other major sources of sugar in your diet.
Q. Is sugar really addictive? When people say they have a chocolate craving – are they being serious, or just saying that so they can eat what they like?
A. According to the research from our laboratory and others’, binge eating sugar results in similar behavior and brain changes as drug addiction, suggesting that sugar can be addictive. This does not mean that everyone who eats sugar or claims to have a craving for a sugary food is addicted; people often use the term “addiction” in everyday life to refer to their love of sports, online shopping, etc., however, there are certain criteria that are used in the medical field to identify substance dependence. As discussed in the book, these criteria have recently been adapted to refer to food instead of drugs and studies have shown certain individuals to meet the criteria for food addiction.
Review
Sugar, fat, salt—a daunting combination. Avena and Talbott do an excellent job of analyzing the role that sugar plays in the obesity epidemic.”
—David A. Kessler, MD, author of The End of Overeating
“This book not only offers an in-depth explanation of our society’s dependence on sugar, it also provides a realistic, step-wise approach to managing it and improving your health.”
—Dr. Melina B. Jampolis, CNN diet and fitness expert
“Why Diets Fail describes the new science of sugar addiction and teaches us how we can use it to beat cravings and overeating—even in our modern food environment, which is plagued by sugary, hyperpalatable fake food. This book teaches you not only to think differently about how you eat, but also shows you how to do it.”
—Sara Gottfried, MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Hormone Cure
“In Why Diets Fail, Dr. Nicole Avena and John Talbott discuss the addictive powers that certain foods possess over the mind and offer insight on conquering the addictive cycle. Following the guidelines in this book, you will learn how to turn your new diet into a lasting lifestyle, understand the science behind food addiction, and use this knowledge to approach your food as healthful nourishment rather than a source of guilt and frustration.”
—Andrew Larson, MD, medical director of JFK Medical Center Bariatric Wellness & Surgical Institute and author of The Gold Coast Cure and Clean Cuisine
About the Author
NICOLE M. AVENA, PhD, is a world-renowned neuroscientist and expert in diet, nutrition, and addiction. She received her doctorate in neuroscience and psychology from Princeton University and did her postdoctoral fellowship at The Rockefeller University in New York. Dr. Avena is a faculty member at the New York Obesity Research Center at Columbia University. She has published more than sixty scholarly journal articles on topics related to diet, nutrition, and overeating. Her research achievements have been honored by awards from several groups, including the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Psychological Association, and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Avena lives with her husband and daughter in New Jersey.
JOHN R. TALBOTT is the bestselling author of ten books that have sold more than 200,000 copies in twenty countries. He is an associate professor at the SP Jain School of Global Management in Dubai, which is ranked in the top twenty international management programs in the world by Forbes. Previously a visiting scholar at UCLA, Talbott has published academic research on AIDS prevention, democracy, inequality, and economic growth. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in engineering and earned his MBA at UCLA. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Republic, Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
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Why You Need to Read This “Diet” Book
These days, diet books are a dime a dozen, but few books combine the lived experience of someone who has implemented that diet and seen amazing results with the scientific research that supports and explains why the eating plan works. In Why Diets Fail, you gain all the latest scientific knowledge and expertise from Dr. Avena, who has a PhD in psychology and neuroscience and is an expert in the fields of addiction, nutrition, and obesity, informed by insights from John, who has lived through this experience.
Moreover, you will learn about some fascinating research discoveries that you may not yet be aware of, many of which may explain why certain approaches that you have taken in the past to lose weight have been unsuccessful. All too often, research findings are reported in scholarly journals or discussed among researchers and members of the scientific community, and even though they may have direct application to human life, they rarely reach the larger public. Thus, such findings fail to have a significant effect on the day-to-day lives of the people who could benefit. That’s why this book is so valuable. Together, we’ll explain why John’s revelation, and resolution, regarding addiction to sugars was beneficial to his life, and could be to yours, in so many ways.
Although diet will certainly be discussed, we’re reticent to call this a “diet” book, as that term doesn’t necessarily reflect how extremely valuable this book can be to individuals who struggle to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. But trust us, when you implement the diet, like John did, you can reawaken to a life that is more fulfilling, fun, and rewarding than anything you could have imagined.
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