Book Review ...... A Year of No Sugar

I just finished reading A Year of No Sugar which is a book that will make you double think nearly every item that passes your lips- (with the exception of  whole fruits and veggies.)  In this book the author Eve Schaub guides us through her 365 days of abstaining from 'no added sugar.' She writes in an  airy, informal, and amusing tone keeping her audience engaged with a topic that could have easily become mundane and preachy.  Every so often the other members of Eve's family interject into her narrative allowing their perspectives to shine through. These insights from her daughter's and husband allow Ms. Schaub's readers to connect with the whole family as they undertook their no sugar project. 

Year of No Sugar Cover 

In the first part of the book Ms.Schaub does an impressive job at explaining to how sugar (which is really glucose + fructose) is processed by the body in terms that are simple for readers without any scientific background to understand.  She also provides supplemental information on her website, has made recipes available, and references several other authors from whom she has drawn inspiration.

The book then goes onto follow Ms.Schaub and her family as the year progresses in a mostly chronological sequence. We watch her learn to identify sugar ( or fructose) at the store and at restaurants, we witness her struggles along with her successes as she learns to cook without sugar, and we see her family evolve as they embrace the no sugar project. I particularly enjoyed the scenes in the book where she goes into great detail about her kitchen exploits. I yearned to taste her banana "dirt" cookies, try her grape spread on my own toast, and found myself throwing out my bottle of organic agave syrup due to ridiculously high fructose content.

The Many Faces of Sugar

This book is reminiscent of Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.. (a book which I found a true joy to read)  At one point I believe Ms.Schaub even references  Kingsolver's book as her family concocts a plan for their year long no sugar project.  I enjoyed reading this book and it has inspired me to purchase my very own a bag of Dextarose off of Amazon for my own no fructose baking adventures! I would have liked it if Ms.Schaub had elaborated more on her experiences so that while reading I truly felt "there" with her and her family at their table. I also feel that the book was more about avoiding fructose than avoiding sugar as a whole, yet overall this is a well written informative memoir that I would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about sugar, health, and the western diet.

So pick yourself up a copy, make yourself a cup of tea (sugar free),and settle in for a good read. Then maybe, just maybe, try going with out any added sugar yourself for a day. 

Try no sugar for yourself!