Is sugar physically and emotionally addictive? Do hormones trick our bodies into thinking we are starving when we are actually overweight? Does the omnipresence of sugar and high fructose corn syrup contribute to obesity and disease? What about zero calorie substitutes? The 10-Day Sugar Detox is a blueprint to reset your fat storage hormones and work with them instead of against them for effective weight loss. It answers the following questions: Are we genuinely addicted to sugar? This book takes a magnifying glass to the research and probes the idea of sugar addiction and its ramifications. It separates the myths from the evidence surrounding sugar addiction, and sheds light on how sugar might affect our behavior. How do hormones trick our bodies into thinking we need to eat even when we are full? Understanding the way sugar affects the hormones that regulate fat storage and release in the body is the key to explaining why so many diets fail. The 10-Day Sugar Detox explores how our bodies track our fat storage and know when to conserve energy, and when it is ok to burn fat. It shows how do these signals get misread or overlooked entirely at times by our brains. It reports what is known about insulin and leptin resistance and discusses how both are related to sugar. Are naturally occurring sugars like honey and agave nectar healthier than table sugar and high fructose corn syrup? The 10-Day Sugar Detox examines the different types of sugar and how they are processed by the body. It probes the assumption that high fructose corn syrup is the root of problem. It shows you the studies and helps interpret the often contradictory findings. Do zero calorie sugar substitutes contribute to increased blood sugar and weight gain? Since their inception, sugar substitutes have been lauded as a way to fight obesity while at the same time blamed for causing a host of health problems. The 10-Day Sugar Detox scrutinizes the research, examines how artificial sweeteners are processed by the body, and investigates their possible role in the rise of obesity and disease. What foods help to crush sugar cravings? What food intensify them? The 10-Day Sugar Detox gives you a step by step plan for weaning your body off added sugar. It includes thirty delicious recipes to help you eat well while training your system to live without lots of added sugar. About the author: Francesca DiMarco spent the first 18 years of her life without ever trying a green vegetable. Her family indulged the self-described "pickiest eater on earth's" love for grilled cheese sandwiches and plain hamburgers until she left home for college. When she got a job at a gourmet seafood restaurant, the starving student's world flipped inside out as she discovered the magic of good food. Fish and fresh vegetables became her new best friends. Since then she has constantly pushed her gastronomic boundaries, and will now eat anything "except coleslaw on pizza." These days, she travels with her family as much as she can, seeking out new vistas and cuisine. Her goal is to share her late discovery of the rich beauty of healthy eating with as many picky eaters as she can.
About the Author: Francesca DiMarco spent the first 18 years of her life without ever trying a green vegetable. The self-described "pickiest eater ever" survived on macaroni and cheese, plain cheeseburgers, and Taco Bell tacos without any lettuce. She used to have nightmares that her grandfather would follow through on his threat to give her a suitcase full of grilled cheese sandwiches for her birthday. After high school, DiMarco traded the cold Colorado snow for Southern California sand. She (barely) supported herself by waitressing at an upscale seafood restaurant, and for the first time discovered the gastronomic pleasure of fresh fish and vegetables. "I couldn't afford anything at the grocery store except bread and coffee, and I didn't have a refrigerator anyway. The chef always had a special meal ready when I went into work. He said it was so I could describe the food to the customers, but I think he knew I was broke," she says. Once she fell in love with food, she began to find her away around the kitchen, learning how to cook for herself. Francesca began writing in college and sold her first screen play when she was twenty-six. She married her high school sweetheart and moved back to the Rocky Mountains where they currently live with two children, three goldfish, and one cat. They travel whenever they can, and love to experience new cultures and cuisine. Francesca has ghost-written the biographies of several well-known personalities. She has published articles in seven magazines, and has taught courses in creative writing. Her passion is to marry her love of great food with the written word, and share her recipe for healthy eating with other foodies. You can find Francesca on Facebook or on Twitter @francescafoodie.