cover image Zero Sugar Diet: The 14-Day Plan to Flatten Your Belly, Crush Cravings, and Help Keep You Lean for Life

Zero Sugar Diet: The 14-Day Plan to Flatten Your Belly, Crush Cravings, and Help Keep You Lean for Life

David Zinczenko, with Stephen Perrine. Ballantine, $28 (272p) ISBN 978-0-345-54798-9

Nutrition and fitness expert Zinczenko (Zero Belly Smoothies) and Perrine compare the prevalence of sugar in the American diet to a “virulent virus” in this passionate, anti-added-sugar manifesto. According to Zinczenko, the natural sugar found in healthy diets isn’t problematic, but the hidden, added sugar lurking in such foods as salad dressings, sauces, and peanut butter contributes to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Though Zinczenko notes that new food labels mandated by the FDA and set for 2018 will require a separate listing for added sugars, as of now buyers must do their own sleuthing. This book suggests a variety of ways to identify and avoid hidden sugars, and includes ideas and recipes for “zero sugar” breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners, as well as info on foods to eat on the go and in restaurants. Zinczenko’s plan emphasizes a two-pronged approach: decreasing added sugar and increasing fiber. This plan is informative and entertaining (e.g., a chart converts common meals to their equivalent in donuts; “an open letter from your pancreas”) and will help readers rein in cravings and become savvy monitors of added sugar consumption. [em]Agent: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, William Morris Endeavor. (Dec.) [/em]