Potatoes
not
Prozac
A Natural Seven Step Dietary Plan to
* Stabilize the Level of Sugar in Your Blood
* Control Your Cravings and Lose Weight
* Recognize How Foods Affect the Way You Feel

KATHLEEN DESMAISONS, PH.D.,
 ADDICTIVE NUTRITION
Foreword by CANDACE PERT, PH.D.


Are you aware of yourself, smart and sensitive to others' feelings? Are you committed to your own personal growth? Do you care about things deeply? Do your friends value you and respect your opinion? Are you successful in your work? Are you usually confident and hopeful about your future?

But do you sometimes feel your confidence slip away, leaving you in self-doubt and despair? Does it seem "crazy" that you can be so clear one day and so desperate the next? Worse, you may drop from the heights to the depths in the same day. It's almost as if another person were inside you.

You hate to admit it, but you can be moody and impulsive. You want to get things done, but your attention drifts. You lose energy and get tired. You crave sugar and turn to sweets and snack foods to get yourself going again. Sometimes you eat compulsively. You put on weight. You seem to have no self-discipline. You often feel depressed and overwhelmed.

You may have consulted your doctor. You may have gotten counseling from your pastor or a psychotherapist. You may have been put on Prozac or one of the other antidepressants. But something is still wrong. Your life is still not the way you want it to be and you can't seem to find an answer that works.

If this description fits you, you may be sugar sensitive. Your body chemistry may respond to sugars and certain carbohydrates (such as bread, crackers, cereal and pasta) differently than other people's. This biochemical difference can have a huge effect on your moods and your behavior. How you feel is linked to what you eat--and when you eat it...

Your sugar sensitivity is a problem that you inherited. You did not create this dilemma. It is not your fault. What's more, it is a problem that can be solved. I have an answer that you have been seeking for a long time. Clear and simple, the solution to sugar sensitivity makes perfect sense. As you begin to understand how your blood sugar levels and brain chemicals work and interact, you will start to appreciate the power of your own body. Instead of being driven by your body chemistry, you will begin to chart your own life. You will find a straightforward explanation for the behavior you have struggled with for so long--and a straightforward solution based on giving your body the kinds of foods it needs to keep your emotions in balance and your life in forward gear.

This book tells the story of sugar sensitivity.

[pages 13-16]


Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen DesMaisons

About the Author

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., a leader in the field of Addictive Nutrition, has been lauded for her identification of the phenomenon of sugar sensitivity as a critical factor in addiction and depression. Dr. DesMaisons is president and CEO of Radiant Recovery, a revolutionary treatment program for alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and self-destructive behaviors such as compulsive overeating and gambling. The program has gained national attention due to its unparalleled success rate and its innovative combination of medical and holistic approaches. Dr. DesMaisons splits her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

[from the final page of the softbound edition]



Table of Contents

Forward By Candace Pert, Ph.D.  11
Chapter 1 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  13
Chapter 2 Are Your Sugar Sensitive?  26
Chapter 3 It's Not Your Fault  39
Chapter 4 The Ups and Downs of Blood Sugar  49
Chapter 5 Brain Chemistry 101  57
Chapter 6 Getting Started  78
Chapter 7 Take Three Giant Steps  95
Chapter 8 Adjusting Your Carbohydrates 116
Chapter 9 Sugars and You 137
Chapter 10 Sticking with It 147
Chapter 11 So You Drink Coffee, Smoke and Stay Fat? 167
Chapter 12 Radiant Recovery 185
Appendixes
     The Scientific Basis for Sugar Sensitivity 197
     Detoxification from Alcohol 209
     Glossary 215
     Bibliography 221
     Resources 235
     Index 241

Buy Potatoes Not Prozac

[from the softbound edition]



Reviews

"DesMaisons is onto something that is of major importance. The experience of reading Potatoes Not Prozac was a big 'Yes!' experience for me... The ramifications of her work are enormous. I very much look forward to recommending the book to all those who I know without a doubt are suffering from sugar addiction and all its myriad consequences."

--Christiane Northrup, M.D.,
author of
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom
Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing


"With a commonsense and practical approach from someone who has been extremely successful in helping people improve the quality of their lives, Potatoes Not Prozac provides clear guidance and real answers in helping people attain proper brain chemistry without the use of drugs. This book can definitely change a person's life!"

--Michael T. Murray, N.D.,
author of
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine


"For forty years as a recovering alcoholic, I have hoped that someone would write a book about what Dr. DesMaisons describes so well. Sugar sensitivity is indeed the missing link in the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions. Now at last I have that book and find myself saying 'Amen' as I read in enthusiastic agreement."

--Lucille Greenwood,
lifelong Doctor's Assistant


"An important message of hope for successfully battling addiction to food, alcohol, and drugs. Dr. DesMaison's premise and strategy bear out what we have seen in ten years of clinical nutritional practice."

--Mary Dan Eades, M.D. and Michael R. Eades, M.D.,
authors of Protein Power


"Sugar sensitivity is reaching epidemic proportions in Western society. U.S. consumption of sugar is now 150 pounds per year per person and climbing. Potatoes Not Prozac addresses these concerns with a balanced mix of sensitivity and sense."

--Jon Kaiser, M.D.,
author of Immune Power


Read more reviews of this book on the
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Potatoes Not Prozac


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Excerpts

"I continue to be depressed no matter what I do."

Sugar-sensitive people may have a hard time getting mobilized. You may feel frequently sad and apathetic. You may be depressed and crawl through the day with very little energy. For women, the depression may get worse just before menstruation. Often, sugar-sensitive people are miserable in the winter because the decrease in daylight affects their already impaired brain chemicals. You may self-medicate your depression by eating sweet foods since sweets are one of the few things that make you feel better. You may be taking an antidepressant like Prozac but still have symptoms of depression. If that's the case, you likely have a sugar-sensitivity aspect to your depression that neither you nor your doctor has recognized.

Potatoes Not Prozac
pages 33-34


Just as painkillers work on the beta-endorphin system, antidepressants work on the serotonin system. When Barbara started taking Prozac for depression, she was prescribed 20 mg a day. After getting over some initial side effects, she felt a whole lot better for a few months. The Prozac was increasing the number of serotonin hits in her brain. Then her depression returned. Her doctor upped the dosage to 40 mg a day and Barbara felt better again. But over time the bad feelings started creeping back in. Barbara's brain was downregulating in response to the increase in the serotonin hits, so the Prozac now had less of an effect...

Potatoes Not Prozac
pages 62-63


The story of sugar sensitivity has given you an explanation for the craziness you are feeling. But now you are ready for a solution. You want to feel better and medication like antidepressants isn't the answer. It's not your fault. This is a story about biochemistry. And there is an answer. The solution is almost deceptively simple: eat the right foods at the right times and you can keep your serotonin and beta-endorphin at their optimal levels. The nutritional solution you'll learn is holistic, natural, fun, inexpensive and easy to follow. What's more, it has no side effects.

Eating the right food is the ideal way to keep your brain chemicals in balance all the time. Making food choices based on an understanding of how your brain and body chemistry work will prevent the dramatic ups and downs in beta-endorphin that lead to upregulation and downregulation, cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Potatoes Not Prozac
page 76

[from the softbound edition]


Read more about this book on the
Amazon.com website:
Potatoes Not Prozac


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Potatoes Not Prozac

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Other Books by
Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons

Learn more about this book also written by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons:

The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program







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