Sugar Blues by William F. Dufty (1986, Paperback, Reissue)

I had two copies of this book, which never came back, so i'm buying another on e bay
It is a history of sugar and how it has ruined our lives and the lives of black people brought to work on the plantations
But it is also entertaining and informative
There is also an amazing bit about smoking which i wont spoil for you.

The only down side is, you may realize you have an addiction which is bad as many others, but this one is accepted by society because it keeps us buying
and keeps the wheels turning, so sorry about that.
by the by william was married to gloria swanson who introduced him to these ideas. asylumknits

Having recently begun a sugar and flour-free diet, the title of this book immediately caught my attention. "Sugar Blues" sounds an important note in American and world-wide health that has been long neglected. I liked the depth of history the book goes into. It brings to light the slave labor link to sugar that has been all but forgotten. After reading it you will never feel the same about sugar, corn syrup, honey, sugar beets and all the other sweenteners that have become an American way of life and death. This is the updated 1993 edition, but I feel that it is perhaps time for another update even though the information is still dead on and much of it now seems ahead of its time. This is a classic in its own right and a must-read for anyone wanting or thinking about eliminating or cutting back on their sugar intake. Just read today's headlines about the dramatic increse in diabetes and other related diseases. This books tells you why, where and how. This should be in everyone's health library.

As we learn more and more about the dangers of refined foods in general, and refined carbohydrates in particular, the science is incontestable. There are a number of modern books that go into great detail, on every level from deeply technical medical texts to “popular” reading, such as “Sugar Shock” and others.

This book was intended for the popular market, and its 1975 publication date makes it sound quite dated sometimes, particularly in the language and slang, but not in a necessarily bad way, especially if you have any nostalgia for those times.

What sets this book apart, from so many others on the shelf today, is not its technical exploration of the health and diet aspects of modern humans eating refined carbohydrates (which is light in comparison to its modern counterparts), but rather its historical perspective. The author goes to considerable length to place the sugar trade at the heart of European exploration and colonization of Africa and the Americas in centuries past, blaming it directly for the origin and expansion of the slave trade, and setting its importance to European profits even above the Spanish conquest for gold in South America.

While I am not sure that I agree with all of his speculations, he does set forth a novel, and plausible explanation for many aspects of international culture and sugar trade from the 1500s to the present. It would be difficult to prove him wrong, although it is all just your gut feeling (some pun intended there).

I would say that this book has more value as a “history and sociology” book than a “diet and nutrition” book, but it certainly belongs in the library of anyone who is seriously trying to understand the historical socio–political landscape of today’s exploding problem with the “diseases of civilization” and possible solutions.

It is not an expensive book, and not hard to read. If you have read this far, it will be a good investment of your 5 dollars.

This book is an eye-opener. I had heard of it many years ago but now I finally decided to get off sugar and stay off. This book is for anyone having trouble controlling cravings. It also reveals many other things about sugar that may be unknown to most people yet when you realize how it explains certain health problems, you can relate. Although it is an older publication, it is timely now when most people are being more conscious of the things they eat. I recommend it highly.

Book had interesting historical facts. I bought the book because I have diabetes and am trying to learn more about how to help control my highs and lows. I've passed the book along to co-workers and they are having the same reaction---interesting historical facts, some things may or may not be believable.... be your own judge.

I read somewhere that this is a worth-reading book so I went to ebay to search for it. I always go first to ebay when I am looking for something. More times than not, when it's a book, I find it & there are usually more than one to chose from. This book is VERY thorough giving the history of sugar. It also gives information about the hazards of consuming it. It is quite interesting. It's a book I both want to hang on to & also share with other people!

This book is amazing! It truly gives the best information regarding sugar. It is very thorough. Goes through the history and medical information. I haven't finished it yet, but I love it, once I pick it up I can't put it down.