Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar

Blood sugar takes center stage in biochemist Inchauspé’s clever guide to eating for “more energy, curbed cravings, [and] better mood.” The author writes that glucose “affects how we feel instantaneously” and that keeping one’s levels flat ensures an “ideal cruising mode.” Readers will first learn about what glucose is, and its role as “parent” to the four carbohydrate siblings of starch, fiber, fructose, and sucrose. Inchauspé then gets into blood sugar spikes; the list of short-term and long-term effects are sobering, and include constant hunger, poor sleep, and heart disease. To achieve a consistent blood sugar level, the author shares 10 tips, including sipping a vinegar cocktail before meals and replacing sweet snacks with savory ones. Several “cheat sheets” round things out, offering solutions for handling cravings (wait 20 minutes before caving), choosing booze (wine and spirits are fine, but look out for sugary mixers), and making sense of food labels (there’s a helpful list of food manufacturers’ common names for sugar). Inchauspé shines in her desire to ensure readers have a good grasp on the facts behind diets, and in her ability to communicate it well: “I will stick to convention here... but as always, I wanted you to understand the science!” This intelligent survey offers plenty to savor. (Apr.)