"Sugar Blues"

[foodie212]

Has anyone here read this book? The author is William Dufty. I'd be interested in hearing your opinions!

Thanks.

[Karen]

About 25 years ago. It is written from a macrobiotic viewpoint as he was married to actress Gloria Swanson who introduced him to the macrobiotic WOL.

While I can't recall anything specific - except that cigarettes were full of sugar and it was better to smoke French cigarettes - it was a real eye-opener for me at the time. It would be interesting to read it now, and see how it relates to the low-carb WOL.

BTW, the author is William Duffy.

[foodie212]

Originally posted by Karen
About 25 years ago. It is written from a macrobiotic viewpoint as he was married to actress Gloria Swanson who introduced him to the macrobiotic WOL.
While I can't recall anything specific - except that cigarettes were full of sugar and it was better to smoke French cigarettes - it was a real eye-opener for me at the time. It would be interesting to read it now, and see how it relates to the low-carb WOL.
BTW, the author is William Duffy.

Hey, hi Karen !!! Great to hear from you. How are you doing?

What i found most interesting in the book is the historical development of sugar production and the resulting impact on human history -- that kind of thing really fascinates me.

O i thought the author's name is Dufty ... ? The printing on my copy is rather difficult to read, one of those artsy fonts.

At any rate, thanks for the reply!
:wave: foodie

[foodie212]

By the way, what exactly does "macrobiotic" mean? i've never quite understood that whole thing.

Thanks for any info!

[Karen]

This was macrobiotics 25 years ago. I’m sure it has changed by then.

Macrobiotic means “great life”. I can’t remember exactly how the movement started, buts it based upon the principles of yin and yang. The two principles were George Oshawa and Michio Kushi. There are yin foods and yang foods. Yin are to be avoided because they cause disease. Yang foods are seasonal and those that grow close to or under the ground. The balance point of the whole diet is short grain, organic brown rice and this makes up a large percentage of any meal. Seasonal fruits are eaten sparingly. A bit of fish is OK, but not meat unless you live in the far north. Dairy products are avoided.

I remember that one of the things you could do as a "cleanse" was eat a handful of raw brown rice in small mouthfuls. An interesting experience. ;)

It’s a super agrarian diet, not suitable for paleo-people at all!

It’s a whole philosophy that encompasses physical environment, right down to the spoon you stir your food with while it’s cooking. A lot of the enviromental philosophy is dead on.

Ha! I just went to the Kushi institute web site and not much has changed in 25 years. Here’s the link to an explanation of macrobiotics. The Kushi Institute (http://www.kushiinstitute.org/macrobiotics.html)

And you’re right. It is William DufTy. My apologies.

Karen