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FitLit: The Taste of Sweet

 

SugarIntake99.2Joanne Chen, author of The Taste of Sweet, hit the nail on the head when she said that America has a complicated love affair with all things sugary. Although many fad diets ban sugar or severely limit it and even the federal government’s official statement on sweets is “in moderation,” the average American—and I take this directly from the book—consumes about 99.2 pounds of sugar and other caloric sweeteners (read: high-fructose corn syrup) every year. Okay, not that this isn’t obvious but 99.2 pounds is a lot. Like twice the weight of my medium-sized dog. In sugar.

Ms. Chen, a self-proclaimed sweetsconnoisseur, uses the book’s 221 pages to dissect why we love sweets so much, the reasons that love is complex and even a look to the future as to what our confectionery future could hold. She begins with the history of sugar—basically people fell in love with it and fought over it, which makes sense because back in cave-woman times something that was sweet generally meant that it wouldn’t kill you—and then transitions into a fascinating look into taste buds. Ihad no idea, but taste buds aren’t like bones—not everyone has the same number. “Super Tasters” have a ridiculous amount of taste buds and generally aren’t a fan of bitter foods like coffee or broccoli (not me), while non-tasters enjoy just about anything you place in front of them (me). It’s important to note that just because Super Tasters are called “Super,” it doesn’t mean that they are blessed with super hero powers; they can just taste this compound called PROP better. Oh, and they also taste sweet as sweeter, fat as fattier and salt as saltier. But, I’m not bitter. (Har. Har. Har.)

Other chapters touch on America’s eating habits, addressing the phenomenon that there’s always room for dessert. Similar to studies discussed in this other fantastic book, The Taste of Sweet brings up research that found that people who were offered a lunch with four different courses consumed 60 percent more calories than a group that had the same exact course four times for lunch. Humans love variety. Heck, even my dog agrees. She’d much rather eat anything off the floors than the same bowl of dog food every morning and night.

Some of the most fascinating information in the book has to do with sugar being named as the culprit for America’s obesity epidemic. Ms. Chen argues that it’s the highly processed food that we eat all the time that has caused America’s growing waistlines, as dessert is no longer balanced out by three square veggie-filled meals like it was in the 1950s. Not to mention that many processed meals and fast-food is injected with high-fructose corn syrup, so it’s like eating all sugar and no fiber all the time.

Besides covering heavy issues such as America’s health crisis, history and food science, she throws in some great party trivia. My fave was why we like the combination of salty and sweet so much. Any guesses? Breast milk. I bet that’ll make you think twice before you buy a bag of kettle corn at the farmers’ market.
But dessert lovers, don’t despair, this book is a celebration of all things sweet, and it really made me appreciate dessert and what role it fills in my life. From wedding cake to eggnog at Christmas, sweets are a beautiful part of our culture. They shouldn’t make up your entire diet by any means, but life just wouldn’t be as sweet without them. —Jenn

If you want more to read, check out the Idiot’s Guide to Good Sex and Fitness or Skinny Bitch in the Kitch.

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!

Comments

15 Comments
  1. Marcy says:

    OK how the heck do people know what breast milk tastes like? Did they drink their own? LMAO!

  2. Tami says:

    Wow, that’s pretty interesting! I especially like the delving into history and the de-bunking of the sugar-as-all-evil myth.

    Does it go into details on how Corn Syrup is bad and why it’s worse than regular sugar?

    Sounds like a very interesting read, I may have to hit up the library to see if they have a copy. =]

  3. Erica says:

    Very interesting! I’d love to read more about her theory on processed food! Since the turkey incident with Frank yesterday- I’m thinking we’re going to stick with just plain dog food for a while haha

  4. tfh says:

    Sigh– I’m a non-taster, too. Well, at least we like broccoli, right? As someone who enjoys balancing her crucifers with a bowl full of premium ice cream, sounds like I should put this book on my Christmas list. Thanks for the review!

  5. Elina says:

    I love sweets and this books sounds very interesting. I’d love to win it 😀

  6. Crabby McSlacker says:

    That “think of breast milk” tip when considering kettle corn is worth the price of the book alone. I may never eat kettle corn again!

  7. Elizabeth says:

    Hmmm, I’m definitely a non-taster (as exampled by the fact that I love everything and it shows…) but the boy is definitely a taster. He won’t eat salad because it tastes “bitter”… also he smells his food before he eats it. BUT, he has a weakness for all things sweet… thusly, I would like to win this book so that I can read it and tell him all the junk he’s eating to feel morally superior even though he’s in shape and I’m not. Is that a good reason? I mean, it’s not a nice one, but is it good? 🙂

  8. GroundedFitness says:

    i wanna win! Gimmie!

    This is pretty interesting. i need to bursh up on nutrition a bit more- and sugar makes history fun!

    Kelly Turner
    http://www.groundedfitness.com

  9. ohsheglows.com says:

    I am studying this very topic lately and it is fascinating! I would love to win this book to delve deeper into the topic. Thanks for the great review- I hadn’t heard of the book!

    Angela
    http://www.ohsheglows.com

  10. Sagan says:

    99 lbs of sugar?! Eek!

    Because I’m in Canada I think I’ll be putting this book on my Christmas wish list. It sounds fantastic. I’m super interested in this kind of thing.

    What are the authors credentials? (Is she an expert of any kind?)

  11. Jenn says:

    Marcy: Yea, that’s kinda weird. I’ll just trust what they say is true on that one.

    Tami: It does go into some details, but not a ton. For that I recommend a series of posts that AlmostFit.com did on HFCS: http://almostfit.com/2008/09/23/high-fructose-corn-syrup-the-antidote-to-common-sense/.

    Erica: Poor Frankster! We gave my dog some and she just smelled bad. lol.

    tfh: As non-tasters, I actually think we’re superior in the health department. Bring on the bitter veggies! 🙂

    Elina: Best of luck! We’ll announce the winner early next week.

    Crabby: It was by far the line from the book that stuck with me the most. In an icky sort of way.

    Elizabeth: Totally a good enough reason.

    Grounded Fitness: It sure does make it sweeter. That’s for sure!

    OhSheGlows: Glad we can give you some fresh reads. 🙂

    Sagan: Not an expert, but she talks to a lot of them in the book. She’s just a smart journalist with a big ol’ sweet tooth.

  12. Emily says:

    Oooh, that sounds like a great book. And I LURVE trivia… so I’d love to check it out!

  13. KH9107 says:

    Hmmm…I love broccoli (cooked only!) but I hate coffee. What does that make me?

  14. Lori says:

    Interesting book. Thanks for sharing. I’d love to read it.

    Wow that is a lot of sugar! I’m not surprised though. Even if you are healthy eater it is hidden in so many darn places.

  15. Juliet says:

    Hey the book sounds interesting. I will check it out (I’ll get it on my Kindle). I’m a big fan of skinny bitch! Great book!!

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