Amazon.com (ISBN 0517886537, Paperback)

"Avoiding sugar is the easiest, safest, and most permanent way to stay slim" is the bold promise nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman makes in her book Get the Sugar Out. Gittleman, who also authored Beyond Pritikin, gives the hard facts about why refined sugar contributes to weight gain, mood swings, weak immunity, diabetes, and more. Low-fat diets, the book claims, frequently let people down, because manufactured fat-free foods often contain more sugar than their full-fat counterparts!

Don't be fooled, though: ridding your diet of sugar will not be an easy task. The 501 tips provided in the book may seem rather daunting at times. Luckily, Gittleman doesn't expect you to incorporate all of them into your life. She notes, "Even if you incorporate only one-tenth of the tips in this book, you're sure to reduce the sugar in your diet and change your life in a positive and noticeable way." So even if you find it's too difficult to give up your diet sodas, you can still improve your health by learning all the names sugar hides under (including tongue twisters such as xylitol, sorghum syrup, mannitol, and maltodextrin) and avoiding products that contain them. Some of Gittleman's suggestions, though, are not only simple, but fun. For example, you can substitute frozen grapes, raspberries, and blueberries for hard candy. This easy-to-read book even has 50 delicious recipes (how about Peanut Butter Muffins or "Gone Nutty" Frozen Bananas?) and a week's menu to get you started. So if you're ready to get going on "a satisfying, high-energy, low-sugar regimen," this just may be the book for you. --Jenny Brown