The Ninja Reader

...then this is probably the book for you.

Not gonna lie - I miss sugar. No, that's not correct. I miss being able to eat cake and not feel bad, but that's really more my problem than the book's.

I did Sarah's "I Quit Sugar" program last year after my dermatologist told me to change my diet (I was breaking out and it was BAD.) Originally, I was supposed to quit coffee, chocolate, fat, white bread... basically, live off carrots and lentils. Which, in France (where I was at the time) was pretty much heresy. So I found "I Quit Sugar", which focused on this one thing and put a huge emphasis on being gentle with yourself, (and you could eat fat. Fat, it turns out, is good for you in certain non-processed and deed-fried varieties.) I liked it. It had some nice things to say.

But the thing about sugar is that it is in everything, and even cooking for yourself can be bloody exhausting. Enter this cookbook, which I bought earlier this year in an attempt to vary up what I was making.

I reiterate: This is not a dieting book. It doesn't preach. It invites you to try things out for yourself and adapt as you go along. That's my problem, really - it's so gentle and non-confrontational I feel like a complete twat for not being able to follow through my own wellness intentions. Again, though, that says more about me than it does about the book.

I'm not sugar-free, and I'm not completely done with using food as emotional support (or actual support. I train a lot and sometimes I need the energy.) But since trying this out, here's the changes that have happened:

- I stopped drinking 2l of Coca Cola a day

- I stopped eating entire packets of biscuits in two sittings (sometimes, it was just one)

- I stopped eating huge bags of crisps in one sitting

- I discovered I like pumpkin and spinach, two things I absolutely detested

- I like all vegetables, actually

- I have an excellent excuse to feck skimmed milk

- I have sampled a great variety of teas

I also shop more "sustainably", which is another one of this book's main points. Food wastage is actually one of the worst things we do in Western countries, and this book has a ton of tips on using leftovers, cooking in such a way that you don't throw anything away, (such as using all of the chicken you buy, right down to the bones) and also gives excellent tips on preserves. 

Oh, and it has chapters on sweets and chocolate, which is a huge benefit. I plan on using some of the measures offered (like how much rice syrup to use in the place of sugar to make meringues) to try out in other recipes as well.

All in all, it's a good book to try out.

Note: if you are vegetarian, gluten-free or paleo, this book has recipes that are geared towards that, but not all of them. Sarah actually offers alternatives to make a recipe more paleo-friendly or vegan, but this is what you need to decide on for yourselves.