--- product_id: 8586088 title: "Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity Paperback – January 1, 2008" brand: "kathleen desmaisons ph.d." price: "€ 22.82" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.ie/products/8586088-potatoes-not-prozac-solutions-for-sugar-sensitivity-paperback-january-1 store_origin: IE region: Ireland --- # Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity Paperback – January 1, 2008 **Brand:** kathleen desmaisons ph.d. **Price:** € 22.82 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity Paperback – January 1, 2008 by kathleen desmaisons ph.d. - **How much does it cost?** € 22.82 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ie](https://www.desertcart.ie/products/8586088-potatoes-not-prozac-solutions-for-sugar-sensitivity-paperback-january-1) ## Best For - kathleen desmaisons ph.d. enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted kathleen desmaisons ph.d. brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity Paperback – January 1, 2008 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91xfoeoVoyL.jpg) ![Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity Paperback – January 1, 2008 - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91dYYtnDY+L.jpg) ![Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity Paperback – January 1, 2008 - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31QZ2-bNE-L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Simple, Brilliant and Powerful *by D***O on Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2004* "Potatoes not Prozac" is a cutesy name for a truly wonderful book that will help millions of people heal their bodies and their lives. Her concept of "sugar sensitivity" and her 7-step treatment plan will enable readers to understand and recover from addiction to foods, drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. People who have failed repeatedly at sobriety or weight loss can succeed with this plan, as thousands have already.Kathleen des Maisons learned about the importance of sugar through her work as a drug and alcohol treatment counselor. She was having the usual low success rate in helping people stay off alcohol. Then she discovered how certain foods lead to addiction to alcohol and drugs, as well as being addictive themselves.She found that nearly all alcoholics lived largely on pasta, white breads and sweet things. She knew what they were suffering. Her own father drank himself to death at age 51, and she herself weighed 240 pounds and had had problems with drinking. When she discovered the benefits of a diet high in protein and vegetables for herself, she started using it with her clients. Her success rates soared, even with the hardest cases.She realized that addictive behavior has a lot to do with food, and that sugar was the primary culprit. She believes that some people are born "sugar-sensitive," which means they don't have enough serotonin or beta-endorphin in their brains. Serotonin and beta-endorphin make us feel secure, stable, confident, cheerful. If you have low levels of these chemicals, you are likely to feel badly.Sugar and alcohol raise your serotonin and beta-endorphin levels. So they make you feel better and more energetic, especially if your levels were low to start with. Unfortunately, eating concentrated sugars or refined carbohydrates causes a rebound effect. Your sugars levels drop quickly, you feel worse than before, and you need more sugar, caffeine or alcohol to pick back up.Pretty soon you're addicted. You feel alternately great and miserable. The sugar swings stress your adrenal glands. You blame yourself for being out of control and unfocused, for putting on weight or drinking, but actually it's the sugar. It's a physical problem, although emotions do play a part.Getting off sugar is difficult. Our food supply is awash in sugars and simple carbs. They can't be avoided. Des Maisons gives us a practical strategy based on 12-step recovery programs. Her seven steps are1. Keep a food journal every day2. Eat three meals a day at regular intervals3. Take Vitamin C, B complex, and zinc4. Eat enough protein at each meal5. Move from simple to complex carbohydrates, or from "white foods" to "brown" and "green" foods. "Brown" refers to things like whole grains and beans. "Green" means vegetables, of whatever color.6. Reduce or eliminate sugars (including alcohol)7. Create a plan for maintenance.She doesn't spell out a diet or recommend a lot of supplements or medications. She says that, using her steps, each person can figure out for herself what is best for her body to eat. She wants you to go through the 7 steps slowly, not to get impatient and rush ahead. The idea is to build a better relationship with your body and with food, to learn how food relates to your physical and emotional feelings.Des Maisons writes with a compassion that comes from living with sugar addiction herself. Chapter 3 is called, "It's Not Your Fault." (I also use that title in my book, "The Art of Getting Well: Maximizing Health When You Have a Chronic Illness.") Her plan is based on "abundance, not deprivation." This means you focus more on adding good things (foods, exercise, prayer, pleasure etc), rather than giving things up. She keeps telling us to be gentle with ourselves, to focus on "progress, not perfection." She also has a great sense of humor and an apparent affection for potatoes."Potatoes not Prozac" also gives a very clear explanation of the biochemistry of addiction. She explains how serotonin and beta-endorphin are produced, get to the brain, and are regulated there, and how our food affects all those processes. She cites more than 50 studies in support of her ideas, although most of them are animal studies.I disagree with Des Maisons on a couple of points. I don't think sugar-sensitivity is all in your genes. Your early environment, including the environment in your mother's uterus, makes a big difference. Also, I'm pretty sure that too much stress or too sugary a diet at any time in your life can create sugar-sensitivity or something very much like it.I would have liked to see more on why, where, and how to get help. She mentions the need for support several times, but doesn't give much specific advice on finding it or asking for it. Reading The Art of Getting Well or Cheri Register's "The Chronic Illness Experience" will give you those skills. I also would have liked to see more on exercise. Des Maisons pretty much just says, "go do it!" Hopefully, that will be good enough for you, because physical activity is just as important as diet change, in my experience.But these are small complaints. The author's brilliant insights into sugar and addiction, her clear explanations of difficult concepts, her simple but effective treatment plan, and her generous and positive spirit make this book a treasure that can help with a wide variety of health and life issues. It's wonderful.David Spero RN wwwdotdavidsperoRNdotcom ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Lifesaver *by S***N on Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024* This woman has done extensive research. I found her at age 50 and at 73 am still working the program. It works, if you want it to. Just remember no one is perfect, BUT your life can be better. I call it getting the sugar monkey off my back. Sugar is addicting and this is why we crave it. Binge it. Do you want to be free?I'm not talking about losing weight. I'm talking about being free. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars Life changing information *by J***. on Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2022* I loved how the author explained in simple terms the science of what is happening in the sugar sensitive brain with depression. I felt as if she was my friend and knew me. I have already figured out sugar and all grains (doesn’t matter white or brown) feed my sugar addiction. I can’t do her program to a T cause I can’t eat grains, but I will implement the potato before bed and sugar free diet. I have already been doing it off and on for years (minus the potato before bed) but still struggle with relapse. After a few weeks off refined sugar and following nothing else my depression is always Much better, but then when I fall off wagon it comes back. I’m am grateful for this author and the knowledge she shared and I feel everyone needs to read this who has depression and sugar addiction. Even if they don’t follow “rules” to a T it’s helpful to understand your brain chemistry. The only reason I did not give it five stars there’s many people who can also not eat grains and I do not feel like the book addresses that. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ie/products/8586088-potatoes-not-prozac-solutions-for-sugar-sensitivity-paperback-january-1](https://www.desertcart.ie/products/8586088-potatoes-not-prozac-solutions-for-sugar-sensitivity-paperback-january-1) --- *Product available on Desertcart Ireland* *Store origin: IE* *Last updated: 2026-05-24*