While scrolling through the titles on my Kindle I found several books with the word sugar in the title. Obviously at some point I was gung ho on eliminating sugar from my life. That is until they became buried behind other books that suddenly became more interesting.

These two books, Sugar Love by Rex Bonds and The 40 Day Sugar Fast by Wendy Speak address our addiction to sugar at different ends of the spectrum. Sugar Love attacks it from a scientific point of view. The 40 Day Sugar Fast looks at it from the spiritual side. For me, the combination of the two were exactly what I needed right now.

You see, recently the doctor told me my A1C was high and I was at risk of developing diabetes. I’ve been trying to eliminate carbohydrates from my diet but I struggled to understand what foods that meant. Sugar Love includes a list of what is sugar. It sneaks into our food with a long list of names, none of which are called sugar. I have been pretty good at reading the calorie counts on labels, now I have learned to read the ingredient list too.

The 40 Day Sugar Fast is a day at a time journey to eliminate sugar with prayer and guidance from God. The author asks us to examine all aspects of our lives and that addictions come in many forms, like alcohol, shopping, boredom and bad habits in general. She asks God to satisfy the unfulfilled need within us with prayer instead of filling it with cookies and cake. Why did this book speak to me?

I have been sober for 10 years. I will never forget that I asked God over and over again to help me stop my nightly wine splurge. And one day He did. I have never looked back. I thank Him every day.

If you are struggling with any kind of addiction, either of these books or both in tandem may help you change the trajectory of your life and set you on a different path leading to better health and spiritual contentment. Right now I am adding the information from these books into my daily routine. It’s a good place for me to start. I’m down 7 pounds already.