Sugar: friend or foe? A new book sets out to open your eyes to sugar, with a practical approach to food preparation and good food choice. Written by dietitian and physiologist Yvonne Webb, For Goodness' Sake, Let's Talk Sugar discusses behaviour around food intake and weight control, and the importance of sugars and other carbohydrates and their central role in maintaining the equilibrium of both the person and the Earth. The book takes a practical approach to food preparation and good food choice. It includes topics such as how taste buds work, ending the confusion about energy and kilojoules, reading and interpreting food labels, words that indicate a food contains sugar, the surprising role of leftovers for weight control, food production, budgeting and choosing recipes that match a lifestyle. Webb was particularly motivated to write the book when people - particularly newly diagnosed diabetics - visiting her clinic needed help with the what and how of managing their weight. "The book does not demonise any food, including sugar," she writes. "However, a food classified as 'good' does not give permission for unlimited intake." There's a wealth of knowledge and information in the book's pages. For starters, did you know it takes about three months to retrain our taste buds and establish permanent good nerve pathways. Or that the average human tongue has 2000-8000 taste buds; or that the average life of a taste bud is about 10 days. Webb even offers some recipes to stimulate your taste buds - and they sound delicious. She takes a look at sugar production and the various forms of sugar as well as non-nutritive sweeteners - not a favourite of the author who considers them as "just teasing your body with sweetness". There's also an explanation of what happens inside your body when you eat sugar - from the mouth to the south - and explanations for some of the more "unspoken" side-effects of eating. Think burps, farts and borborygmi (stumped me too, but it's the fancy word for tummy rumbles). We then enter a chapter titled The Kingdom of Carbohydrates. Surprisingly, it reveals that all carbohydrates can be considered as sugars in the general sense. A chapter devoted to insulin looks at what happens when your system malfunctions, diabetes and, importantly, getting to know an accredited dietitian and maintaining that relationship until you get the balance right for you. Want to know how to read food labels? There's a step by step guide to deciphering what it all means, as well as top tips on avoiding food marketing traps and a guide to wide sugar shopping. And a whole lot more. Sweet! For Goodness' Sake, Let's Talk Sugar - In Food Intake and Weight Control (Austin Macauley) RRP $27.75 through good online book retailers or from the author HERE