Sweet Nothing is Nicole Mowbray’s candid account of her relationship with sugar or her “unattractive story of gluttony” as she puts it.  Nicole Mowbray is an established writer and former editor of LIFE&STYLE and FEMAIL of the DAILY MAIL.

Whilst it is partly a memoir, documenting her journey of ditching the white stuff, one she does with extreme honesty, Sweet Nothing is also a guide to how we too can give up sugar and make the necessary changes to transform our lives.

Mowbray’s account of how she quit sugar comes at an appropriate time when sugar seems to be the health buzzword which is on all of our lips (literally!) Sweet Nothing isn’t a sugar-coated (excuse the pun) version of events. Mowbray reveals the evil truths behind this “white poison” as her dad so aptly describes it.

When she goes cold turkey, the horrific withdrawal symptoms she experiences are something that you would imagine a hardcore drug addict might be confronted with when they too quit their “white poison.”  The dizziness, excruciating headaches and lethargy are just a few of the unpleasant side effects which Mowbray is confronted with, highlighting just how dangerous sugar is.

Her account details how giving up sugar changes her life, improves her physical health and mental wellbeing, her relationships as well as her relationship with herself.  It is a powerful tale which includes interviews from experts including nutritionists, cardiologists and psychologists which both highlight the scientific facts behind sugar and how it affects our emotions.

Mowbray not only highlights how sugar (which you’d be surprised is present in so many foods and drinks that we consume daily thinking they are “healthy”) can have an impact on our social relationships but also points out the scary and damaging effects it can have on our bodies.  She also touches upon how we have become conditioned to associate sweet food with feeling good and through her own personal journey aims to re-educate and encourage people to think harder about their sugar consumption and the alternatives that are out there.

 Mowbray offers advice, expert tips as well as a number of recipes to help others embark on their sugar-free journey and succeed.  Her frank account is a powerful read for a generation suffering from an obesity epidemic.  

Buy Sweet Nothing here.

words by Rebecca Fairbrother