Nonfiction health and wellness/self-help books that work usually start with a solid foundation made up of 3 Elements: 1. Your Idea, 2. Your Method, Plan or Approach and 3. Your Structure or Table of Contents (TOC). These elements are essential whether you are just starting your book or need to revise it because it's not working.

Why 1-2-3?

In Part 1, I wrote about The ADHD Reset: Shift Your Mindset. Find Clarity. Unlock Your Magic by Claire Michalski, a book I edited last year. This time, I’ll be focusing on a book that I wrote with noted holistic physician Jacob Teitelbaum, MD: The Complete Guide to Beating Sugar Addiction where you’ll again see the value of 1-2-3.   

1-2-3: Idea, Method or Plan and Structure  

1.      The Idea: The Complete Guide to Beating Sugar Addiction. A noted holistic physician shares his unique and effective program for kicking sugar addiction.  

2.      The Method, Plan or Approach: In Dr. Teitelbaum’s practice he’d noticed the many ways that eating sugary foods and drinking sugar-laden drinks impacted the health of his patients. Over time, he also noticed that these patients seemed to fall into four specific categories: The Energy Loan Shark, Feed Me Now or I’ll Kill You, The Happy Ho-Ho Hunter and Depressed and Craving Carbs.

For each type, he’d noticed positive results when he treated the underlying causes of each type of sugar addict with unique treatment protocols that included diet, medication, supplements, and mind-body practices. In addition, Dr. Teitelbaum had noticed that sugar was linked to specific health problems from anxiety to sinusitis and developed effective treatment protocols for each one.  

The result was a plan that provided solutions for the 4 different types of sugar addicts and treatments for health problems that can result from sugar addiction

3.      The Structure or Table of Contents. Dr. Teitelbaum's plans for the different types of sugar addicts and for individual health problems caused by sugar addiction allowed the Structure or Table of Contents to evolve organically.

Take a look at the Table of Contents for The Complete Guide to Beating Sugar Addiction.

You'll see how the content is structured to lead the reader from where she is now to where she wants to be.

We set up the problem and provided solutions for all 4 types of sugar addiction and for specific health problems. This journey of transformation is key to a successful health and wellness/self-help nonfiction book.

Contents

Introduction: An Overview of Sugar Addiction

The Problem

Part I:

Chapter 1: Type 1 Sugar Addiction: The Energy Loan Shark. Chronically exhausted and hooked on quick hits of caffeine and sugar

Chapter 2: Type 2 Sugar Addiction: Feed Me Now or I’ll Kill You. When life’s stress has exhausted your adrenal glands

Chapter 3: Type 3 Sugar Addiction: The Happy Ho-Ho Hunter. Sugar cravings caused by yeast/candida overgrowth

Chapter 4: Type 4 Sugar Addiction: Depressed and Craving Carbs. Sugar cravings caused by your period, menopause, or andropause

Part II: The Solution

Chapter 5: Healing Practices for All Sugar Addicts

Chapter 6: Treatment for Type 1 Sugar Addicts: Use the SHINE Protocol to Repair Your Body

Chapter 7: Treatment for Type 2 Sugar Addicts: Support and Balance Your Adrenal Glands

Chapter 8: Treatment for Type 3 Sugar Addicts: Kill Sugar-Craving Candida

Chapter 9: Treatment for Type 4 Sugar Addicts: Rebalance Hormonal Fluctuations

Part III: Breaking the Sugar/Sickness Cycle: Treating Health Problems Associated with Sugar Addiction

Chapter 10: Anxiety

Chapter 11: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia

Chapter 12: Depression

Chapter 13: Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

Chapter 14: Heart Disease

Chapter 15: Hypothyroidism

Chapter 16: Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Spastic Colon

Chapter 17: Indigestion

Chapter 18: Migraines and Tension Headaches

Chapter 19: Obesity

Chapter 20: Osteoporosis

Chapter 21: Sinusitis

Recipes for the 4 Types

Appendix A: Treatment Plans Simplified

Appendix B: Glycemic Index Information

Appendix C: Finding a Practitioner

Appendix D: Resources

Your Turn

Think about your:

1. Idea. How can you define it to reflect your promise to the reader for positive change?

2. Method, Plan or Approach. What treatments do you use with clients or patients that yield positive results?

3. Structure (Table of Contents). How can you use your method, plan or approach to structure your book using the TOC from The Complete Guide to Beating Sugar Addiction as a guide? Write down these three steps and see what you come up with!

Are you a sugar addict? I’m a Happy Ho-Ho Hunter! Please share in the comments.

Until Next Time!

Contact me when you’re ready if you need:

1. A book coach to be your editorial guide, support and project manager as you write or re-write your book and/or book proposal.

2. A manuscript evaluation for a big picture, smallest detail overview.

3. A developmental editor to structure your book, and make the text clear, concise, and reader friendly.