cynosure

I’ve read quite a few books on eating– emotional eating, eating disorders, mindful eating. Maybe not a lot, but enough that some have helped me absolutely transform myself and others have left me completely unchanged.

These books are specific to emotional and mindful eating, not sustainable eating or food (that’s for a whole other post!). So if you’ve ever struggled with emotional eating, negative body image, bingeing & overeating, mindless eating, or you simply eat out of distraction sometimes, read on.

(And don’t forget to check out my own article on sane, yummy, mindful eating: How to Eat as Enjoyably, Healthily, and Sanely as Possible.)

1. Breaking Free from Emotional Eating
   by Geneen Roth

   This book arrived on my doorstep one Saturday spring morning in March two years ago. And the week that I read it was the first week in my whole life that I ate when I was hungry, and only because I was hungry, and did not binge.

   Then that magical week ended and I spent a couple years truly learning to eat intuitively.

   That is to say, no book is a panacea. No one action is a panacea. However, this book opened my mind to ideas absolutely radical to me back then: Love yourself. Take care of your body. And… believe it or not, trust your body, and actually eat when you’re physically hungry.

   This was the one book that first opened my eyes.

   Now, I’m going to be frank: your results may vary. I don’t know how some will take to Geneen’s approach– it’s very soft, emotional, and loving, which isn’t for everyone. But for many of the women I’ve met (not to say it won’t help all you men out there, too!), this book has been absolutely life-changing.

2. Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship with Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling
   by Anita A. Johnston, Ph.D.

   This lovely book is filled with stories and metaphors that are specific to females (sorry, boys!). It is unexpectedly filled with absolute epiphanies through ingeniously weaved myths.

3. When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair: 50 Ways to Feel Thin, Gorgeous, and Happy (When You Feel Anything But)
   by Geneen Roth

   Not so much a book as a list of chapters/tips that just make so much sense. I’m trivializing it, but honestly some of the chapters in here really hit me (like learning to be present, acting as if it’s already broken, and of course, never, never dieting!). A fun book that will help you with emotional eating and body image much, much more than you’d think.

4. One Bowl: A Guide to Eating for Body and Spirit
   by Don Gerrard

   Mr. Gerrard’s method to mindful eating is a little bit unconventional compared to the others– he suggests eating everything out of one bowl, “hunting” in your kitchen for what you really want to eat (it’s pretty fun, actually!), etc. His book was first published back in the 1970s, and this is a new edition for a new millenium of mindful eaters!

   Though I haven’t chosen to completely adopt his method, his book is filled with valuable nuggets and advice on how to eat more mindfully that anyone can take away. Definitely a book for anyone who wants to learn how to eat more mindfully and enjoyably!

5. The Food and Feelings Workbook: A Full Course Meal on Emotional Health
   by Karen R. Koenig

   This is kind of a book for those with eating disorders. I say kind of because really it’s a book for everyone, but I first encountered it in the realm of eating disorder recovery. But really, this book will help anyone who feels that they have any issues, big or small, with eating emotionally.

6. Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time
   by Pavel Georgievich Somov, Ph.D.

   More tips manifested as chapters in the form of a book. Helpful for anyone who wants to stop overeating and eat more mindfully!

7. Meal by Meal: 365 Daily Meditations for Finding Balance Through Mindful Eating
   by Donald Altman

   Oh, how I wish this were just a day-to-day calendar! This book is filled with a daily quote and reminder/realization to help you eat more mindfully every single day.

8. When Food Is Love: Exploring the Relationship Between Eating and Intimacy
   by Geneen Roth

   This book is not for everyone, but you will be able to learn a lot from it especially if your eating habits have manifested as a result of the effects of your relationships– with your family, with lovers, with parents, with friends. Geneen, in the context of her own life, explores the connections between how we eat and how we love.

What DIDN’T work for me: A surprising whole lot of books, that’s all I’ll say. I’ve read every single one of Geneen Roth’s books, and I still think Breaking Free from Emotional Eating and When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair are the best. I’ve read books on overcoming eating disorders and learning how to eat mindfully written by professionals and they’ve done nothing for me, usually because the author him/herself has never actually experienced any eating problems in his/her own life. Still, that doesn’t mean they won’t have merit for someone else; however, I’m not going to mention them here.

In the end, since we are each an individual, these books may or may not as life-impacting to you as they were for me… but if they were, let me know!

(This list may be updated in the future if I ever discover even better books!)

Bonus: If you click on any of these links and order from Amazon, not only will you be getting a great book that will change your life, I’ll get a few cents that’ll help feed me this month, so I can live another day to write– hurrah!

And since I own each of these books, look out because I’ll be giving away one of them sometime in the near future to a lucky reader!

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I want you to throw away everything you’ve heard, read, seen on TV about nutrition and eating– carbs are good, carbs are bad, eat three meals, eat six small meals, eat protein, never eat sweets– and read this.

What I’m about to tell you is common sense. It’s also called mindful eating.

The problem is that the U.S. and many other developed countries lacks a unifying cuisine other than burgers, fries, and processed food. That unifying cuisine that we lack is what guides other cultures to their, at this point, natural food choices.

Which has led to what Michael Pollan calls our national eating disorder.

I love food. I love eating it, reading about it, purchasing it, digesting it. But I’ve had issues with eating normally before, and there seems to be nary a female (or male!) in this day and age who hasn’t.

So stop depriving yourself of anything.

I promise you that if you eat like this every day, you will eventually shift to your natural weight, size, and body composition– which is unique for every individual– WITHOUT dieting or depriving, WHILE eating what you want… and you will be a lot happier for it.

How to Eat

As enjoyably, healthily, and sanely as possible.

1. Wait until you’re hungry.

But what is hungry? Many of us don’t eat when we’re hungry. We eat when we’re bored; we eat when we’re watching a movie; we eat when we’re with friends, without asking ourselves– and our stomach– first.

Am I hungry? Or how about: What is hunger?

What does being hungry feel like?

Hunger is not depression or sadness; hunger is not the desire to celebrate by eating cake. Hunger is not the will to go numb after work with an open fridge.

Hunger is the body’s need for sustenance, not the mind’s.

After all, hunger is the best seasoning. Food tastes a million times better when your stomach is actually yearning for it.

2. Eat exactly what you want when you are hungry.

And make sure it’s ABSOLUTELY exactly what you want. (As long as you don’t have any related allergies/illnesses, of course.) Don’t think about how many calories are in it (and not all calories are created equal anyway, so the fact that diet soda has zero calories doesn’t mean anything) or its nutritional content. If anything, ponder how it makes you feel afterwards– will it give you energy or leave you crashing in ten minutes?

Just ask yourself: Is this exactly what I want to eat? Will it satisfy my hunger and my appetite right now?

Fulfill your cravings when your body is hungry, and you will never feel deprivation or the need to binge.

If you want chocolate cake for dinner, don’t eat a “normal” meal just so you can get to the dessert– just eat what you really want to eat. Granted, you might realize after eating dessert as dinner for a few nights in a row that your body yearns for some real food (i.e. fruits and vegetables), and you might naturally want to eat something else eventually. Adjust accordingly for your own health, but truly strive to satisfy your own cravings at all times.

I’ve eaten chocolate for dinner and ice cream for breakfast– when my stomach was empty and my body was hungry. I eventually realized that that wasn’t what my body was hungry for or needed, but I still was able to satisfy my appetite first and then shift, not because any sort of diet told me to, but because I realized my body needed real food.

3. Sit down and enjoy your food.

Now that you’ve waited until you’re hungry to eat exactly that tasty food that you want to eat… why would you waste this delicious moment by doing something else (watching TV, surfing the web, reading, zoning out completely, driving)?

That’s not to say, “never eat and read”. But when you do eat, just eat.

Pay attention to what you’re eating. Savor every delicious morsel. Stay in the present moment, don’t think about anything, concentrate on the food. Eat and savor as slowly and carefully as you can. Remember to chew. Remember to taste your food. Really, truly enjoy the blessing of being able to eat food when you’re hungry.

Pause between each bite. Feel the textures of the food in your mouth.

Eat with awareness, with mindfulness. Be conscious of every action– lifting the food to your mouth, chewing. Observe the textures, tastes, colors of what you’re eating.

As long as you do have food to eat, truly make the most out of the experience.

4. Stop when you’re full– or 70% full.

That’s it. When you feel yourself getting full– or 70% full– stop. The 70% suggestion is so that you never feel bogged down by the deliciousness in your stomach. And it’ll be kinder on your digestive system, as well. Oftentimes, we stuff ourselves silly without realizing that digestion actually exhausts our system.

Don’t pressure yourself to clean your plate. In fact, don’t clean your plate at all unless you’re actually ravenous enough. (Especially not at most restaurants, those portions are ridiculous.)

Just eat until you are pleasantly satisfied. Ideally, before you feel like you’re bursting through the seams. It takes our stomachs 20 minutes to really feel full, after all. Wait 20 minutes and sip water to test if you’re still hungry.

And finally… 5. Enjoy digesting.

What? You mean this, this utter enjoyment of eating, it’s not over yet?

Nope. As long as you’re eating, might as well enjoy the aftermath. Try to be conscious of how the food feels going through your body, as you absorb the energy you consumed. Take a walk… or not.

Just be aware.

And feel the beautiful cycle after digesting: your stomach emptying, eventually feeling hungry again…

Then, repeat.

(Note: Some parts of this might not apply to those with certain dietary restrictions or diseases, so if you think you’re one of them, check out a medical professional first before changing your eating habits!)

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