Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food (Includes CD)

I went through a diet program and profited by losing about fifty pounds. I learned quite a bit in the program (HMR, if you're interested). Many good books were mentioned: Ones on eating stuff with lots of hidden water that fill you up or weary your jaws or trick you visually. Ones where you can choose to eat all of this (lots) or eat this (tiny-portion with a stratospheric calorie count). Mindful Eating offers ideas that range from the humorous to the insightful. My deep love of the terse, laconic, brief prompt me to want to stop here..but afterthoughts need be addressed: First, I noticed that one of the reviewers dismissed Mindful Eating as too New Age for her tastes. The label fits (and for her the judgment stands) but if you are not put off by the title, the book merits a read. Second if you like the idea of being mindful in many ways get Thich Nhat Hanh's Present Moment, Wonderful Moment where he sketches out forty-seven activities we do everyday that can be made mindful. Third, the only activity not mentioned in Mindful Eating is eating with other human beings and talking to them which would technically be non-mindful but which would force us to eat more slowly and thus give our guts a chance tell our brains we are full.

I came upon this book accidentally in the new cook book section at the Carnegie library. I took a glance and the contents seemed interesting. So on my driving home, I listened to the guided mindfulness exercises CD that came with the book. This was not what I expected--my way home felt like a transformed journey to self discovery: the exercisers were simple, practical; the voice soothing; the effect, however, was profound. I was intrigued by how was it possible that our body would know the foods that we need at a particular point in time? I eagerly plunged into the book and read all about the seven kinds of hungers. I was very pleased for the insight I gained from the reading. This book inspires. The writing is lucid and thoughtful.

Bays is a medical doctor and a meditation teacher. The combination makes for a fine book. She shares scientific data and yet writes in a meditative style. Since eating is such a fundamental part of our living, bringing mindfulness to this daily function on average of three times a day affects your life generally. In Bays' words: "Awareness is the key. Our desire to be awake, to see clearly how our blind spots make us and others suffer, has to be stronger than our desire to live on automatic pilot. It's not a simple, once-made-always-kept decision. It's a decision we will face again and again." Bays doesn't present diets but instead gives simple practices which awaken awareness to the various hungers we experience (eye, nose, mouth, stomach, cellular, mind and heart), and to our particular habits and patterns with food. Then she presents guidelines for staying awake to our eating. These all allow needed change to take place naturally. I have found this book to be extremely helpful and I highly recommend it.

I recently discovered this book during my winter break! I'm in college and have been struggling with binge/stress-eating. Somehow during first year I picked up the habit of turning to food to cover up my emotions, to the point that I didn't know how to cope without food. I had been binging frequently (at least 3x a week) during my break until I had read this book. I did the first exercise (Basic Mindfulness Meditation) and was surprised by how I could be satisfied with so little! I have not binged since then (about a week) and am able to eat till my satisfied, not stuffed! The CD is great too - very relaxing and easy to follow. Thank you, Jan!!!

I have been honored to have Dr. Bays as a Zen teacher for many years and this book is a stellar example of how gifted she and others in the Zen community have become. Our American relationship to food seems to have been more food-as-fuel than any particular enjoyment. No surprise that fast food is so popular. I have used this book's methods in my own life and have far better health and considerable weight loss in my mid-60's. Many of the ways to engage the senses in this book ask us to slow down and truly enjoy what we are eating. I've taught several classes using this book and examples of how to eat more joyfully. Response nearly always is "oh, I never imagined food could be this good".

I really enjoyed the book for the perspective it provided. The book was entertaining, engaging, and broadened my awareness when it came to my own eating habits. However, I do have to warn for anyone that has struggled with a restrictive eating disorder needs to take much of what is said with a grain of salt. The book still is geared toward's restriction, and some of the exercises in another context would look very similar to the habits practiced by those with restrictive eating disorders. The "less is more" tone is likely fitting given the majority of readers are likely having trouble with over consumption as opposed to under, but some of the information contained could be taken as suggestions to further restrict (which I am sure was not Dr. Chozen Bay's intention). Again - a great read for all, but be mindful and aware when applying the suggestions to your own habits.

This book captures my attention in the first chapter. Not only does it immediately relate to you and your struggles if you are suffering from a lack of mindful eating, but it gives you simple tools and shows you how to ground yourself if you're feeling lost or out of control and start from the basics giving yourself the power to feel at peace and leave you wanting to grow more. You are made to feel just how important your health is over carious idealizations when reading this. I strongly suggest this book to people that are struggling with an eating disorder of any kind. You won't be disappointed.

I find it difficult to rate this book .She's a great writer and knows her subject, but when I tried to read it from beginning to end, I was bored and couldn't make it through. On the other hand, there are some invaluable gems in this book. Things that have changed my way at looking at food, and I found myself skimming and highlighting some important passages. I'd recommend it on that alone.

Une vision originale et très pédagogique de notre rapport à la nourriture. C'est en fait la pleine conscience appliquée à l'alimentation. Dommage qu'il n'y ait pas, comme dans la version anglaise, le CD d'exercice.

muy bien el lbro y me da resultado. está muy bien, lo recibí a tiempo, con el CD y ya esque solo la idea te mentaliza, a mi me está funcionando porque desde que dejé de fumar lo pagaba con la comida...

The book has arrived And it’s perfect it looks like new! Unbelievable! Thank you so much!

If you eat you should read this book. If you know a friend or relative with an eating problem , you should get this book for them , or advise them to get it. The author is a Doctor that specializes in food disorders therapy , and she examines the over and under consumption of food from every angle you may have thought of , and then addresses a plethora of concepts that have never occurred to you. For instance , have you ever wondered why fancy restaurants tend to show you the beautifully prepared desert cart at your table? After all , you have just finished the main meal and it is unlikely that you are still hungry , but they entice you by appealing to your EYES , not your stomach. Think for a minute on the phrase " That looks good ! " , what the heck is happening there. With obesity epidemic in North America and the developed world this is enlightening for all. Also it will be invaluable to anorexics. Easy to read , the final chapter brings it all together in a way that will empower you and change your life. In an effort to demonstrate her commitment to help , the book considerately includes an audio CD in a sleeve at the rear of the book. I can not recommend this book highly enough , it will enable you to be both healthier and happier .

This is an excellent book on Mindfulness, with a focus on developing a better relationship with food. First, it must be said this is not a diet book. This book promises no amazing weight-loss/gain results through some fad diet or exercise regimen that you take up and drop as soon as the going gets tough. This book is not about changing the outside problem - the particular foods you eat or the fitness routine you adopt. This book is about developing Mindfulness. It is about bringing compassionate, loving awareness to yourself and to the world around you. It's about paying attention to your life, and actually living your life, rather than letting it slipping by unnoticed. As with all Mindfulness practice, the purpose is to develop moment-to-moment, non-judgemental awareness in your life; the benefits that may come in terms of weight-gain/loss, a healthier lifestyle, a reduction in stress, etc. are all 'fringe benefits' to the main practice. Imagine that - rather than, for example, taking up walking in the park to 'get fit', doing it for a few days, finding it hard, getting fed up with it, and then quitting - you took up exploring a local park, looking around to see what there is to see, enjoying the different trees and flowers, breathing in the fresh air, and feeling the warm sunshine or cool rain on your skin. You'd still get the benefits of all the walking you'd be doing, you'd still improve your fitness, but you'd not actually notice you were exercising, because your focus and your attention would be on appreciating what was going on around you. So it is with Mindfulness. You practice Mindfulness to practice Mindfulness; everything else that happens - much though it is - is just a pleasant bonus. Bays takes her experiences, both as an MD and as a Zen teacher, and combines them to offer a programme of Mindfulness meditation practices that anyone can engage with to develop a healthier relationship with food. Mindful Eating looks at the range of issues currently plaguing our society - from overeating and obesity, to anorexia and bulimia. This is not to say one has to sit at the extremes of this range to benefit from this book; anyone can benefit from using Mindfulness to enrich their experience and appreciation of food. If you already know or have experience with Mindfulness meditation, then a good deal will be familiar to you - the basic principles of moment-to-moment, non-judgemental awareness remain. But the emphasis on eating and food, so relevant in today's fast-food-focussed, body conscious society, allows for a deeper exploration of that particular area of life. If you haven't any previous knowledge or experience with Mindfulness, this book provides all you need to fully understand the principles involved. Mindful Eating is a simple, though sometimes challenging, practice, and there is no need for prior knowledge of Mindfulness for you to grasp the fundamentals. Using a combination of explanations, examples, experiments, studies, and audio guided meditations*, Bays encourages you, at your own pace, to develop a greater and deeper quality of relationship with food and eating. As such, this book isn't about taking up the latest craze or fad diet, or latching on to the current popular celebrity workout - many of which work for only a few people, leaving the rest feeling disheartened and worse than before; it's about becoming more aware of yourself, of the world around you, and about developing your innate capacity for loving and taking care of yourself in the way that's right for you; it's about changing your relationship with your food, and your life, for the better. *NOTE - Don't worry that the paperback copy includes a CD of guided meditations, which isn't included on the Kindle edition. Inside the book the author gives a link to online mp3 versions of the tracks for those who need them - just use your Kindle to search for 'download' within the book to find the link.