A big, big thank you goes out to the wonderful Jessica at Random House Canada for sending me this book.
TITLE: The End of Overeating
AUTHOR: David A. Kessler, MD
GENRE: Non fiction
RATING: 4 Stars
Overeating and compulsive eating are subjects that are very, very close to my heart. There has been many, many books written on the subject and I can tell you that I have probably read at least 70% of them. I am on a constant quest to better undersand my eating disorder and although I am a firm believer in the 12 step programs as the most important foundation in my recovery from my disorder, I am also looking to better understand how we (I) got to this place in the first place.
Food, a long, long time ago was about fueling your body. Somewhere along the line, it become about everything but fueling your body and this is an aspect that I have been extremely interested in understanding better. Why is it that my brain gets captivated by a Big Mac and yet, could not be less interested in a juicy red apple???
After compulsively reading Dr. Kessler's book, The End of Overeating, I feel as though I now better understand myself and some of my compulsions.
First off, I like that Dr. Kessler firmly states that overeating is not about willpower. Unfortunately, there are still too many books out there that tell you that its all about how strong (or weak) you are! Dr. Kessler has done extensive, extensive research into the foods we eat and, more specifically, what is in the foods that we enjoy so much. One of the most interesting aspect, for me, is that he basically tells us that these great tasting foods that we so enjoy (Big Mac anyone?) is actually more of a well-thought out plan by big business to give us foods that our brains (bodies) end up craving. A well combined amount of too much of everything (salt, sugar, fat)and if we eat enough of it, eventually our bodies and our minds tell us that we can not live without these foods. Basically, big business has turned our food into a craving.
I have seen this enough times, especially when I go to the US. I remember sitting at a restaurant and looking over their menu and realizing that they had managed to take a perfectly healthy and natural food (I wish I could remember the food item now) and turning it into a potentially deadly weapon. Somehow it had been deep fried, sugared and covered with whip cream!!!
Kessler gives us an amazing amount of facts and for instances of how normal, healthy food has become anything but and we appear to be continuing in this horrible direction.
What I really liked about The End of Overeating is that Kessler shares many stories of people and their food struggles. He evens owns up to his own indiscretions with food and I really appreciated his honesty about his addictions to food. I like that this man was writing a book about this subject, but that he was, in no way, telling us that he had all the answers.
I even loved the cover which basically depicts very clearly the theories he is putting forward (and which I happen to agree with). As someone who struggles with food, I have found that I feel at my healthiest when I stay away from ANY processed food and stick to the more basic foods. Unfortunately, this also means that I have to spend more time cooking (which I HATE). But I have to say that somehow I feel much healthier after eating a boiled potatoe that after eating french fries.....
This book is a must read for anyone who struggles with food. You will never look at a Big Mac in quite the same way again.
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