Book Review: Women Food and God by Geneen Roth

Summary:

If you suffer about your relationship with food--you eat too much or too little, think about what you will eat constantly or try not to think about it at all--you can be free.  Just look down at your plate. The answers are there.  Don't run.  Look.  Beacuase when we welcome what we want most to avoid, we contact the part of ourselves that is fresh and alive.  We touch the life we truly want and evoke divinity itself.

Review:
This non-fiction book is not a "diet book" or even really about food.  It's about feeling and dealing with your feeling in a constructive way instead of overeating or eating mindlessly. 

I read Women Food and God for work and I really enjoyed it.  Geneen Roth presents her material in a thoughtful, insightful way.  She includes anecdotes from her compulsive eating retreats as well as her own journey with dieting, weight gain and triumph over compulsive eating.

The only eating guidelines presented in the entire book are as follows:

Eat when you are hungry.
Eat sitting down in a calm environment.  This does not include the car.
Eat without distractions. Distractions inlcude radio, television, newspapers, books, intense or anxiety-producing conversations or music.
Eat what your body wants.
Eat until you are satisfied.
Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others.
Eat with enjoyment, gusto and pleasure.

Some people will undoubtedly be disappointed or offended by the author's depiction of God.  She does not describe God as the Judaeo-Christian Heavenly Father, but rather as whatever higher power the reader believes in.  I was able to overlook this, but some people may not.

If you're looking for a diet book with menus, meal plans, and specific instructions, you'll be disappointed. If you're ready to stop eating mindlessly, get in touch with your body, feel comfortable in your own skin, and be conscious of what you're eating, Women Food and God is the book for you.

Just One Gripe:
It took about 100 pages for me to really get into the book. 

The Best Thing About This Book:
The "inquiry" section, about listening to your body.

Score: