Book 33 of My 2012 Goals

Eat for Joy by Srinivas Reddy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eat for Joy by Srinivas Reddy is not a cookbook, it is a book written so you understand eating or better put by the author, "have a relationship with food". I know it sounds weird but it isn't once you understand what the author is saying about Americans and their relationship with food. The author explains the difference between the American way of eating and those of other countries, why we are having problems managing our weight, and eating problems. But don't get me wrong, this isn't just a diet book, it is packed with information which some are even the results of studies done and/or reported by the medical community. Even if you don't have a weight problem you still eat and it doesn't matter if you are Vegan or not, I bet you will find something in this book interesting, I know I did.

When someone tells me forget about what the Dr. says regarding my weight, it gets my attention. Then I read on and realize that it makes total sense. Why is it that someone at this height should weigh this much? There are so many different things effecting each person including their own genetic makeup that it is impossible to throw everyone in one category and say that they should weigh this and if you are overweight then it is because you are over eating. I personally know for a fact that not all "fat" people over eat nor do they eat chocolate all day long, yet they don't lose weight no matter what they do. Then there are people like me who changed to a "healthy diet" instead of my processed foods and Lean Cuisines yet I gained weight. No matter how much fruit, salad, and healthy food I ate a week, I still gained or stayed the same. This really blew my mind! I mean I don't over eat. In fact, I only eat one meal a day....dinner at about 6 P.M. Yep, that was my problem. I was on the "Sumo Wrestler Diet". Well, not really their diet but that is how they 'bulk up', they starve their body all day and in the evening they eat. Since they ate at night they never burn off the calories they ate so their bodies store this excess as fat.

I also never really thought of my son as having a eating problem since he is skinny as a rail but this book opened my eyes to see that he too has a problem with food. He eats way too much food (even though it doesn't put weight on him). I never hear a Dr. saying a thing to him about his eating habits (as unhealthy as they are) or so much as to even ask him about his eating habits yet that is one of the first things they say to someone who weighs more than that chart on wall says they should. As the author points out, BMI Charts should be thrown out and the 'relationship' with food should be what is examined.

Do you know what food is? Do you know what healthy food is? I thought I did but learned I was wrong on several occasions. I am not saying I agree with everything in this book. For example, the author said that margarine is one molecule away from plastic, if you put it in your garage bugs wouldn't bother it, and it is not a food. The problem I have is with the "one molecule away from plastic". I remember an old email going around years ago with some of these same claims and the issue of it being almost plastic was addressed then. They said this wasn't true. In fact, I remember they said the molecules were arranged in long strains and that margarine and butter had a similar molecules so if margarine was just one molecule away, so was butter. However I do agree that margarine is not as good as I thought it was. I switched from butter to margarine years ago when we all heard about how 'bad' butter is for your health. Come to find out margarine is even worse. So even though I don't agree with everything said in the book, the information is there for each reader to make their own choice, do their own research, and make their own decisions.

Did I mention that this is not a boring book? The author makes it interesting and uses examples. Not only is food covered with the help from Katie, a fictional character used to make points, but everything from sex to Feng Shui. Food disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, and hoarding are covered. Oh yeah, can't forget the "Grandma Test" and feeding your child. All the environmental influences, how your house reflects your eating and so much more is covered. There is just so much information in this book and it doesn't matter if you have a weight problem or not, this book is about eating and it is something we all do. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

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