Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings--And 7 Steps to End Them Naturally

I've always struggled with sugary treat addiction! Cakes, cookies, ice cream and chocolate goodies. Not eating because I was hungry but for entertainment instead. I would trick myself into thinking I could have just a couple of cookies or one piece of cake and work it off later . . . . three cookies turned into a dozen. A piece of cake turned into half a cake. Then I didn't feel like working out later but instead have some more cake or make more cookies. Spiral down from there . . . . till I gained 20-25 lbs and had to buy new pants. After a few months I would feel disgusted with myself and go on a diet and work out obsessively until I lost some weight. Then the cycle would start again. Now that I've lost a few lbs I can have some cookies again. Aaaaahhh!!!!!! NO!!! What I learned in this book is how these things effect the brain and it's nothing to do with will power. Why tease myself with trying to have just a little of a treat which affected my body like a drug? Don't eat it at all and you won't crave it! I have been eating all the fruits, vegetables and complex carbs I want and feel full and satisfied. And, losing weight! It is so easy to maintain and lose weight just by not eating those sugary treats at all. It's like a weight has lifted from my shoulders. Especially when I think about how those foods made me feel after eating them. Guilty as hell and depressed only to eat more of it and continue the vicious cycle. This book has helped me tremendously and also provides some great recipes in the back!

Being a medical doctor and nutritionist, Neal Barnard explains the chemical reactions that take place in our brain and cause our bodies to crave or even worse become addicted to certain unhealthful foods. His remedy is most importantly, eating a proper breakfast with enough sustaining nutrients including protein and fiber to get you through to lunch, then eating a nutritious lunch to sustain you until dinner, and the same at dinner time. If you get the right amount and balance of nutrients at the proper times, your blood sugar will remain steady and you will no longer crave unhealthful foods and will also be well on the way to losing weight and disease prevention. Getting exercise and proper sleep, of course, are other important factor to health. At the back of the book, he includes a three week vegan kickstart menu which if followed will give you immediate health improvements and will train your taste buds to crave healthful foods instead of junk. It also includes a variety of tasty vegan recipes.

Information in the book is very good and documented and I believe the message Dr. Barnard has relayed. I have been eating a whole foods, plant based diet for over seven years now, so to me personally, the recipes were uninviting. If one is just starting out on this journey, the recipes probably will be a good start for experimenting and learning how to flavor vegetables and grains.

I have read this book and tried this diet and found it works for me. I am a sugaraholic and by eating high fiber whole grain plant based foods I have found my weight and size drops, my cravings disappear, I feel more energetic, AND I can literally gorge on these type foods and not gain weight, feel bloated or drowsy later. For example, the other day I stuffed myself on thawed frozen blueberries and a type of artisan bread called Muslix bread. These high fiber whole foods satisfies me in the exact way a candy bar satisfies me, but without feeling unhealthy and sleepy after, and I feel energetic, alert, and am losing weight in spite of eating this way. There are foods that taste great and are unhealthy and fattening, and there are foods that taste great and make you healthy. This book is all about finding good health and a healthy weight and still enjoying food while overcoming cravings. The research Dr Barnard has done using Narcan to block endorphins causing subjects to lose their cravings for certain foods like meat and sugar is especially revealing.

This book will disabuse you of many fallacies about food, nutrition and dieting. It is the best book I have read on nutrition. The book tells you in clear language what foods to eat and what foods to avoid. But far more importantly, it will equip you with the knowledge--backed up with scientific evidence--to break the food addiction. Some foods will increase cravings and induce you to further eat the wrong foods. Cravings and addictions are often at the root of poor nutrition. A person who smokes, usually knows smoking is bad for them, and a person who drinks too much usually understands it is deleterious to his health. Likewise, people who eat the wrong foods usually are aware they are not eating wisely. The problem is cravings and addictions drive their behavior. This book lives up to its title: Breaking the Food Seduction. You don't fight the cravings, you break the cravings. That is an important distinction and it is the thesis of this book. I am very glad I found this book. It helped me create healthier eating habits.

This low rating is not because of the books content. It is great. However it is due to my kindle version. I got to a certain point in the book and the section just keeps repeating over and over. I can go no farther in the book. I am very disappointed. I have never had a problem with my kindle like this. I don't know what to do. This is an addendum written the day after my first review. I don't know if the Kindle elves fixed the problem or the fact that I downloaded the item again did it but my problem is fixed. So no technical issues now. I love this book. I can finally see, step by step, how to convert to this lifestyle. Because let me tell you, I was feeling totally overwhelmed with the enormity (I thought) of doing it all at once. But the way Dr. Barnard breaks it down, it seems totally doable. His writing style is comfortable and even funny at times, like you are having a conversation with a favorite doctor. I totally recommend this book and thanks Dr. Barnard for writing it.

This is the best book I've ever read, ever. I feel like I never have to read another diet/health book again because this one here is so comprehensive and makes so much perfect sense backed up with medical proof. Dr. Barnard explains the chemistry of what happens with the food we consume and how we can switch our eating habits to maximize our health, fight/prevent disease, and shrink our waistline. I wish everyone would read this book. I got a copy from the library but I'm going to purchase it so I can share it with everyone I love.

I cant fully support Dr. Neal Bernard. His thought is to eat a TON of oatmeal in the am should sustain you till lunch etc etc. I just cant agree. So many dieters out there know that in order to not overeat you must eat several small meals in a day. And if you ever tried to eat THAT much oatmeal, even if you pull it through it will leave you starving by lunch. He makes some good points, getting alot of fruit and veggies and less meat will get you healthier. But to me going completely vegan and eating even more processed foods like soy burgers, soy milk etc isnt going to completely cover you. Sorry. It was an ok read.

Libro interessante che tratta bene l'argomento, anche se ripete cose già dette dall'autore in altri suoi libri. Consigliato.

Excellent book! A must read for anyone who would like to improve their health- both mentally and physically. Dr. Barnard shares a lot of useful information about why a whole foods, plant based diet is optimal for health. He shares why certain animal foods are actually addictive (i.e. cheese). This is a great choice for anyone who is transitioning to a vegan diet. He also provides information about how animal products effect women's health and I really appreciated that as it applies to so many women I know.

Neal Barnard is on of my favourite Authors. His books are enjoyable to read and I feel I can trust what he puts forward, partly because of his sources and partly because of the logic he always applies without bias.

Very interesting book, also very helpful to understand what "wrong" kind of food can cause in your body and why. The recipe part wasn't that helpful, but it's only because I don't eat gluten and a lot of recipes have gluten in it, but no point deduction for that.

I'm enjoying this book and have been on a plant based diet for two weeks now and I'm already feeling much better with more energy, less fatigue, less sore joints and an overall better sense of well being. If everyone went to a more plant based the world would be a better place!!