The Healing Secrets of Food: A Practical Guide for Nourishing Body, Mind, and Soul

Books that deal with preventative health issues are of great interest to me because I learn so much and my life always improves. This is one of those books that is not boring, but such a great joy to read. A physician friend recommended it because it deals with the whole issue of how and where we eat and not just what we should eat. Part Two chapter two is one of my favorite chapters because it deals with the healing secret of socializing and the "French paradox" which is all about how eating at an hour and with others, that best suits the individual is healthier, and that communing which is where the term communion comes from, helps a person to not overeat and to better digest one food because when we eat amongst those we like, we tend to eat slower and we tend to eat better or healthier foods as well. The story shared in this chapter about the midnight meal is well worth the price of the book itself.Chapter Seven titled The Healing Secret of Optimal Food is wonderful because it deals with eating healthy whole foods and not getting sucked into believing good food needs to be difficult to prepare or fancy in any way. That having a bowl of fresh apples, oranges, kiwi, bananas, peaches, grapes etc and eating some with pleasure and passion does wonders for the senses. Or a simple fresh spinach salad with lemon juice and oil dressing and cutting off some fresh slices of hearty rustic bread to eat with the salad can be like dining at a quaint café in the French Alps. Or how about some garbonzo beans (chickpeas) with fresh tomato and steamed shrimp with a vision of a Greek seaside café? The book also speaks of meats and how to choose them wisely and prepare them so they retain their goodness. And eating meat in smaller servings like the French, Italians, Greeks and Asians do, which is more as a condiment in many ways. I was also pleased to read the "Asian Wisdom" section that spoke of how some eat congee which is a soup for breakfast since we eat soup for breakfast a lot. Or even vegetable stir fry. Come to think of it, the books great value for me, was how it kindly pointed out to Americans that other cultures have a great deal of wisdom to share when it comes to eating well and not being unfit or fat.

Because I tend to overeat, I've had a weight issue my entire life. Because of this, I've turned food, eating and nutrition into a kind of hobby, second only to dieting, my #1 hobby and pastime. I read whatever I can about food to find out what's healthiest. After reading The Healing Secrets of Food, the way I've thought about food my entire life has begun to shift--ever so subtly. For instance, I'm actually eating less fast food, and instead of "inhaling" my food, I've begun to take the time to slow down when I'm eating. And I tune into my feelings. Slowly, somehow I'm focusing less on dieting and instead, I sometimes actually taste my food and enjoy it. Also, I've always wanted to meditate, but don't seem to find the time. With Kesten's tips and new ways of thinking about food, I've decided to use the times I eat as a chance to meditate. And all this has happened without much effort. This book is filled with fascinating insights about food that I've never thought about before, and it's already changing my life. Not drastically. But enough to begin to make a positive difference. I'm amazed at the difference this book has already made in my life. And I think you will be too. It's not just about the healing secrets of food. It's also about the healing secrets of life.

This book explores a subject that has for too long been overlooked by much of nutritional science and medicine. Kesten adeptly merges ancient food wisdom with modern science to reveal nutritional truths that have served humankind for centuries. I recommend it to everyone. Read this book and be open to the excitement of discovering the affect that food and and feelings, mindfulness, appreciation, love, and dining with people we enjoy, have on your health and well-being. In this age of shifting, confusing, often-conflicting nutrition information and beliefs, Deborah Kesten reveals an old/new way of thinking about food, nutritional science, and optimal health--not only for the body, but also mind, and soul. Deborah Kesten is a consummate scholar, an innovative thinker who cuts through the nutrition maze to reveal the latest evidence linking food to health on many levels. At the same time, she calls for a bold new integration of Western nutritional science, Eastern healing systems that include nutrition, and ancient food wisdom. This book is long overdue, a treasure for anyone who is weary of the food and nutrition wars, and who prefers to enjoy the food they eat each day.

The Healing Secrets of Food takes you on an extensive, self-exploring journey that reveals the core ingredients of optimal eating; what Kesten describes as "nutritional truths": feelings, mindfulness, appreciation, connection/love, socializing, and optimal foods.I am a research scientist and my studies on lifestyle and health have been published in medical journals ranging from the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet to Psychosomatic Medicine. Because of my work, I am quite knowledgeable about scientifically credible food and nutrition information, and in my opinion, the insights and advice in Kesten's book create an exemplary, worthy model of what nutritional science ought to be.Of the many books and articles I have read about food, nutrition, and optimal eating, The Healing Secrets of Food is by far the most balanced, timely, and innovative. While remaining scientifically credible throughout, the author calls upon ancient food wisdom that has served humankind for millennia. Kesten has brilliantly synthesized nutrition insights from Western nutritional science, Eastern healing systems that include nutrition (such as traditional Chinese medicine), and what she calls "timeless food wisdom" from world religions and cultural traditions. By eliminating unimportant dietary details, the ideas that are most helpful stand out more clearly. Ultimately, what emerges is a complete, scientifically credible, detailed and practical nutrition program that has the power to heal body, mind, and soul...literally.I found myself especially impressed by the way in which Kesten turned to credible Western research and studies to verify the healing power of the food and nutrtion secrets she reveals. Indeed, in the foreword, Dean Ornish, M.D., tells us that "it is rare to find someonw who can skillfully walk the tightrope between scientifically proven nutritional concepts and those that are more dificult to prove yet are often even more meaningful. In The Healing Secrets of Food, Deborah Kesten has done just that."Ultimately, this is a book that can help you nourish every aspect of your being each time you eat. Unlike many food, nutrition, and diet books that are aimed at helping you find "the answer" for weight loss or feeling better, The Healing Secrets of Food shows you not only what to eat for health and well-being, but also how to eat for weight loss and optimal health. In this way, it provides a multi-dimensional, comprehensive eating style and way of life that can enhance your physical, emotional, spiritual, and social health every time you eat.Many people will find Kesten's personal experiences with the healing secrets fascinating, and the tips at the end of each chapter, incredibly practical and useful. I certainly did. Much of the work is based on a successful seminar that the author has been teaching and researching over the years, so the practical suggestions have a lot of experience and substance behind them. Whether you are grappling

Nutritionist/author Deborah Kesten invites the reader on an alchemical journey to discover The Healing Secrets of Food-a remarkable melding of cutting edge science with ancient food wisdom. She has blazed a path to vitalizing and refreshing new nutrition terrain-one that nourishes body, mind, and soul-even our social well-being.As a nutritionist who has been teaching a similar paradigm of intuitive eating, integrative nutrition and spiritual healing, what I appreciate most about Kesten's approach is her ability to blend the science of nutrition with the art of eating from the heart. She has solid research into the ancient healing traditions involving food, as well as religious, cultural and social customs and rituals. The healing secrets of food have actually been practiced for centuries, even millennia. Our modern culture has simply lost focus, by turning our attention outward-to (ever-changing) data, popular belief, and appearances. Many people are ready to end their struggles with food, eating, their weight and figuring the nutritional math. They are ready for a new focus and direction: a journey home, a return to the heart. The Healing Secrets of Food offers the tools to create this change and the map to discover the answers within. Everyone's journey is different and it is their own-that is the beauty of it. In a society so dependent on numbers to define what and how much we eat, The Healing Secrets of Food takes you to a place where numbers are meaningless, where the authenticity of foods and nutrition inhabit a different kind of value. We discover that the incredible advances in nutritional science have not translated into optimal eating and improved health for most of our population. Simply eating from a nutritional databank can leave one depleted of meaning and deaf to the intuitive wisdom from within, and that can lead to unhealthful and disordered eating. For instance, Kesten links the newly identified eating disorder, orthorexia (an obsessive fixation on eating the "right" food) to the emphasis on what she calls "eating by number"-weight watching, calorie counting and figuring grams of fat, protein or carbohydrates. In the Healing Secrets of Food, Deborah Kesten unveils a new paradigm. Here, you will find the "nutrients" missing from the food charts. Kesten points out that what is not so easily measured might be much more valuable to our health. If not numbers, where does the meaning or nutritional value come from? Food is more than a "product"; it is a culmination and assimilation of vital life force energies, whether in animal or plant food, that have been nurtured by air, water, soil, and sun. Kesten demonstrates that when we eat--and take in the vital life force energy in food--from a place of appreciation, mindfulness, and connection (love), and we honor our social heritage as well as our feelings, we will choose the optimal foods for our own health that are capable of nourishing and healing all aspects of the s