Count calories. Eat less and move more. Don’t eat meat. Don’t eat carbs. Don’t eat dairy. Don’t eat wheat. Don’t eat this. Don’t eat that.
These are the mantras of pretty much every major diet plan in our modern culture. These were the sayings that helped me lose more than 50 pounds. Unfortunately, I love food way too much to sacrifice delicious treats for the rest of my life. I also don’t really like diets that tell me I can’t eat something. I usually end up wanting whatever it is I can’t have far more than I ever did before.
A little over a year ago, I reached a weight that I was happy with. I stopped focusing on counting calories and started to enjoy food again. The problem with that is that I have inevitably gained some of the weight back. I don’t want to count calories again because it is such a tedious task that I get bored with it easily. I need a different way to lose the weight and maintain the loss without sacrificing the food I love or counting calories.
Foodist: Using Real Food and Real Science to Lose Weight Without Dieting
When I was asked to review Foodist: Using Real Food and Real Science to Lose Weight Without Dieting
In her book, the author proposes that eating real food (a revolutionary idea to many) is the best possible way to lose weight, keep it off and truly enjoy life. She calls this the “healthsyle” and it is custom-tailored to meet individual needs. The book is broken up into three parts: the science behind the “healthstyle”, how to get started on your “healthstyle” journey, and how to deal with the day to day.
So what exactly is a “healthstyle”?
Your healthstyle is a reflection of your cumulative habits, from the food you eat, to how often you exercise, to where you live and the company you keep. (Pg. 32)
After reading the first chapter, I was completely ready to jump off the dieting bandwagon and onto the foodist train. The author did a fabulous job of breaking down the information so that anyone can understand it. She explains why traditional diets don’t work and how to stop relying on willpower. I don’t know about you but whenever I am told that I can’t have something I absolutely must have it at that very moment. When you realize that the diets we have all tried tell us what foods we can’t have, you can start to see why you couldn’t stick to it for very long.
One of the best things about the foodist healthstyle is that nothing is off limits. The idea is choose the best possible option for your personal situation. The author never tells you that can’t have something. Instead, she simply offers reasons why you shouldn’t want to eat certain foods (namely processed foods and those that make health claims) and reasons why you should want to eat other foods (local, seasonal, whole and/or organic foods).
Throughout the book, the author offers simple, easy tips to start improving your health and lose weight. She provides simple recipes that anyone can make and methods for overcoming food aversions. There are also tips and tricks to deal with everyday decisions. She also helps to dispel the notion that everything in a farmer’s market is expensive.
My Personal Thoughts:
I really enjoyed reading Foodist. It was thought provoking and insightful. It also helped to reinforce a lot of the things I already believed about the foods that I was eating. Will I become a foodist? The answer to this question is YES. I want to stop dieting and start living my life again. This book has given me the tools and the knowledge that I needed to live an awesome life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves food. It will show you ways to fall in love with food all over again.
About Darya Pino Rose
Darya Pino Rose is the creator of Summer Tomato, one of TIME‘s 50 Best Websites. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, and her bachelor’s degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkley.
Darya spends most of her time thinking and writing about food, health, and science. She eats amazing things daily and hasn’t even considered “going on a diet” since 2007. Darya is now a dedicated foodist and advocate of local, seasonal foods.
For more information, recipes and other fun stuff, check out Darya’s website, Summer Tomato, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Foodist by Darya Pino Rose through the TLC Book Tours in exchange for this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own but I really did enjoy reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves food! This post also contains affiliate links.
