I took a chance with this book because of the title and the subject as I don't often do nonfiction. I'm really glad I did.

I assumed this was going to be a diet book that I would maybe get a few tidbits of useful, new information from. Instead this wasn't a diet book exactly it was a deep dive into the relationship with food and what you can do about it.

Cleaning up your diet is a good thing to begin with but these days with all the fast food out there and all the crap they put in food on the shelves at the store it becomes harder and harder to know what you're eating and how to change. This book goes into all of that but also the why behind it. Why the food is like that, why it affects you the way it does, and what you can do about it.

My favorite part of the book though is the, 'what can you do,' isn't a DO THIS END type of thing. Sure you can cut everything out completely and it might work for you (the book goes into the pros and cons) but you can also try other methods that aren't an all or nothing type of deal (the book goes into pros and cons). It gives several different ways to tackle the same issue which is really nice as the same thing doesn't work for everyone.

Just the way the book approaches different topics and issues from several sides and always gives a why behind it all. I highly suggest it if you find yourself struggling with cleaning up your diet.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I never read self-help books, but this is so relevant for today’s health landscape.

<b>“The more you feed a sweet tooth, the more likely it is to grow into a sweet fang.”</b>

This bridges the intimidating gap between academic research and real-world application, providing work practices, real-people examples, and scenarios that we all find ourselves in.

Importantly, this book is NOT about weight loss. This is actually a very positive book regarding body image and living in bigger bodies and finding and knowing your own body’s needs. It even delves into eating disorders and how to differentiate between them. It also provides a lot of resources.

At the forefront, this book places a lot of the blame on how companies are capitalising on “vanishing caloric density” foods - ultra-processed foods that are crafted to dissolve in your mouth so fast that your brain doesn’t realize it ate anything at all.
Did you know it takes only 5 seconds for sugar to light up the reward synapses? This is higher than drugs, tabacco, gambling, etc.

<b>Brains that were more sensitive to food cues and were motivated to consume high-calorie foods when they were available were evolutionarily advantageous. These prehistoric systems are still in our brains, and in today’s food environment, the lights in them are going on and off like a pinball machine.
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This gets more personal which makes it easier to digest and relate to - it recognises the constant exhaustive battle with yourself.

This breaks down the stigma surrounding all forms of addiction and shows you how our brain is wired to send signals to enforce such addictions or habits.

<b>If you slip often, don’t label yourself a “chronic relapser” but a “chronic never-giver-upper.” Slips aren’t failures; they’re chances to learn.</b>

This book gave me much to think on.
This book doesn’t just inform; it empowers readers to take control.

I did not find the practices that avant garde, so I think this was more empowering in terms of information for me.
Whilst backed up by a lot of evidence and sources, of course, this is still relatively new and I can see where subjectivity may have coloured certain stances.

Arc gifted by New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

As someone who has struggled with food addiction, finding easy to digest information that doesn’t feel overwhelming can be a struggle. This book was packed with information and various approaches to heal your relationship with food. I found it to have various tactics and not have a “shameful” feeling to the approach, though it could sometimes still be overwhelming. I recommend others who are struggling to give this a read. I learned things I hadn’t known before.

While waiting for food addiction to be recognized as a real diagnosis, in this book there are tools to check if we have this problem and strategies to learn how to manage it. Obviously, this essay is not a substitute for a professional, but it always comes in handy to have a couple of tricks up my sleeve for not buying chips at the supermarket when I go grocery shopping and am already starving, for example, and in my case of course.

Mentre si aspetta che la food addiction venga riconosciuta come una vera e propria diagnosi, in questo libro ci sono gli strumenti per verificare se abbiamo questo problema e delle strategie per imparare a gestirla. Ovviamente questo saggio non sostituisce un professionista, ma fa sempre comodo avere un paio di trucchi nella manica per non comprare le patatine al supermercato quando vado a fare la spesa e sto giá morendo di fame, per esempio e nel mio caso ovviamente.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.