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

One of the other reviews trashes Dr. Barnard's research. In fact, Dr. Barnard has excellent credentials, from George Washington University, where he is an adjunct professor. He has also done studies with faculty at Georgetown. A partial list of his scientific publications can be found on his website:

http://www.nealbarnard.org/pubs.htm

I so wanted to give this book 5 stars. I respect Dr. Barnard and agree with most of his philosophies regarding animals, diet, food, and veganism. I read these (and many other) reviews prior to reading this book, and I so hoped it would be amazing and life-changing for me.

The first several sections of the book explain how meat, cheese, and chocolate have certain effects on our brain, and why we crave them. I found this part of the book the most interesting.

The latter part of the book gives hints and tips on how to overcome these cravings. This part of the book was dissapointing to me. Most of the tips boiled down to two things: avoid meat and dairy products, and exercise.

Actually, I am an "almost-vegan" (I eat no meat and very little dairy) and maybe that's why I wasn't so impressed with the suggestions - I was already following them for the most part. Someone who eats a very meat and dairy filled diet would probably find the suggestions much more helpful than I did.

To anyone who eats meat and dairy, this book is a great resource. It just wasn't as helpful to me as I had hoped.

I am hypoglycemic and historically prone to lots of yeast infections and bladder infections. After a mere three weeks of following the advice in this book, my sugar cravings are GONE. I can now walk through the candy aisle at the supermarket and genuinely have no desire for the candy. I can see the pint of Cherry Garcia beckoning through the grocery freezer door, and feel nothing. I could take it or leave it, and even if I took it home, I couldn't eat the whole thing at gunpoint. Honestly.

Now I know the biological reasons behind my cravings--why does my body demand chocolate before my period, for example? Barnard explains precisely how these foods can "hook" us. Armed with these new insights, for three weeks solid I ate very little fat, salt, and sugar, and tons of whole grains, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, nuts, legumes, and water. I won't lie to you--the candy would have been much cheaper; fresh whole food costs a fortune. To avoid going broke in the produce aisle, I cut back drastically on meat and tried soy cheese and more bean-based meals. Who says you have to put a hunk of animal flesh in the oven every single night anyway? And it isn't just the sweets that I suddenly find distasteful--potato chips taste too salty and greasy to me now. It's as if somebody rewired my taste buds.

Read this book, and also the amazing book "Fit From Within," to forever alter your relationship with food. Even if you're skinny--and I'm 5'10" and 134 pounds, hardly overweight--if you ever feel that food controls you, rather than the other way around, you need to read this book. Don't let Barnard's hardcore vegan stance scare you off--if you reduce meat and dairy and quadruple fruits and veggies, and keep your trusty water bottle by your side, the magic will still work.

This book has approximately 100 pages of recipes as well as some very engaging material about the behavioural challenges in eating right. The author claims that these challenges go beyond simple will power and require aggressively managing foods that simply are toxic to our systems -- whether we know it or not.

Disregard the review by "G. Amato hebgbeez", This book accomplishes what it was intended to do; to inform or convince the meat eater that there is a more nutritious way to health.

Since Neal Barnard writes for Vegetarian Times we should assume he would endorse a vegetarian diet. This book is good reading with many suggeastions, charts and records for those looking to try a non-meat lifestyle.

A great book is; Stop Inflammation Now!: A Step-by-Step Plan to Prevent, Treat, and Reverse Inflammation - The Leading Cause of Heart Disease and Related Conditions - Richard M., M.D. Fleming.

I look at it this way: If your doctor told you, that the foods you are eating is causing all your health problems, would'nt you at least attempt a non-meat, non-dairy and non-sugar diet?