Book Review: Women Food and God

I had the good fortune over the past several weeks to read through Geneen Roth’s new book, “Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything.” This is a deeply introspective look by an individual who has been grappling with emotional issues surrounding eating behavior for several decades. She has dedicated the last 3 decades to studying, teaching and writing about where the compulsions to eat originate.

Often we think “emotional eating” represents eating to fill an emotional void – eating out of loneliness, boredom, stress, anxiety, or depression. Geneen describes this differently – often, we eat to punish ourselves rather than to reward ourselves. We feel guilty at the thought of being happy, scared of changing from the path we are on to a happier path. So, we eat as a form of self-punishment so that we don’t have to face our true inner demons.

This is not a diet or a weight loss book; rather, this is an opportunity to explore your life, your soul, your spirituality. Perhaps a few hour of introspection will help shed light on your relationship with food, your relationship with your body.

I can recommend this book without reservation to individuals who struggle with emotional eating. Geneen encourages mindful eating – listening to your body and brain’s cues and eating in a way to help feel better, rather than using deprivation diets and willpower.

-Ethan Lazarus, M.D.