BOOK REVIEWS: Mindful Eating 101

Mindful Eating 101

A Guide to Healthy Eating in College and Beyond
by Susan Albers, Psy.D., © 2006, Taylor and Francis, 188 pages, $15.95

Turn to the table of contents in Susan Albers Mindful Eating 101 and you know instantly that this guide is an excellent resource about eating healthy in college and beyond for women and men. Responding to the growing concerns regarding young adults and their relationship with food, Albers gives us a snapshot into the daily life of the college student. The book is filled with relevant, timely and specific information for women, men, parents, and professionals.

Albers thoroughly and realistically examines the many issues that college student's encounter. Her insightful and common sense approach to one's relationship with food makes a powerful case to learn how to be mindful of what you are eating. Albers reports that mindfulness can also change the way people think. She writes, "When a person is aware and present, he or she makes better decisions rather than falling into habitual routines."

As Albers makes clear, we need to have a healthy relationship with ourselves to become more fully present in our own bodies. By taking the reader step by step through the experience of Mindless Eating in College in Part I, and then Mindful Eating in Part II, we are shown how to navigate the obstacles that have kept us out of control. As we master modifying our eating habits and styles, a healthier relationship with food and our body will follow. This book is an exciting and challenging journey that can change our thinking and relax our daily worries over our food choices and weight, thereby, allowing us to develop a healthy body image. This is a great resource to add to your collection.