6 Books to Read for a Better Relationship with Food & Your Body
If a better relationship with food and your body is one of your goals for this year, a wonderful way to start and act on that goal is by diving into a book that is going to propel you forward. I wanted to share a few of my favorite books with you, books that I've found to be encouraging and empowering for your relationship with food and your body.Let's just dive right in, shall we?
1. Intuitive Eating & The Intuitive Eating Workbook by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
"Intuitive Eating" is the mother of the movement happening right now to get away from dieting and re-learn how to trust your body and eat without dieting. This book was published in the 90's originally and since then has had a few revisions and updates to keep information current and share new studies and research behind the framework. The book shares a framework of 10 principles to help guide people away from dieting to having a healthy and positive relationship with food and one's body. The book was written based on what the authors found in their own practice, that diets don't work for long-term health and what does work is teaching people to reconnect with their body and approach nutrition with a gentle and kind mentality. Paired with the workbook, this book is the foundation for learning to eat intuitively and a must-read!
2. Body Respect by Lindo Bacon
"Body Respect" is a phenomenal book that addresses why diets don't work for weightloss and why body respect is far more effective at encouraging overall health. I, personally, love this book because the author gets into some of the research behind weight science. Once you learn certain things about how our bodies work, how dieting is actually what often leads to weight gain, you can't help but have a new way of thinking about your relationship with food.
3. The Body Image Workbook by Thomas F. Cash
This is more of a workbook vs. a book but I've found it a powerful resource for working on body image, specifically. I use this book and some of the exercises inside with my 1:1 clients and love the interactive and self-reflective nature of it being a workbook. It goes through 8 steps towards healing your body image starting with identifying where poor body image stemmed for you and gaining skills to cope with negative body image. I recommend going through this book with someone like a coach or therapist if you're able!
4. Letting Go of Leo by Simi Botic
We recently read this book together inside The Nourish Lab, my intuitive eating membership site, and everyone loved it! This book is more of a memoir-style book written by Simi Botic, fellow health coach & intuitive eating counselor. In this book, Simi shares her story of healing her body image and breaking up with perfection. I loved how real this book was, sharing both the tough, hard times as well as some funny, laugh-out-loud moments. This one's a fun, easy read if that's more of something you're into!
5. I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't) by Brene Brown
Really anything by Brene Brown is a must-read. If you aren't familiar with Brene, she is well-known for her work and research on shame with women. In this book, specifically, she talks about how shame plays a role in comparison and feeling "enough". If you struggle with either of these topics, comparison and "enough-ness", this book is one that will encourage, uplift, and empower you to boldly live your life, have confidence in sharing struggles, and live confidently.
6. Women, Food, & God by Geneen Roth
I can't not include this book on the list. "Women, Food, & God" is such a great book that helps uncover the fact that our relationship with food isn't just about the food but about a much deeper root issue. In the book, Roth explains that how we view one thing is how we view everything. This book is powerful for anyone struggling with their relationship with food and themselves. If you want to learn more about intuitive eating, check out my free ebook, "Intuitive Eating Playbook" for a quick overview and action steps for how to start eating intuitively today! Get your free download HERE.