David - Nourishing wisdom: a mind/body approach to nutrition and well-being

Copyright 1991 by Marc David

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by Bell Tower, an imprint of Harmony Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc., 201 East 50th Street, New York, New York 10022. Member of the Crown Publishing Group.

Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland

http://www.randomhouse.com/

Originally published in hardcover by Bell Tower in 1991

Bell Tower and colophon are trademarks of Crown Publishers, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data David, Marc.
Nourishing wisdom: a mind/body approach to nutrition and well-being / Marc David.
p. cm.
1. Food habitsPsychological aspects. 2. Nutrition
Psychological aspects. I. Title.
TX357.D32 1991
613.2dc20 90-46675

eISBN: 978-0-307-77875-8

v3.1

For my mother, Rachel, a wise, loving, and nourishing
being, and for my father, Sidney, the rock in my life that
never failed.

It is a beautiful gift for me to honor publicly those who have taught me, supported me, and stood by my side. My uncle Ronald Cohen lit the creative spark in me long ago and has nurtured its growth ever since. My sister, Rhonda, has been loving, dedicated, and firm in her belief in me. My dear friend Rajiv has taught me what it means to be a friend and a true brother.

My wife, Gabriella, has been teacher, editor, cook, companion, lover, healer, resident goddess, and a long list of other things. In short, magic.

Other friends and relatives have given deeply of themselves: Sandra Cohen, Alvaro Ortiz, Lori Davis, Miriah Stuart, Sarah Novick, Jessica Franke, Joan Berry, Wellington Lee, and Dave Lewis.

I am indebted to my teachers: Yogi Amrit Desai, a wise sage, masterful player, and compassionate guidehis teachings on the art of living help form the glue for my work; Michael Hughes, teacher, brother, healer, and musician of the soulI thank him for introducing me to my body. Robert Greenway, the late Gordon Tappan, and Morris Berman (whos famous but nobody knows it) have also seeded my thoughts with their timeless wisdom.

Mitchell Ditkoff was the midwife for this book at its earliest stage, providing expert editing, consulting, and loving friendship. Jeffrey and Rusty Cohen were great basketball buddies when I needed them most. Special thanks to my agent, Sarah Jane Freymann, for her friendship, professionalism, and belief in my work. My editor at Bell Tower, Toinette Lippe, has been a trusted reader, wise woman, loving friend, and a writers dream.

Final thank-yous to Gudni Gunarsson for our special conversations, Navin for our cutting edge talks about food and nutrition, Bharat (Tom Jackman)best buddy and trusted copilotand to my wonderful friends at the Kripalu Yoga Center.

For millions of people food and diet are very problematic. Instead of being a source of nourishment, food has become an area of conflict and confusionendless weight-loss dramas, eating disorders, cravings, addictions, body image obsessions, and never-ending searches for the best nutritional system. Even if you have never suffered from any of these complaints, you probably feel overwhelmed by all the books, articles, and expertseach with something different to sayand would welcome some clear and useful guidance about eating.

Read a book on scientific nutrition, and eating appears to be simply a biological process: nutrient intake, digestion, and cellular assimilation. Read a book about dieting, and eating is presented as a war. It is you against the calories, you against your body fat, and you against your desires. Read any number of books on natural ways of nutrition, and eating may be presented as a divinely ordained system. Disregard its commandments, and wrathful gods will punish you with ill health. Read any popular cookbook or food magazine, and eating is presented solely as an affair of the palate where each recipe is orchestrated for your sensuous pleasure. Read any book on eating disorders, and you will realize that our attitude to food may be literally a matter of life and death.

The question then arises, Is there a way to explain the diversity of perspectives on nutrition and the different ways of relating to food? Is there one true way to eat? Are there common dietary principles that all eaters share, regardless of their orientation? And, more to the point, can we make sense of the conflicting impulses that exist side by side in our mindthe desire to eat healthy foods versus the desire to eat forbidden ones, the desire to overeat versus the desire to lose weight, the desire to help ourselves versus the unconscious desire to self-destruct.

Many of us are searching for a sensible source of information about diet that explains the complexities of the eaters mind. We want a way to understand our relationship to food and body without being told that what we are eating is wrong or being harassed into following another break-through diet system. Virtually all diet and nutrition books promote a specific way to eat, a new diet gimmick, or the illusory promise of permanent weight loss, eternal health, and boundless energy. Few books nourish us at deeper levels.

Eating is a vastly unexplored area in psychology. Only recently have researchers begun to question what happens in the mind when it sets itself the task of feeding the body. Nourishing Wisdom elucidates the psychology of eating by mapping out the fundamental principles of the eaters mind. It provides a framework to understand the different perspectives on eating. It details the essential ingredients of a successful working relationship to diet. Most important, it offers practical tools that can help you transform your relationship to food.