Sometimes, a book comes along that makes so much sense, you can’t help but mark pages and underline quotes throughout. Ravenous: A Food Lover’s Journey from Obsession to Freedom by Dayna Macy is just such a book.
From the introduction I identified with the author.
“I keep writing about eating wisely, but I can’t help noticing the irony: while I am beginning to eat more wisely myself, I still eat too much and weigh too much.”
The basic premise is that Dayna would like to learn more about the foods that she craves, in order to gain control over her eating of them. And so in part one she describes sausage, cheese, chocolate, olives, and squash. Sprinkled among the mouthwatering descriptions are flashbacks to her childhood and events that she associates with the foods.
In part two, she demystifies these foods by visiting farms, foraging, feasting, watching a slaughter, and more.
In part three, she realizes that knowing is not helping. So she fasts, explores the yoga of food, and decides to write down everything she eats. She loses weight.
I can’t help but wonder, should I go on a fast? Take up yoga? My husband and I recently re-committed to losing weight. I’m definitely going to start tracking my food. This book provides encouragement for following one’s own journey, which is probably why I liked it so much. It’s not prescriptive; it’s inspirational.
Note: I received a complimentary review copy. All opinions are my own.
This looks like just my kind of book. I could use a good dose of inspiration! Thanks for sharing. Great review.