One Bowl: A Guide to Eating for Body and Spirit [Paperback]

Don Gerrard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2001

One Bowl proposes a simple but extraordinarily powerful idea: By adopting a single bowl as the vessel for your meals, you will become more aware of the food you eat, how you eat, and the effects (large and small) of particular foods on your body and your spiritual and physical well-being. Author Don Gerrard guides us through every process of adapting to the one-bowl philosophy of eating, including choosing a bowl, deciding what to fill it with, and being attentive to every stage of eating and digestion. Although not rooted in any single spiritual tradition, One Bowl is certain to resonate with everyone who can appreciate that the Buddha, for example, ate out of one bowl, in silence, whether eating by himself or in a group. The book is beautifully illustrated with black-and-white photos throughout.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Don Gerrard is a writer, editor, and publisher with over forty years experience in the book business. He's had a lifelong interest in health-related subjects, including homeopathy and food awareness. Gerrard lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569246270
• ISBN-13: 978-1569246276
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Path Back to Trusting Our Bodies, July 13, 2001

By 

Hal-Zina Bennett, Author-Writing Coach "Halbooks" (Northern California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Bowl: A Guide to Eating for Body and Spirit (Paperback)

This book is a classic food book. It's first manifestation was way back in the 70s, a thin volume that nevertheless was packed with wisdom about how to get back in touch with our bodies and our nutritional needs. Nearly 30 years later its prescriptions, or perhaps I should say "non-prescriptions," still hold as true as ever. The author tells us, in a warm but informative way, how to read our bodies inner messages about what we need to stay healthy. The key is eating from one bowl and paying attention in some very unusual ways--at least unusual in today's culture--to foods that "hum," for example, and how we can make use of this information for making healthy choices. I think that one of the greatest contributions this book makes is that it teaches us how to make choices from the inside out--choices that bring us closer to our bodies and closer to ourselves.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars easy 5 stars, March 1, 2004

By 

GEM (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Bowl: A Guide to Eating for Body and Spirit (Paperback)

I second hal's review - i had this book when it came out in the 70's. Don't know how it got away from me - probably loaned it to someone. But I've followed its advice, loosely, over the years and through 3 or 4 treasured bowls that got chipped, cracked, or whatever, and replaced. Now and then I've told people about it - "...there was this book, called One Bowl....". today it occurred to me to check Amazon to see if it's still available, and, Yay! It is! Into the ol' cart!
PS - my current bowl is an Oxo - Amazon carries them in Kitchen. White plastic doesn't have the ambience of raku, but I'm not one who looks down on plastic - matter of fact I'm grateful for it! As with everything, if you want it to have nice vibes, GIVE it some!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book, August 1, 2007

By 

Kathryn (Antelope, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Bowl: A Guide to Eating for Body and Spirit (Paperback)

This was an interesting book. The premise is that by eating all meals in a mindful manner, while holding the bowl in your hand and eating alone, you will transform not only your food intake, but other areas of your life. I think that there are many lessons that can be taken from this book, especially for those attempting to eat more intuitively and live life with more consciousness. I don't see being able to adopt the one-bowl method as a lifestyle unless you live alone or have a family who does not mind doing the same. Many of the books that the author recommends for further reading have been out of print (he acknowledges this in the book) since the 70s. This whole book just kept reminding me of something that might have come out of the Esalen Institute in the 60s.

So, will this totally work for the majority of people living in modern society in the new millenium? Probably not. Can you get some good ideas and find exercises that might help you on your journey to more mindful living? Yes, I think so. It's definitely worth reading.