Reinventing the Meal: How Mindfulness Can Help You Slow Down, Savor the Moment, and Reconnect with the Ritual of Eating [Paperback]

Pavel Somov (Author), Donald Altman MA LPC (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2012

There’s nothing quite like a hot, soothing bowl of soup. It’s a leisurely meal—a purposeful one that offers pause for reflection between every savory spoonful. What if you approached every meal as if it were that delicious bowl of soup?

In Reinventing the Meal, you’ll learn how to reconnect with your body, mind, and world with a three-course approach to mindful eating. Inside, you’ll find mindfulness exercises to help you slow down and enjoy your food, pattern-interruption meditations to infuse presence into your eating life, and unique stress management tips to prevent emotional overeating. In addition, you’ll discover a wealth of philosophical perspectives that will inspire you to focus on the quality of your eating experience, rather than on the quantity of what you eat. Designed to help you embrace the ritual of eating (and discover the power of mindful meditation in the process), this book will ultimately change the way you view your meals—as not only sustenance for the body, but for the soul as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Just as food breaks down to give us a savory experience and fuel us, Reinventing the Meal breaks down the art and science of mindful eating to teach us how to enjoy and get what we need from food. It’s a guide to using positive life precepts to enrich each and every dining experience from first whiff to final swallow.”

—Karen R. Koenig, LCSW, MEd, is the author of four books on eating, including The Food and Feelings Workbook

“For years when I’ve talked to friends about my mindfulness practice, I’ve paraphrased a line of Thich Nhat Hanh’s: ‘You can eat the tangerine like this, says the Buddhist monk nonchalantly. Or, he suggests, enunciating with care, you can eat the tangerine like this.’ How satisfying to find a whole book that shows me the sublime depth of eating. Reinventing the Meal is a mindful pleasure—a dessert from start to finish, and a delicious reminder of the power of awareness.”

—Stefanie Marlis, author of rife, fine, cloudlife, and other poetry collections

“Pavel Somov brings together mindfulness practices and wisdom from Eastern traditions with scientific insights to thoughtfully challenge and inspire the reader to higher consciousness, all within the arena of the most basic of human activities—eating. He delivers a bounty of food for thought that compellingly assists us in re-imagining ourselves, as well as the meal. In an era of fast-food and fast-paced living, Reinventing the Meal offers a well-needed path toward health, serenity, and a meaningful connection to life.”

—Jeffrey Weise, PhD, psychologist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders with a private practice in Pittsburgh, PA

About the Author

Pavel G. Somov, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of Eating the Moment, Present Perfect, The Smoke-Free Smoke Break, and The Lotus Effect. Visit his online Mindful Eating Tracker at www.eatingthemoment.com/mindfulness-tracker.

Foreword writer Donald Altman, MA, LPC, is vice president of The Center for Mindful Eating and author of One-Minute Mindfulness and Meal by Meal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (September 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608821013
• ISBN-13: 978-1608821013
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.5 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #763,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pavel G. Somov, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice.

Publications:

Somov, P. G. (2008)
A Psychodrama Group for Substance Use Relapse Prevention Training. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 38, 151-161.

Somov, P.G. (2007).
Meaning of Life Group: Group Application of Logotherapy for Substance Use Treatment.
Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 32 (4), 316 - 345.

Somov, P.G. (2000)
Time Perception as a Measure of Pain Intensity and Pain Type. Journal of Back & Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 14 (3), 111-121.

Education:

State University of New York at Buffalo: Ph.D., Counseling Psychology

Professional Affiliations:

Member of the American Psychological Association (APA)
Member of the Greater Pittsburgh Psychological Association (GPPA)
Member of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA)

Military Service:

Independent Special Purpose Motorized Rifle Brigade (OMSBON) of the Ministry of Interior of the Soviet Union (1987-1989)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than a diet plan--a fresh perspective. September 3, 2012

By Rachel

Format:Paperback

Dr. Pavel Somov has a unique voice, and it results in a book about food, eating, and healing that is unlike any other I have read (and as an overweight person that has long struggled with binge eating, I have read A LOT of what's out there).

The book blends philosophical discussions with exercises that the reader can try. Personally, I find the discussions--of energy, ethics, culture, mindfulness, nature, obesity, evolution, and so much more--to be the most helpful aspect, as those discussions have shifted my perspective in a way that has gradually and naturally led to a less tortured relationship with food. The biggest downside to "Reinventing the Meal" also has an upside: readers may have to revisit Somov's ideas several times before they stick, because he presents a VERY different way of looking at eating and nutrition. But that also means that the text remains interesting and fresh even after multiple readings; there is so much to discover and ponder in this book. I like to pick it up now and then and peruse sections at random. It recalibrates my thinking about food and self in a great way!

If you are in need of a fresh perspective that will help you feed yourself with more peace, enjoyment, and intelligence (instead of yet another unsustainable diet/weight loss plan), give this book a try!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a new relationship with mealtimes September 3, 2012

By AP MOUNTFORD

Format:Paperback

When I first began this book I couldn't imagaine myself following all the steps in there. I felt too self concious to do some of them around others.
What I learned as I went through though, was that my mind began to relax and open itself up to a new approach to food and mealtimes.
Some of the lessons stuck, some of them slipped away, but my unconcious mind held on to the ones that would be of real value to me.

I have undereaten and been hospitalized as a child and overeaten for years as an adult. Diets never worked because the problem wasn't with the food, it was with me. My thoughts and emotions developed triggers around food to help me feel better. This book has helped me to reset my thoughts and become aware of my emotions around food in such a gentle and progressive way that it hasn't been a battle or a discipline, but a relaxed and pleasant journey.

I have 30+ years of unthinking habits to change, but thanks to reinventing the meal and the really personable way that Dr Somov has written, (it's easy to imagine his voice as you read) I am well on my way to doing just that.

I would urge anyone who has a problem with eating too much, too often or unthinkingly to give this book a go. Your mind is your most powerful ally and this book really helped me use mine to set myself free of my own bad habits.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awaken your inner "eating zombie" September 30, 2012

By Sally Kuzemchak

Format:Paperback

As a journalist and registered dietitian, I have written about weight loss for years. I am very intrigued by the concept of coming to peace with food through meditation and mindfulness, and have spoken with many people who have solved their personal battles with food through these kinds of techniques. In this book, Dr. Somov does a terrific job at both presenting the concept of mindful eating and at providing practical exercises for slowly incorporating these ideas into your daily life. I love his notion of rethinking dessert--of treating every meal like dessert, a potential source of pleasure that should be savored. In fact, Dr. Somov lays out a convincing argument for rethinking food and mealtimes completely. And after reading this book, you really will look at your food in a whole new (better!) way.