Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life [Hardcover]

Thich Nhat Hanh (Author), Lilian Cheung (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 9, 2010

“Among Buddhist leaders influential in the West, Thich Nhat Hanh ranks second only to the Dalai Lama.” — New York Times

In Savor, New York Times bestselling author and renowned spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh (Peace Is Every Step, The Art of Power) and Harvard nutritionist Dr. Lilian Cheung combine the timeless wisdom of Buddhism with nutrition science to deliver a revolutionary guide to end our struggles with weight for good. Readers of Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma), Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle), and the Dalai Lama (The Art of Happiness) will enjoy this accessible and healthful guide to mindful eating and mindful living—and to the philosophy at the heart of the slow food movement.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master Nhat Hanh says the same thing over and over, it could be because not enough people have heard him, and those who have need a reminder. He speaks to both groups in this work, coauthored by Harvard nutritionist Cheung, urging mindfulness about what people put in their mouths. It's a diet book and a meditation book, an unusual hybrid that makes sense for Nhat Hanh because it applies his essential wisdom: pay attention; breathe. If you consistently do that, you'll eat less, and at least two-thirds of Americans surely need to follow that advice. This book adds a lot of eat-this-and-not-that rules, as well as exercise guidelines, delivering so much information the effect is a little overwhelming. But the core meditation instructions are quintessential Nhat Hanh, steely and loving. This could be the diet-and-exercise book for those who have failed using other methods and need a fresh approach. For Nhat Hanh's many fans, it is the sole wellness book they'll need to remind themselves to only pay attention.
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From Booklist

So essential to healthy eating is a healthy perspective that Zen Buddhist master and prolific author Nhat Hanh joins forces with nutritionist Cheung for a truly holistic approach. The duo pairs the latest nutritional information with the age-old Buddhist practice of mindfulness—that is, of being fully aware of all that is going on within ourselves and all that is happening around us—to draw attention to what and how we eat. Guidance is offered for recognizing what barriers—physical, psychological, cultural, and environmental—prevent us from controlling our weight, and readers are encouraged to savor food in order to fully nourish both the body and the mind. To that end, Nhat Hanh provides guided meditations on everything from eating an apple to coping with stressful situations, along with advice on selecting and preparing food, staying active, and avoiding self-criticism. Complete with a discussion of why healthy eating is also good for the environment, this is a uniquely insightful and positive program for wellness: a book of tested wisdom; practical action; and intellectual, emotional, and spiritual nutriments. --Donna Seaman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1St Edition edition (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061697699
• ISBN-13: 978-0061697692
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese monk, a renowned Zen master, a poet, and a peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967, and is the author of many books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness.

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#57 in Books > Self-Help

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#57 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 105 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Savoring not just food, but also savoring life itself March 9, 2010

By Lauren Rosenfeld

Format:Hardcover

This book is remarkable not just in its ability to bring together the complimentary insights of the Buddhism and modern science, but also for it's ability to do so in a way that is accessible to those who are neither scientists nor Buddhists. Though the book specifically speaks to the issue of healthy weight loss, it is much more than that: it is a broad-minded and open-hearted encouragement to all of us (whether we struggle with weight or not) to become aware of not just what we eat, but how we eat. Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Cheung look at our habits as a society and gently encourage us to see how eating is not just a habit we use to dampen our suffering, but also how eating can become an extension of our suffering. By offering us insights and practices -- both spiritual and practical -- these co-authors gently guide us toward a healthier and more sustainable way of engaging with our food. The practices and life changes they propose will not just benefit us as individuals, but also benefit us as a society, and as co-inhabitants of this planet. Wise, comforting, understandable, and DO-ABLE: this book is definitely worth owning whether you are trying to lose weight or simply trying to live a healthier lifestyle. The book contains many meditations offered by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh which are each like precious jewels. The "Apple Meditation" (Chapter 2) alone is worth the cost of the book. Treat yourself.

93 of 99 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Zen for losing weight--or just getting more presence and pleasure from your food (and life) March 10, 2010

By Susan Schenck TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Have you ever been guilty of eating while talking on the phone, driving, walking, reading, working, e-mailing or watching TV? If so, you have probably noticed that the sandwich, protein bar--or whatever you were eating--vanished before you even realized you had begun eating it. And this makes you want to eat more so you can relish the taste (since you didn't enjoy the first one). This mindless eating is no doubt part of the cause of our obesity epidemic. Eating should be a sacred act, not part of our multi-tasking.

World famous Buddhist author Thich Nhat Hanh teams up with Harvard's Dr. Lilian Cheung in this book which is sure to make you stop and think about your eating habits. The title says it all: Savor, Mindful Eating, Mindful Life.

Part One is "A Buddhist Perspective on Weight Control." In the first chapter we are presented with "The Four Noble Truths of Healthy Weight:" that being overweight or obese is suffering; that you can identify the roots of your weight problem (and here we are given numerous questions to contemplate); that reaching a healthy weight is possible; and that you can follow a mindful path to a healthy weight. "Mindfulness is a way of living that has been practiced over twenty-six hundred years by millions of people to help them transform their suffering into peace and joy," say the authors. "Applying mindfulness to your suffering with weight gives you a catalyst that you can draw on at will to change your behavior." We are asked to write a "mission statement for healthy weight and well-being."

In the second chapter we are challenged with the question of "When I eat an apple, am I really enjoying eating it? Or am I so preoccupied with other thought that I miss the delights that the apple offers me?" Uh, oh.... Now we realize we aren't supposed to even THINK while eating. This is getting harder than ever. But an entire page directs us on how to do it. And guess what? The apple is thoroughly savored when eaten consciously. Best of all, we don't feel the need to eat another one. We are then ready to move on to another activity outside of eating.

The third chapter lets us know that we are more than what we eat. Who we are includes three additional "nutriments:" sense impressions, volition (deepest motivations & desires) and consciousness, which are explained in full detail along with how to nourish ourselves with these nutriments. Chapter four is all about being in the present moment. Then in chapter five (titled "Mindful Eating") we get some nutritional advice, much of it good, though some of it a bit outdated. (They recommend grains though grains, even whole, are much at the root of diseases of civilization, with anti-nutrients such as phytates that bind minerals and lectins which cause leaky gut and autoimmune disorders. Also, they still blame colon cancer on red meat when recent studies show it is more closely related to blood sugar and diabetes.) The best parts of the chapter include a story of how they ate mindfully with a Buddhist chef, as well as tips on how to eat mindfully, such as "Make your first bit--and every bite--a mindful bite," and self-examination questions to get you to strategize. This is perhaps the meat of the book. I really enjoyed the "Seven Practices of a Mindful Eater." The first one, "honor the food," should especially apply for when we eat meat. Traditional people such as Native Americans would thank the spirit of the animal they ate.

Even if you already have your weight under control, implementing the exercises in this book is bound to enhance the presence and sensuous pleasure of your eating. If you are overweight, mindfulness will not only help you eat less, but also help in body awareness. When you stop and become aware of your suffering from being overweight instead of resisting it, you are more likely to act appropriately. Being mindful of the body, you become aware of the sensations and its urgent messages to you to feed it properly--before it's too late.

But as the title suggests, this is not all about only food. We need to incorporate mindfulness into every activity. Chapter six ("Mindful Moving") is all about exercise tips & motivation; chapter seven is about incorporating mindful living into daily routines. There are meditations for every activity from waking up to switching on the light, and even an e-mail meditation! I especially like the TV meditation: "Breathing in, the remote control is in my hand. Breathing out, why am I watching television?" (Most TV is such a time waster, and hopefully this will help people realize that.)

Part Three is "Individual and Collective Effort," and as the title suggests, is about interacting in the world (compassionate action, being an agent of change). We are given examples of people who changed their world. We can get overwhelmed by wanting to fix the world, so we are told about the student who asked the teacher, "There are so many urgent problems. What should I do?" The teacher replied, "Take one thing, and do it very deeply and carefully, and you will be doing everything at the same time."

One thing I like about the book is that it cites many studies to support its claims. Bits of Buddhist wisdom is also sprinkled throughout. Stunning, mind-bending stories are told, such as the parable of the couple that had to eat their own son. At the end are 6 appendices, including resources and a meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh for total relaxation.

Susan Schenck, author of The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet
and
Beyond Broccoli, Creating a Biologically Balanced Diet When a Vegetarian Diet Doesn't Work Read more ›

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Zen Epidemiology March 11, 2010

By L. Phillips

Format:Hardcover

I am an epidemiologist so enjoy studies of nutritional science based on large populations and have enjoyed Walt Willet's books also out of data in Nurse's Health Study. But the real problem in combating obesity and inactivity is that we do not need just to be educated on the healthiest approach but also that most of us need help in choosing it. I find the Buddhist philosophy to life and death actually really works here. A sort of "life is what it is let's not lose sight of our finite time here and savor it healthfully" philosophy is very comforting. I have not had the book long but since doing so find that I am eating when my body signals me, away from my desk and foods that are nutritional and tasty. Life's too short for otherwise and this book helps remind you of that. Highly recommended read.

76 of 88 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Re-hash October 31, 2010

By Gaston Bachelard

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm quite amazed at the enthusiastic reviews this book has garnered. I'm an admirer of Thich Nhat Hanh's work. I've read several of his books and did a walking meditation workshop with him some years back. I'm a longtime meditator and my work is related (separately) to both food and psychology. So, I was highly motivated to read Savor.

This book is page after page of cliches with agonizing redundancy. What I was hoping to encounter was a serious examination of the mindful experience of eating -- the effect of taste, for example -- but it's really another weight loss book that pathologizes overweight people with the cloying language of rather superficial spiritual practice. There's a kind of smarmy moralism behind some passages of the book. If you're overweight, you're not mindful, mkay? You're contributing to the ruin of the planet.

I might add that a good bit of the "science" represented in the book is dubious if not plain wrong. By implication, for example, it perpetuates the misguided assumption that exercise creates significant weight loss, when we know that nutrition is far more significant in that effort and that exercise is more valuable in keeping weight off.

I'd like to say the book is a good introduction to mindfulness training for newcomers and that it provides an engaging context -- eating -- to fortify the inquiry into mindfulness. But even the exercises it suggests are jumbled and simple-minded. Do we really need countless mantras to recite with each in and out breath?

I could go on. But anyone with any experience in mindfulness training will find this book grueling.