Conscious Eating

by Gabriel Cousens

Conscious Eating has been referred to as the "Bible of Vegetarians," for both beginners and advanced students of health. This classic work in the field of live-food nutrition is an inspirational journey and a manual for life. Included is new information on enzymes, vegetarian nutrition for pregnancy, and an innovative international 14-day menu of gourmet, Kosher, vegetarian, live-food cuisine, plus 150 recipes.

Genres: Health, Nutrition, Food, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Diets, Cooking

880 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading page 30 and this quote blew me away. Then I noticed someone put it in their review on Goodreads. OF COURSE that is how we should eat.

"Not everyone makes time to pray, study the scriptures, or think about God each day, but most everyone makes time to eat. If our heart and mind are focused on experiencing food as a love note from God, eating becomes not only a way to nourish and love ourselves, but each meal becomes a time for enhanced spiritual awareness and gratitude to God. It becomes a way to directly experience a meaning of 'give us this day our daily bread'. It provides a regular opportunity for the conscious eater to take the time to receive and read God's love note, rather than toss it unconsciously into the garbage can of the stomach. Eating consciously is a way of opening one's heart to God. It is a way to feel the Divine presence." (p. 30)"

Conscious eating picks up where "Intuitive Eating" by Resch and Tribole and "Women ,Food and God" by Geneen Roth leave off. He talks about WHY you don't want to read a magazine or watch TV and eat and the same time (one of Geneen Roth's food rules). He also discusses the basis of the book "Intuitive Eating", that you want to stop eating when you are full. But, he adds the idea that you want to notice how you feel after you eat so that you put food in your body that makes you feel light and free rather than heavy and weighed down.

I have just started reading this book, but I already know this is one book I want to buy and keep as a reference. It feels good to read the truth. For the moment, I have been inspired to eat less and to eat more vegetarian. Now I will see if I can continue to adhere to it.

[Dave Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives such a good summary of the benefits of a raw food vegan diet. Ever since I read this book, I have wanted to visit the author's health retreat in Arizona. I still hope I get to go there. The book is very cutting edge. I was fascinated by the books information about the science behind freshly made juices. I was trying to find information about this two decades later, and this book still had the best explanation of how fresh juice nourishes and detoxifies our cells. I consider this the "Bible" of raw food vegan diets.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned that this book has too many pages.

[Mish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge with tons of reference data

[Sandeep Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Encyclopaedia of info on vegetarianism and vegan diets. Helps one to individualise your diet according to the ayurvedic and metabolic typing systems.

[Ken]

SUMMARY:
Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. is an internationally celebrated spiritual teacher, author, lecturer, world peace worker, and physician of the soul. He is the world's foremost physician promoting live food nutrition for physical health and spiritual growth. He received his M.D. degree from Columbia Medical School in 1969, and completed his psychiatry residency in 1973. As a leading researcher and practitioner in the field of rejuvenation, he specializes in the healing of many chronic degenerative diseases. To the healing process he also brings experience as a homeopathic physician (M.D. (H)), Diplomate in Ayurveda, family therapist, and live-food nutritionist. Dr. Cousens is also a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.), a Rebbe who has received rabbinical initiation, a student of Ecstatic Kabbalah since 1986, a certified Senior Essene Teacher in the Kabbalistic tradition, a recognized Yogi, a four-year Sundancer adopted into the Lakota Nation, and the White Buffalo Spirit Dance Chief. He is the author of a number of titles, including "Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine, Spiritual Nutrition, Depression-Free for Life, Creating Peace by Being Peace, "and" Tachyon Energy: A New Paradigm in Holistic Healing," co-authored with David Wagner, the creator of the Tachyon process. Dr. Cousens presents seminars worldwide on many topics including health and nutrition, psycho-spiritual healing, meditation, and spiritual awareness. Dr. Cousens founded and directs the Tree of Life Foundation, Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, and Tree of Life Health Practice in Patagonia, Arizona. He is a frequent guest on popular radio talk shows, and has published articles in health journals and popular magazines on a number of health, nutrition, and social topics. Visit his website at www.treeoflife.nu.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is huge, but I feel like I'm finally getting the thorough background that I need to transition to raw and to begin to understand nutrition. I've already rated it, because it's amazing, and I'm not going to wait until I finish it. This is the kind of book that you read forever and keep coming back to.

Here's a passage that I love about the idea of conscious eating:
"Not everyone makes time to pray, study the scriptures, or think about God each day, but most everyone makes time to eat. If our heart and mind are focused on experiencing food as a love note from God, eating becomes not only a way to nourish and love ourselves, but each meal becomes a time for enhanced spiritual awareness and gratitude to God. It becomes a way to directly experience a meaning of 'give us this day our daily bread'. It provides a regular opportunity for the conscious eater to take the time to receive and read God's love note, rather than toss it unconsciously into the garbage can of the stomach. Eating consciously is a way of opening one's heart to God. It is a way to feel the Divine presence." (p. 30)

[Morgan Djuna Sorais Harrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like the bible of nutrition and health. It has guided me and my family to eat alive food with consciousness and thankfulness. It is dense and sometimes hard to read, but when read either in part or twice (or more) it begins to assimilate within. I am very thankful for how this book has influenced my life.

[Carrie]

Unfortunately, I had to return it before reading the recipes or the chapter on food enzymes - two of the parts I was most excited about in this very large book. I may request the book again, just to read those sections, which suggests that the book is at least somewhat useful, but I'm going to withhold my rating until I review the whole thing.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the Holy Grail of veg*ism, raw foodies, Ayurvedic diets, and just about everything you'd need to know about eating for your health and the health of the planet. This is likely a reference book that you'll cherish as a lifelong bookshelf stalwart. Highly recommended, and worth purchasing.

[Swanelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author wrote this book to an audience of SAD (Standard American Diet) eaters, so some of it is irrelevant if you eat more healthily. Despite that there is a lot of information in this book to make anyone think. It can be scientific and esoteric, so it won't be great reading for everyone.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good stuff....and then stuff I just can't yet get behind, like the SOEFs part.

I will be returning to this when I am not pregnant or lactating (10 years or so, lol!) to help inspire me to cleanse.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out ---

I still own it!

I noticed a friend read it... Its a one-of-a kind!

Brilliant --by a very brilliant guy!

[Tammy]

ONLY
you can heal your body!! trust in your body

[trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

taking my time, this one's a monster, and full of info i need to, ahem, digest, and evaluate.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book to reference while on the whole foods/living/raw foods journey.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

For whatever reason I could not get into this. Honestly I don't think I got beyond the table of contents. Maybe some day I will come back to it and it will speak to me.

[Nick Woodall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, chock full of ideas to really make you think about your eating. I don't really get into all the new-age stuff, but the food information is great.

[Deb cambria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting...strict eating but lots of good nutritional information

[Annalee]

Eating is a love note from God.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for lending but you may look at it during the meetings.

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and life changing

[Beth Honeycutt]

I'm choosing not to rate the book because I only focused on two chapters about doshas. It is interesting and I plan to have my family take the Dosha Constitutional "quiz" to see where we all land. I do know, however, that vegetarianism is not in our future:)