The Zen of Eating: Ancient Answers to Modern Weight Problems

by Ronna Kabatznick

When it comes to weight loss, the emphasis today is shifting away from fad diets and compulsive workouts toward sane, sensible techniques that incorporate both the mind and the body. This is the first book to apply the 2,500-year-old principles of Zen Buddhism to the modern struggle with the vicious cycle of dieting, losing, and regaining weight. From a Buddhist perspective, overeating is a disorder of desire. This book will teach readers how to find freedom from eating problems and the tyranny of desire that triggers them. Filled with concrete, practical exercises and the wisdom of the ages, The Zen of Eating provides, at last, an alternative to ineffective diet programs, products, and pills.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Buddhism, Zen, Spirituality, Self Help, Food

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it contains zero nutritional advice, this is best diet book I’ve ever read. Kabatznick uses the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path of Buddhism as a structure for examining our attitudes about eating. She not only cuts to the heart of why so many of us have unhealthy relationships with food, but the format of the book also works as an eye-opening meditation on the building blocks of Buddhism.

I suspect this is a book that will either totally ring true for you, or will bore you to tears. If your goal for a diet book is a definitive structure, with a list of good and bad foods, an approved exercise routine, and some motivational passages, look elsewhere. Instead, I would recommend it for anyone who has a passing understanding of Buddhism, and a genuine interest in getting to the root of his/her food issues.

[Jim Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2 is unfair. Maybe this deserves a 3. I don't know.

I read Kabatznick's other, later book, "Who By Water," several years ago and thought it was good. I enjoyed it, but "enjoyed" isn't the right word, really. I thought it was important. Good, though short, book about suffering and death and our response to this in the context of a tsunami.

I've been wanting to read this one for a while just because the other was good.

And this is good.

It's just... I don't know.

This is a book by a Zen practitioner who worked for years as a psychologist in the Weight Watchers program, among other things. The author has knowledge of Zen, knowledge of psychology, knowledge of weight issues. She offers a Buddhist approach, based on The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path, to healthy eating. It's not a "weight loss" book, but it's something like that.

And it's good. It's fine.

I enjoyed it a lot for a while.

But then I started to be less and less into it, mostly because it seems less "Buddhist" and more "self helpy."

Which isn't totally fair.

Because it's very Buddhist. There's Buddhism on every page. Precepts and meditation practice and the Noble Truths and all that. It's very Buddhist.

But somehow, even so, it comes across as sort of cliche "self help" literature. A little too soft, a little too "you're wonderful just the way you are," a little too sweet and gentle.

Which is what some people need and want.

Which isn't a bad thing.

But which also didn't just do as much for me as it might have done had it taken a slightly different approach.

I can say this, though-- I was going to make a big (not huge, but semi-big) purchase this past week, and reading this had me question myself as to why I needed to make that purchase, and that led me to see some attachment and wishful thinking and all the rest, and I realized this purchase was an attempt at buying completion and happiness and satisfaction, and that that never works, so I didn't buy.

So, you know, that's good.

[Laura E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path and related them to eating habits. Good read but maybe more helpful to someone not as familiar with those philosophies in general.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book a ten star rating if I could. Very Buddhist at heart and the ideas within have been very helpful to me as someone recovering from an eating disorder.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose this is a decent book; I just didn't really feel like it resonated with me personally. I would recommend it to people who diet a lot, though.

As I said in my update, the author assumes you're into crazy crash or fad dieting, a category that I am not even close to being in. I'm guessing this has do with the author's long stint working for Weight Watchers. I guess it makes sense that a lot of people who pick up a book about "ancient answers to modern weight problems" would be into diet & weight loss, but I was looking more to just learn more about relationships with food.

I think it's a great idea to use the eightfold path to help people overcome eating problems. It's really not hard to see the connection or to apply Buddhism to eating habits; it seems pretty straightforward and completely applicable, actually. And that's where the book shines as a concept. I think the questions and exercises at the end of all the chapters would be particularly useful--I mean, none of these ideas work unless you actually take the time and attention to apply them, and not just read about them (a point the author does make).

I found all the little "stories" to be pretty hokey and kind of annoying. A few here and there would maybe be helpful to illustrate a point--but the author trots out totally contrived "stories" every page or more, and they each get their own little "section" of the book, complete with a title header, and most of them are, like, 2-3 paragraphs. I was rolling my eyes hardcore at that.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't abandon books. Or movies. I'll stick with even the crappiest in the naive hope that it will redeem itself (A Beautiful Mind redeemed itself. Must Love Dogs did not.)

I have officially abandoned The Zen of Eating. Nothing ever clicked. There were no "a-ha!" moments. The only way it changed my life was that I can now no longer say that I don't abandon books.

It can't be THAT big a stretch to apply Zen principles to a person's attachment to food, but this book sure makes it feel like one.

(Take what you will from this. The only other book I ever abandoned -- and I tried several times to read it, but could never commit -- was Cold Mountain.)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm re-reading this after owning it for several years (and I don't think I liked or "got" it the first time I read it), and am finding it really helpful in addressing recovering from compulsive eating using Buddhist philosophy. I'm finding the approach of mindfulness and not attaching to desire very useful ways to examine a long and disordered relationship with food. I usually can't stomach (heh heh) self-help books, but I can tolerate this one.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is technically about food and related issues pertaining to weight gain. That said, however, it is really about mindfulness and the Buddhist belief system on that subject. In easy to understand language, it presents the precepts of mindfulness and then how they apply to weight issues, especially emotional eating. This is definitely a book that presents a way of life, rather than a quick fix program. Beautifully written.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, well-written and engaging. I remain frustrated at the simple but never easy nature of the Buddhist perspective, and look forward to a time when my whole self manages to join my brain and get on board.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some valuable points. I did like that eating mindfully compared to Buddhism was throughout. However I found myself reading this not so mindfully at points just to get through it. Helpful for me at times. I think the book requires a re-read at another time in life.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focused more on helping people who have anorexia or bulimia, and left out people who overeat.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book as it gives a lovely overview of Buddhist thought and practice, while it emphasizes a spiritual connection to food.

[Tanya Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a farmer, buddhist and woman I enjoyed this book. My relationship with food and diet have been affected in a positive way since reading it.

[Rock Conner · Rating 4 out of 5]

More wisdom than I can comprehend.