What do you think?
Rate this book
Eat Your Way to Happiness: 10 Diet Secrets to Improve Your Mood, Curb Your Cravings and Keep the Pounds Off
Are you satisfied with your weight? Do you have enough energy to make it through the day? Do you consider yourself a happy person? All of these things are related, and your energy, mental clarity, mood and, of course, waistline are all directly connected to what you eat.
In Eat Your Way to Happiness , you'll learn that healthy eating is a lot easier than you may think, and that making a few simple changes to your diet can have amazing results.
The 1,2,3 combination of breakfast foods that will keep you energized all day.
Which carbs and fats to eat—and why the right ones will help elevate your mood and decrease your weight.
The 12 super foods that pack an added punch for boosting mood and slimming your waistline.
Nutritious foods that have been scientifically shown to tweak brain chemistry so you feel calmer, happier and more energetic—and more likely to stick to your diet.
The amazing studies showing that chocolate and wine can help you live longer—and more happily.
And much more!
In Eat Your Way to Happiness , you'll learn that healthy eating is a lot easier than you may think, and that making a few simple changes to your diet can have amazing results.
The 1,2,3 combination of breakfast foods that will keep you energized all day.
Which carbs and fats to eat—and why the right ones will help elevate your mood and decrease your weight.
The 12 super foods that pack an added punch for boosting mood and slimming your waistline.
Nutritious foods that have been scientifically shown to tweak brain chemistry so you feel calmer, happier and more energetic—and more likely to stick to your diet.
The amazing studies showing that chocolate and wine can help you live longer—and more happily.
And much more!
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
23 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 1, 2012
Before reading this book, I started and abandoned Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes because it was making me ashamed of everything I had ever eaten in my entire life. This book, by a (sometimes irritatingly perky) dietitian, was a better fit for me. Since I started this book, I have begun eating (or begun eating more of) these foods:
* Salmon burgers
* Almonds
* Whole-grain waffles
* A mix of wheat germ, honey, and peanut butter to spread on said waffles
* Plain yogurt with frozen raspberries
* Whole-wheat breads as opposed to just multigrain (there's a big difference in fiber content)
* Sweet potatoes
* Kale
* Low-fat cheese
I'm intrigued with her assertion that low-carb diets don't work because they disrupt serotonin levels. I've never been a low-carber, so I don't have any experience with that.
I'm not convinced by her arguments in favor of supplements, though I might try a DHA supplement in addition to my one-a-day vitamin, and I'd be willing to try valerian if I have trouble with insomnia. And I will definitely ask my doctor for the serum ferritin test (as opposed to an anemia test) if I suspect I have an iron deficiency.
Overall, I thought this was sensible advice, and I liked that she included so many suggestions of foods that can improve one's diet. I enjoyed the case studies, too.
* Salmon burgers
* Almonds
* Whole-grain waffles
* A mix of wheat germ, honey, and peanut butter to spread on said waffles
* Plain yogurt with frozen raspberries
* Whole-wheat breads as opposed to just multigrain (there's a big difference in fiber content)
* Sweet potatoes
* Kale
* Low-fat cheese
I'm intrigued with her assertion that low-carb diets don't work because they disrupt serotonin levels. I've never been a low-carber, so I don't have any experience with that.
I'm not convinced by her arguments in favor of supplements, though I might try a DHA supplement in addition to my one-a-day vitamin, and I'd be willing to try valerian if I have trouble with insomnia. And I will definitely ask my doctor for the serum ferritin test (as opposed to an anemia test) if I suspect I have an iron deficiency.
Overall, I thought this was sensible advice, and I liked that she included so many suggestions of foods that can improve one's diet. I enjoyed the case studies, too.
October 18, 2010
I really liked this book, even if I'm thin and not really needing a diet. There is so many useful things inside this book that can help this skinny chick maintain that figure and also help me manage my Diabetes better through diet. I found loads of easy recipes in here that will be a benefit to managing my sugars and maintaining the slim waist I have currently.
So even if you are thin, you may benefit from this book!
For people that are not thin, you can definitely take something away from this, even if it is a better understanding of which vitamins to take.
I definitely recommend this one to everybody. Slim or Grand this will help you too!
So even if you are thin, you may benefit from this book!
For people that are not thin, you can definitely take something away from this, even if it is a better understanding of which vitamins to take.
I definitely recommend this one to everybody. Slim or Grand this will help you too!
February 24, 2010
MCL, tempted by the New Books RSS feed. :)
If you eat out multiple times a week, if most of your meals come from boxes, or if you've never realized that food affects your mood and energy as well as your weight, you might benefit from this book.
It is typical American pseudo-science self-help fare. I recommend French Women Don't Get Fat instead.
The best part of the book: In the chapter on eating "Real Food" she forbids butter and recommends fat-free half-and-half. If ever a food were not "real," wouldn't it be fat-free half-and-half? It is, after all, a contradiction in terms.
If you eat out multiple times a week, if most of your meals come from boxes, or if you've never realized that food affects your mood and energy as well as your weight, you might benefit from this book.
It is typical American pseudo-science self-help fare. I recommend French Women Don't Get Fat instead.
The best part of the book: In the chapter on eating "Real Food" she forbids butter and recommends fat-free half-and-half. If ever a food were not "real," wouldn't it be fat-free half-and-half? It is, after all, a contradiction in terms.
Read
February 12, 2010The information in this book is helping me be able to deal with all the dealings in my life. Hopefully I'll get to see some benefits from it too.
January 3, 2019
I've read my fair share of "eating healthy" books but this one was very thorough and had a lot of great advice.
February 11, 2010
I have generally had a love/hate relationship with self-help or improvement books. Some of them are tedious, some are preachy, some are downright boring and others reek with the obvious intent to make a buck (and make that buck alone). I was pleasantly surprised with Eat Your Way to Happiness.
I found the writing fresh and easy to take in, without an ounce of preachiness or self-righteousness. The book is broken into easy to follow and read chapters, complete with accounts of "real people" that Ms. Somer has counseled and advised.
The main proponent to Eat Your Way to Happiness is the old adage "Your are what you eat". Ms. Somer takes this saying and runs with it - - encouraging readers to cut processed foods, fast foods, foods heavy in sodium and soft drinks out of our diets, replacing them with natural, whole foods, the right kind of carbs and fats, and a better combination of foods that will keep you energized and work with your brain chemistry to keep you calmer and happier (and therefore more likely to stick with the diet). And yes, chocolate and wine can be good for you!
Eat Your Way to Happiness not only mentions several different types of diets, such as Mediterranean and Vegetarian, but also includes suggested menus, recipes and a shopping list. It also encourages the reader to combine better eating with exercise, shaking off the notion that any diet alone will successfully instigate weight loss.
I enjoyed and appreciated this book so much that I began following some of its tenants (not all of them . . .yet). I have noticed a difference in my general demeanor - - less tired, more energy and less stressed - - which is perhaps the best recommendation a self-help book can get.
To anyone who is interested in changing their diet in order to lose weight, or simply to improve the way they feel, and especially for those who dislike any type of dieting, Eat Your Way to Happiness is an excellent choice and I would highly recommend it.
I found the writing fresh and easy to take in, without an ounce of preachiness or self-righteousness. The book is broken into easy to follow and read chapters, complete with accounts of "real people" that Ms. Somer has counseled and advised.
The main proponent to Eat Your Way to Happiness is the old adage "Your are what you eat". Ms. Somer takes this saying and runs with it - - encouraging readers to cut processed foods, fast foods, foods heavy in sodium and soft drinks out of our diets, replacing them with natural, whole foods, the right kind of carbs and fats, and a better combination of foods that will keep you energized and work with your brain chemistry to keep you calmer and happier (and therefore more likely to stick with the diet). And yes, chocolate and wine can be good for you!
Eat Your Way to Happiness not only mentions several different types of diets, such as Mediterranean and Vegetarian, but also includes suggested menus, recipes and a shopping list. It also encourages the reader to combine better eating with exercise, shaking off the notion that any diet alone will successfully instigate weight loss.
I enjoyed and appreciated this book so much that I began following some of its tenants (not all of them . . .yet). I have noticed a difference in my general demeanor - - less tired, more energy and less stressed - - which is perhaps the best recommendation a self-help book can get.
To anyone who is interested in changing their diet in order to lose weight, or simply to improve the way they feel, and especially for those who dislike any type of dieting, Eat Your Way to Happiness is an excellent choice and I would highly recommend it.
January 30, 2011
I have found this book the most helpful of any book of this type I have read. The author is a registered dietician who explains things clearly so that they stick; for example, her description of why soda is bad for you from mouth to gut is so vivid that I've stayed on the straight and narrow! The book also is very practical, with many, many ideas for how, what, and when to eat. And she doesn't sugarcoat the exercise thing: she says we need an hour a day to stay healthy. This is a book I can use, and by beginning to put some of its principles into practice, I am already on my way to losing weight.
February 1, 2010
This book made such simple sense... eat natural foods, limit/take away processed foods and excess sugar, etc. It's all stuff we should know - but usually choose to ignore. It was so inspiring - the thought of not having mood swings from sugar highs, having more energy, and being able to fall asleep faster (and stay asleep) made me convinced that this will just be a good lifestyle change - not a diet - and something I can see me sticking with. Check it out... even if you just skim over most of it - which I did :)
September 5, 2010
After doing the HCG diet, I've realized that my eating habits after being a stay=at-home mom for almost 12 years are absolutely atrocious. I KNOW what it means to eat healthily, but yet I seriously lack the resolve! Anyway, I came across this book the other day, thumbed through it and was very impressed. I think it will mostly be a reference book for me; I don't plan on reading it cover-to-cover. So, we'll see.
December 21, 2009
Nothing nutritionally new for me here, but it's always good to be reminded that my energy, mental clarity and mood are all related to what I eat. Supplement-wise, I will finish up that flaxseed oil in exchange for fish oil to be sure to get all 3 omegas (EPA,DHA,ALA) instead of just one, and maybe add Vitamin E back in with my B's and calcium (w/D&Magnesium). Recipes to try include pumpkin oatmeal and spicy salmon taco w/black beans. Yum.
May 12, 2010
definitely not a classic, or particularly riveting. i also found the tone condescending at times. BUT . . . since i started following the guidelines described in here, i've lost 4 pounds, am sleeping better thus am not as tired, and my stomach trouble has nearly disappeared. not soul-uplifting, but a potential life-changer physically.
February 2, 2010
If you take every article you've read in health and fitness magazines, advice from diet shows and books you end up with this book. Don't get me wrong, it has good advice but it's nothing you haven't heard before.
January 10, 2012
An excellent book filled with facts on nutrition, which elements are essential, which shold be consumed sparingly and why. The Author offers up a 14 day meal plan as well as numerous mouth-watering recipes.
March 7, 2011
This is a quick guide to healthy eating. The chapters are short and to the point. I found it ok. It took me a long time to get through it because I kept getting distracted by other books.
Currently reading
February 12, 2010Love this book. Helps me figure out ways to eat healthier that I've not been aware of.
April 11, 2010
Good book on nutrition and food selection. Good recipies.
Read
August 8, 2010Truly motivating me to take care of myself!
June 7, 2010
This is a wonderful book, intelligently written. The information is excellent and logical. I got it from the library and then decided to buy it!
July 6, 2010
A quick grab from the library's new shelf. Mostly stuff I knew from previous reading, but some good additional information on dissing the sugar and adding supplements.
September 8, 2011
Dah! Nothing in here people don't already know but it is a good reminder....
March 9, 2012
Nothing revolutionary, just sound advice written with inspiring case study quotes. Good stuff.
Read
March 11, 2017Category: Health, Fitness and Diet
Want to read
January 17, 2015Haven't started this but the article mentioning it recommend eating oatmeal for breakfast, which I love, so I'm thinking I may like the other suggestions.
June 14, 2015
An easy read - and good sense! Quick practical applications.... Definitely worth the time.
July 17, 2014
Some good advice. Kind of got tedious after a while. Vitamin part might be outdated?
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews