Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything
    Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything
    Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything
    Ebook206 pages3 hours

    Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

    By Geneen Roth

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Embraced by Oprah, the #1 New York Times bestselling guide that explains the connection between eating and emotion from Geneen Roth—noted authority on mindful eating.

    No matter how sophisticated or wealthy or broke or enlightened you are, how you eat tells all.

    After three decades of studying, teaching, and writing about our compulsions with food, bestselling author Geneen Roth adds a powerful new dimension to her work in Women Food and God. She begins with her most basic concept: the way you eat is inseparable from your core beliefs about being alive. Your relationship with food is an exact mirror of your feelings about love, fear, anger, meaning, transformation, and, yes, even God.

    A timeless and seminal work, Women Food and God shows how going beyond the food and the feelings takes you deeper into realms of spirit and soul—to the bright center of your own life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScribner
    Release dateDec 21, 2010
    ISBN9781439167380
    Author

    Geneen Roth

    Geneen Roth is the author of ten books, including the New York Times bestsellers When Food Is Love, Lost and Found, and Women Food and God, as well as The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It. She has been speaking, teaching groundbreaking workshops, and offering retreats for over thirty years and has appeared on numerous national shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, the Today show, Good Morning America, and The View. For more information about her work, please visit GeneenRoth.com  

    Related to Women Food and God

    Related ebooks

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      I Had Brain Fog And Put On 5kg

      Mar 5, 2021

      SILKY hair, long slim limbs, washboard stomach, perfect pores, serene smile – all this and then some belong to the goddess of wellness, Gwyneth Paltrow. Even those who love her sometimes have to agree she’s annoyingly perfect and ridiculously success

      4 min read

    • Article

      Goodbye to DIETS

      Feb 9, 2020

      Goodbye to DIETS
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Hardest Thing

      Dec 1, 2019

      The Hardest Thing
      8 min read

    • Article

      Choosing To Be CHILDLESS

      Dec 27, 2019

      Choosing To Be CHILDLESS
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Space for Life to Grow

      May 17, 2021

      A Space for Life to Grow
      9 min read

    • Article

      ALWAYS MAKE THE chilli

      Dec 22, 2023

      ALWAYS MAKE THE chilli
      4 min read

    • Article

      From The EDITOR

      Jun 14, 2023

      In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Eliot had Prufrock reflect, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” It’s a quote that engenders a sense in me that J. Alfred and I are kindred spirits, although lately it seems I’m embracing a la

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Language of Women

      May 4, 2021

      The Language of Women
      12 min read

    • Article

      Q/a Perry Farrell

      Jul 2, 2019

      Q/a Perry Farrell
      7 min read

    • Article

      Exhaling

      Dec 7, 2021

      Around me are fifty or so men, in whose company I will sit and be silent for ten days. I eye them discreetly, wondering who among them is going through a crisis. Who, like me, has a family. Who’s single, who’s been dumped, who’s poor or unhappy. Who’

      52 min read

    • Article

      THE YEAR I stopped EATING

      Jul 19, 2023

      THE YEAR I stopped EATING
      8 min read

    • Article

      Learning to Grieve

      Sep 1, 2020

      Learning to Grieve
      9 min read

    • Article

      How To Win The Diet War

      May 12, 2019

      How To Win The Diet War
      5 min read

    Reviews for Women Food and God

    4/5

    44 ratings25 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      As someone who's always looking for the "right" things to eat books like this are a necessity. I hope one day to do a retreat with the author, but just having this book is a wonderful resource in itself.
    • 1/5
      I didn't bother to finish it.Nothing new. Her eating guidelines state:Eat without distractions. Distractions include radio, television, newspapers, books, intense or anxiety-producing conversations or music.So eat alone or with boring people.And stay out of Jimmy John's - they play their music much to loud.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Given my continuing issue with obesity and food, when I found this for pennies as a thrift shop, I snatched it up. The bases for Roth's ideology is more esoteric than I prefer. Lots of references to Buddhist and Hindu traditions, lots of importance placed on mediation, self, and feelings. As an INTJ, this is not my cup of tea. At all. Her advice seemed fluffy and touchy-feeling, lacking practical application and having an unhealthy obsession with self. Buried among the dribble lay a few bits of good information - think about why food controls you, learn why you lack control, what emotion does food trigger, all that sort of thing. I'll carry away some bits of good advice from this book, but overall, this isn't the sort of book for me.
    • 3/5
      For only a 211-page book there are a lot of quotations from other spiritual advisors in here. In between rehashing her childhood troubles with her mother and emphasizing the typical reluctance of her students to immediately embrace her wellness ideology, Roth does give some interesting, encouraging, and practical information regarding the correlations between our relationship with food and the decisions we make in other aspects of life.
    • 4/5
      This is a very difficult read; Roth cuts very close to the bone and it's uncomfortable. And makes me want to have a candy bar.
    • 4/5
      The title for this book, Women Food and God is a bit deceiving. The book is not so much about women, food, and God or even the relationships that women have with food and God. It is really more about the relationship we have with ourselves and learning to treat ourselves with gentleness and love. This book really resonated with me. Like many women, in my mind I have an ideal weight for myself. Unfortunately, I think I passed that ideal weight sometime in my teens and haven't seen it since. Listening to this book has made me rethink why I want that ideal weight. Will thinner arms really make that much of a difference in my life? I don't think I am a shallow person, yet somehow I have it stuck in my mind that being thinner would make me better. So instead of berating myself for eating all the chocolate eggs for my daughter's Care package, I need to pause, breathe and reflect on why I want to snack or web surf mindlessly. Definitely some thing to think about.
    • 4/5
      I was assigned this book as part of a nutrition course I'm taking.
    • 3/5
      Some stuff in here really hit home, but I just felt like the book was randomly put together. I wouldn't even know how to begin to go about applying this system to my life.
    • 3/5
      food is not always the problem or the answer - good thought-provoking book
    • 5/5
      Finally, a book about weight that hits home.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      It's kind of a Buddhist diet book, really, about eating mindfully. And I could sure use that lesson, but the heavy emphasis on ending the dieting and the self-hate (which forms a large part of many womens' relationship with food), did make it a bit hard to relate, having never dieted. Mostly, though, much as I could use the bit about eating mindfully, I read it as prequel to her later book (see below).
    • 3/5
      Required me to concentrate a bit on its content. Some parts were insightful. Overall wasn't that enlightened.
    • 3/5
      Kind of New Age spirituality, in that eating is seen as a response to past life-events. Recommends that one embrace the past and let it go: "you are now, not then; be in the present". The guidelines are not original, but it's a good summary list.The Eating Guidelines: (1) Eat when you are hungry; (2) Eat sitting down in a calm environment; (3) Eat without distractions; (4) Eat what your body wants (but not just chocolate candy all day long!); (5) eat until you are satisfied; (6) Eat "with the intention of being" in full view of others; (7) Eat with enjoyment, gusto, and pleasure.
    • 4/5
      I just finished re-reading this book and really got a lot out of it. Several "aha" moments. A lot of tools and techniques for dealing with emotional eating. The one thing I did not like was the continual tie-in that emotional eating has its roots in our childhood and our parents. At this point in my life, I am responsible for my own actions. It's not where we begin that matters; it's where we end up. I still really like the book for its tools on how to proceed on that path.
    • 2/5
      I have mixed feelings about this book. In one sense it was ok, some insightful opinions and thoughts. However I really do not understand why "God" had to be part of the title. There is no relation to the book and the author's believes that has anything to do with God.Believing in a spiritual higher being. Dear Geneen there is only one God. No medition and any other rubish will get one at that special place. If anyone needs to fix themselves, they first have to fix their relationship with God. Pray to God and He will help you. He will give you the strengh.This book got allot of media attention. However I was a little disappointed.
    • 5/5
      I found this book a very quick and easy read. No preaching. No expounding on ideas or techniques that discourage more than encourage. Instead, a gentle, understanding chat with someone who understands. I'm looking forward to going through this book again with a Reading Group. It was definitely thought-provoking and definitely not a diet or a plan. This is not just a book for those who need to lose weight, but is more a book about our love-hate relationship with food and ourselves. For anyone who wants to look further into their relationship with food, I'd recommend this book.
    • 3/5
      This is the book Oprah Winfrey has been excited about, and has been telling viewers to "read it now!" Written by Geneen Roth, Women Food and God is a book about getting in touch with the real reasons why some people eat more or less than they should.Roth writes:"All that you believe about love, change, joy and responsibility is revealed in how, when and what you eat. The world is on your plate."Author Geneen Roth was a guest on the Oprah Show which went to air in Australia on 21 September 2010. Immediately after the show, I logged onto my local library website to reserve a copy, only to find I was already number 22 in line for this book. My turn came on 22 December when I was able to pick up my copy and start reading.After all of the Oprah hype, I was expecting a revelation while reading this book, and I've got to admit I was mildly disappointed. The book contains references to retreats run by Roth and the experiences and breakthroughs people have made during their stay which were interesting. Roth also takes the reader through the various relationships that can cause distress, including most importantly the relationship with yourself and the fears and stories we tell ourselves.The book did contain one particular piece of information that struck me. In summary, Roth wrote that sometimes when a person wants to eat a particular food, they're not seeking the feeling they get when they eat it, but they may be seeking the feeling they experienced in the past when they were permitted or allowed to eat it. This gave me pause for reflection and was a valuable tidbit that was completely new to me and one to which I could relate.Having said all of that, this was a good read, but ultimately didn't live up to my high expectations. Geneen Roth has published seven other books on this topic, including When You Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull Up a Chair. What a fabulous title! I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in understanding how to improve your relationship with yourself and others and how this relates to food. The book is also suitable for male readers, despite the title.
    • 1/5
      couldn't finish it...boring and pointless
    • 3/5
      Interesting - most of the concepts (which she initiated) were familiar - others have used her work as basis for theirs
    • 5/5
      Women Food and God is wonderful. I’ve got history with Geneen Roth books. I’ve read at least two of her other books on compulsive eating. Seems like more but there are only two titles on the list in the front of this book that really jumped out at me, so I’ll say two. And I have liked everything I’ve read. But this book? This is her best book by far. Her writing on the topic has matured, has taken a turn; she has taken her years of workshop work and brought it together with her own study of various writers and teachers and created a book filled with wisdom not just about ending the battle with food, but about using the battle with food as a way to find your center, to find yourself.It contained for me, many eye-opening (mind-blowing) thoughts. I didn’t read anything new (to me), but I read things presented in a new way, in a new context, that definitely turned me on my head (so to speak).I highly recommend this book, not just to women seeking to gain control over issues with food, but to any woman who has had body issues (who among us hasn’t?), or who simply wants to find a path into greater peace of mind, equanimity, sense of self.
    • 5/5
      If you suffer about your relationship with food - you eat too much or too little, think about what you will eat constantly or try not to think about it at all - you can be free. Just look down at your plate. The answers are there. Don't run. Look. Because when we welcome what we most want to avoid, we contact the part of ourselves that is fresh and alive. We touch the life we truly want and evoke divinity itself.
    • 2/5
      The "inquiry" system sounds very sensible. It feels so right and yet too difficult to actually achieve. Why the author even tells us that this is not a system that one can do alone. She says that no one should try the "inquiry" on their own. Doesn't that sound like an advert for taking her training session(s). She also speaks about her students making repeat trips to her training sessions. I think you might have to be rich to even dream of succeeding with her this plan.
    • 2/5
      I can tell you right now that this book isn't what I thought it would be. I am on page 52 and plan to finish the book, but it is making me angry. I was expecting detailed explanations about meditation techniques and less excerpts from the author's retreats. I have noticed a few grammar mistakes. Grrr. AND, I generally don't buy into the author's philosophy on weight loss. Come to find out, she's not happy with her body either. I think there is a conflict brewing in my mind with the mind of the author. And that is because I DO want to learn to love my body and to build it as the best body it should be. Geneen Roth advocates giving up the fight against our bodies. I am not sure that is ever possible.edit: about 5 hours later.... Nope, I can't do it. I can't finish this book. Although I hate to say this, I am sorry I purchased this book and perhaps should have gone for something deeper and more intellectual about meditation and women's relationship to God. I hope those of you out there who enjoy this book actually get something out of it.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It's going to be a reread , over and over, I can tell. I first read it like any other book in this vein, hoping it would tell me to do this or that and it would all be better. This is not that type of book and I'm ultimately glad. It makes you think. It's helping me to see the emotional connection to food and how it can be detrimental. I thank "God" for her insight.
    • 1/5
      I read 117 of 211 pages and could not continue to read any further. The book was not what I had thought it would be. I have not read anything by this author before and going by the publisher's summary and the title I had expected this book to incorporate the Judaeo-Christian God into women's struggle with weight loss and food relationship. That surmise was incorrect, the author's concept of the word "God" could be more clearly stated as "whatever supreme deity, power or feeling you happen to believe in". This was not what I wanted. The book is divided into three parts: Principles, Practices and Eating. I managed to read through the Principles section and found the information on emotional eating and loving yourself as who you are informative but not anything I hadn't read before. Only one religion is actually mentioned and quoted from and that is Buddhism. Again, not what *I* was looking for. The Practices section became too new-agey for me and I could not continue to read. I will say though that the writer has a fun, upbeat, humorous voice.

    Book preview

    Women Food and God - Geneen Roth

    _0abook_preview_excerpt.html[˒6ڋnGX!GG%ak옻C(nK|7{%qXR#'Of/?՛ou_sc^|kL}Sűz>^rg|lzuhRuئKu+|<VuHus}⩪#X={r\ϫ'j괤|[UUu7sx Bj]8/$?'k_*\7a8f\;naӔ"b踜N~d#/vPl}s+XqEŒ9W)cR]I1J _iƅʉ0ϓTTbl8%BMZZ{CoU˻~v{a6R4gqȥ|#lG@'SwnlUߙT61Wc h5/{k;e#9bs4uaoS\&S`}:3-߅Sy )̋VHq>HLWXj (,ִqFY*jQnsDD) #e4,P„2.o>Cu b{.?xxs\K<ȑ#RS83 ;xEL8ysL晫e}w 3& R҅;V{mG .]lj7Q ,T*%Έ7 )uJho Џ֠3N9I-~[,w^P~1S7x?gYEp(Ɵ. /R9pq J+0niax{?>Au.αMnuN726)XUU3Tq _t}p*aaiq)Ri҅y{'@xb w3r] CJDt,R2~Dĵ1Y @a~P·= b7#F?nA;d@}op L D۠&E3$- fAD L6)ڿHrCD0iGW訓2pAYH: Af=Gwtsͅb0к! &qN pLG)K8d@7zد8؜ː.A} ,M™ Ƀne^Ա l-#,bI}KAd((ba{؃hP/;of@> ܻXwRNUCfVd0a6/~͂շ@7bDQ8'CRrB'Mju3|i 5}f%j^=d gExuL K%j 3 D2`$d! (U/dd; %9ZSABv*1#pBj$FY @ 3 `ZK)r#X1ė ;i߷^a^ ,Ԍ%B3ю"$/gQdŜMYl]א!lNܯz5x>6أd?˃Q5##T!ekAdDpCIEq,k`rP@\s^mHhʋiϜMwtX==THg&թ\g|A{Ӓ@e3o;Mc !+!HH,K`S5\Z(HH y>v[}NKwӓ R />*D4OpEfPm`%'Ad@dSuŒ *8@7Ɉ%=kdM& R40uq*g )@/<ˇLRs͒>Jh- ݿ `|9>woH;0R, =%y^L}+/~WB PUU4&U.%6%Q[x#ߜq6"o4t} 4sZ/ s e$Z$uFH, 핍a~.;[2 Sb,>u ACFN,*p{Y4NOɊ,*IU3~pYV_4-.ȃ{ b~?L19>.9%GrMêrYRtKE`1*ƶ'rӄt(ԈzXKJ6@ ZMem ʙÍI>~"Shdj^i6(Epm'YYd!fnSL%0' x@Ɨ-;vbum66dI] FUXM }R+º-yeC_zcRٲt*zVE/Y ixJEl 8)Z={Ĉd:?R:dfʂϓ_4kQȐg9(*Fzg566[V_Prf@ 9明ZVMO=JYH&V?ogF:.e`c8ia#UkZfĄ3Qz(E՞HHNdA/HM4]2 yB'a[iDf& o9 2h9[4,%o\y&Mi)l|wVnZ/)`nYX |i(~"Yrzia;!hri/oa^>|2-0o b3i ,MYzEi/ʷ71"~7;U,U(a:I}H?Rz"z֕TӅCۖ)uGUPV DbWmgsz5O="f=`h_HA6m R7`jBM5K,YJRRJ4 XlgDvnpTnEOxiE*9@E*ܰ])ɫPxQhbg`w܋)9ij?lȚȮ[sG'Q&'̓` N`倠m%iUJ7Bٛř˾-pMCiB]DQ=h9,斲xc\~+|",G t!Yr܇oЋ;MTˠ,+/ y6+GI)I5=<5kh/)-s@$vE.GV'H\*O K-˄%"< '0V̀In=\离(iKn_NXp|Q >/*;R&~~Xz[yj%\>;9,.qK>-Ӝ5i+͇r*ia;k7+(JN$k`ikw^*wKy%AZ-|i8, 5#C\2>v.Ky|O#s_]jj BILvd"䰦8-z.:IjC)F"Iť!ˇ޷@śWʏwy_\ZE=[:{9k"Lul+^أ09jSH6#P $ǶvvAh~Ǥ6g+{inh l=;-b7w&jZk"٢YKyѮѪyS 86oG/cW4;kye˨4Eyl=\ȶ!%^;ēLmZ>̭<
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1