Conscious Eating

I've had this book for a few years and regularly refer to it. After reading the reviews I decided to post. First of all, I think this book would be difficult to swallow if you don't have raw food experience. Primarily because this book is about adjusting the dials. Most of us have little knowledge of how our own unique bodies function, or what's required to funciton optimally. Conversely, one may have a lot of knowledge about the body, but experience trumps info. Apply what you know to your own body and see how much it bears out in experience. It is then we realize that much of our knowledge is theoretical, no matter how sound, and doesn't necessarily bear out in reality. This book, then, is a manual for the experience of one's own body and is based on decades of experience, study and practice with hundreds of people. The information is astoundingly refined. If you are just begining raw not only will the information be too complex, it won't be all that relevant - even though it's good. It's important to have refined information when you need refined information and to have more general information when you need that. I say take what's useful and stay raw. Keep the book as a resource. Don't make up your mind in one or two reads. You'll come back again and again and gain new insight or new perspective. This book will grow with you. On a personal note: I often hear or read comments about Dr. Cousens' arrogance or that he's condescending. I'm not a "fan" but I do respect his work. He has an educational background that is astounding, a spiritual background that is shockingly diverse, feeds people, houses people, heals people, educates people and is utterly commited to helping save our planet. Dr. Cousens couldn't be self-serving or self-absorbed - or he wouldn't be willing/able to do the huge amount of work he does, tirelessy, for others. (there are MUCH easier ways to stroke one's ego) I think it's important to view him in the context of his work and his life to gain an understanding of his language and tone. Plus, he's human. Just please don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. This really is a great book.

Written by holistic medical doctor, psychiatrist, family therapist, and licensed homeopathic physician Gabriel Cousens, Conscious Eating is a health-centered eating and nutrition guide that carefully walks readers through individualizing their individual food choices based upon the needs of their bodies (including the option of vegetarianism and making the sometimes difficult transition to a vegetarian diet), as well as numerous and invaluable "tips, tricks, and techniques" with respect to food preparation, and so much more, Conscious Eating is an insightful, fact-filled, "user friendly" guide to improving dietary habits straight away. A number of healthy recipes embellish this worthy 850-page reference, yet its primary focus is information accessible to non-specialist general readers concerning overall nutritional improvement rather than just another compendium of specific dishes.

This book is one of the best health books I've ever read, no question about it. It combines pretty much every diet fad you've ever heard about into a raw, living food diet. In this book, Cousens teaches us how to follow the Ayurvedic principles through a 80-90% raw food diet. He also teaches us how to individualize our diets for our metabolic body types. This is one of the only books I know that teaches how to individualize diet for a vegetarian.The book covers religion, meditation, toxins in our environment, and has a nice living foods recipe section in the back of the book. The nice thing about it, is that with the recipes, he doesn't try to offer dishes that are similiar to those which are cooked. I see a lot of vegetarian recipe books doing that. "Try our delicious all vegan pizza!" and of course, it tastes no better than a branch off of the Maple tree in my back yard. These recipes offer new tastes.I like a particular section in the book where Cousens tries to explain the logic behind why people think he looks much more unhealthy now than when he did when he was a bulky college football player. We live in such an obesce society, that someone of a healthy weight appears too slim, or unhealthy. Because Cousens doesn't have a pot belly, and sagging male breasts, many people say he looks "thin and puny". This book teaches us that through living foods, we can sculpt and shape our bodies pretty much any way we'd like. He chooses not to be muscular anymore, because he feels he has no need for 30 extra pounds of muscle. Steven Arlin on the other hand, is 230 lbs, and likes to feel big and strong. All in all, this book takes you on a journey through the fascinating world of raw, living foods. It could change your way of thinking.

Not only Oprah Winfrey seems to be concerned about what she eats these days. More and more of us ordinary folks are paying attention how and what we eat. After all, many of us figure, not many things have as much impact on our health and happiness as what we put into our bodies every day. But, with so much conflicting information out there, it can get confusing. So, what are we to do? For anyone who's considering a transition to a more plant-based diet or already is a vegetarian, Dr.Cousens' book, which has been called "the Bible of Vegetarianism" - can been a great help. This international bestseller is for you if you're one who has wished there was an easy to read manual written by someone who REALLY knows what they're talking about when it comes to the relationship of food, health, happiness, spiritual growth and the spirit-mind-body connection. "Conscious Eating" is unique in that it address the subject of eating within the context of how it affects our spiritual development, our health, happiness.The information is clearly presented and easy to read for anyone who has an interest in taking charge of their wellness. It's easy to see why Terry Cole-Whittaker commented "...'Conscious Eating' helps to make our future brighter than ever before." If you've ever wanted to find out...why people are switching to vegetarianism and why you may want to as well...how addictions and eating patterns are connected... what a properly done fast can do for you...how you can get well and better by changing your diet and life-style... Ñ perhaps you too should check out Conscious Eating.