"The Buddha defined suffering as a ravenous appetite to find peace and security in places where it couldn't be found."

"Generosity is more nourishing than self-indulgence."

"The nourishment that comes from being kind to yourself and to others is the kind of food that stays with you."

--from The Zen of Eating, by Ronna Kabatznick, Ph.D.

When we think of hunger, we immediately think of a scarcity of food. Yet there is another kind of hunger experienced by people who have plenty to eat. It's an emotional hunger, a deep craving for peace, love, security, and meaning in our lives. For many, this takes the form of a ravenous appetite for food, even though food is not the true source of the yearning.

Often, when we think we need food, that is just a diguise for a deeper need. In her excellent new book, Dr. Ronna Kabatznick shows us how overeating and other skewed ways of relating to food are really a more general "disorder of desire." She maps out a way to respond to emotional hunger by cultivating spiritual nourishment, leading us on a journey to inner peace. Once we get there with our minds, says Dr. Kabatznick, the physical will follow. This is not a diet book, nor is it an "eating plan." It is a powerful little tome called The Zen of Eating.

In this clear, very readable text, we learn how to fill ourselves with genuine peace and joy, rather than with superfluous food. We are shown the skills to reverse the misguided tendency to indulge oursleves physically when the need is really emotional. In The Zen of Eating, Dr. Kabatznick reveals "The Four Noble Truths" about suffering and desire, then walks us through "The Noble Eightfold Path" – a way to let go of attachments and, in the process, soften the edge of our suffering.

The names of the book's sections tell us a great deal about the content: Emotional Hunger, The End of Emotional Hunger, and Recipes for Nourishing the Heart. I recommend this book strongly to everyone, not just those among us who have recognized "issues" around food. For the goal is "a balanced state of mind that will help us navigate throught the extremes of indulgence and self-denial." And who among us doesn't need some inspiration to help us understand our struggle for this? To be comfortable in our spiritual and physical being is a shared goal among us all. This book shows us the way – it is a gift we can give ourselves and each other.

P.S. You don't have to be a Buddhist to find this a page-turner!

Ronna Kabatznick, Ph.D. spent many years as the psychological consultant to Weight Watchers International, has taught psychology at numerous colleges, and has written articles on weight, food, culture, and spirituality for many national publications. She was the founder of the influential nonprofit organization called Dieters Feed the Hungry, and is a consultant to businesses and companies nationwide. She lives in Berkeley, California and has practiced meditation since 1985.

The Zen of Eating is published by Perigee. Ask for it in your local bookstore or order it from your favorite online booksource.