Inspiring New Book Offering Practical Tips To Revolutionize Your Eating Habits

Susan Teton Campbell has had a great journey searching for answers to the food-related health problems that plague millions of Americans, and now she offers those answers and tons of inspirational and practical advice on the pages of her new book Eating as a Spiritual Practice. : Discover your purpose while nurturing your body, mind and soul.

Think of eating as a spiritual practice as a two-for-one deal. First, you get the amazing story of Susan’s life journey, and then you get a host of delicious and healthy recipes. But perhaps most importantly, throughout those two sections are tons of good advice and insightful information on the value of proper nutrition and the dangers of processed and junk foods.

Susan’s journey to focus on what we actually eat began when she realized that her son’s body had an intolerance to sugar and how, despite her best efforts, when that got out of hand, she also left him open to much worse substance addiction. Susan went on a lifelong mission to discover how to reverse her son’s health problems, and in the process, she realized the severe malnutrition that many of us experience due to the processed and packaged foods we eat.

Rather than simply reading about nutrition and changing her and her son’s diet, Susan became very involved in revolutionizing people’s relationships with food. He participated in retreats and spiritual organizations that believed in cultivating both the body and the soul. One organization he got involved with was EarthSave International, founded by John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America. Part of her involvement with this group was spearheading a program to try to get healthier foods served in schools. Soon, Susan was visiting principals and packing lunches for them, and discovered that the cafe-style lunch menus in our school districts practice the exact opposite of the good nutrition that school health classes preach.

Susan also discovers her soul in these pages as she talks about her own many efforts to eat well and overcome temptation, and most difficult of all, how she learned to set limits and let go of her son, Aaron, when he refused to follow the guidelines. rules. or do what was best for him, but instead it turned into a spiral of years of addiction. In the end, the journey made Susan stronger because her son gave her lessons she desperately needed to learn about herself and her situation boosted her motivation to help others. At one point, Susan describes how she found herself judging people by what they ate, and then came to a deep understanding:

“From that point on, my job became sharing, rather than having an agenda that required others to change. I had learned from Aaron that I couldn’t change it, nor did having an agenda to do so empowered him or me. that a new me evolved, one that would simply share what I knew to be true for me. The depth of this change and how much lighter I felt are beyond my ability to put it into words, but they changed me, they softened me. “

Susan continued to teach cooking classes and constantly received requests to write a cookbook, but she didn’t want to write just a cookbook, she wanted to share her philosophy and deep understanding about our relationship with food and its sacredness. The result: Eating as a spiritual practice, a book that does not try to sell us a specific diet, nor does it tell us that we should pray for our food. Instead, it’s a book full of common sense, a back-to-basics approach, and a reminder to think about what we’re putting in our mouths and the effects it will have on our bodies. As Susan says in the book’s introduction:

“[Y]You will be inspired to look at food, your body, your life, and the Earth in a new light, a light filled with purpose, gratitude, and promise. Why? Because it is absolutely vital that we are all part of creating a just and sustainable food system for ourselves, our children and the state of our air, water and soil. The deepest motivation, which is alive in me and in many others I know, is, in essence, spiritual. Perhaps, like me, you are a spiritual seeker with a dietary practice that extends well beyond the table. “

Susan makes it clear that we can no longer eat healthy foods as part of a temporary diet or simply to lose weight. It should become part of our daily practice, just like exercising or brushing our teeth. It must be integrated as a daily discipline in our lives that is “fueled by love and respect.”

Instead of counting calories or trying to cut down on our portions, we should focus on making nutritious choices that not only heal and maintain our bodies, but also nourish our spirits. Our body and soul’s abilities to function at their best are deeply tied to what we eat, and it’s time we pay attention to that connection and do our best to nurture all aspects of ourselves. Susan has learned to do that, and in these pages she will help you learn to do the same.