Conscious Eating
"In this book, an expanded revision of his 1992 work, Cousens endeavors to make his readers aware of how their food choices affect their bodies, minds, emotions, and spiritual life. He emphasizes there is no one-diet-fits-all approach, but rather a consciousness on the part of the individual of what works. He includes information on the oxidative, autonomic, ayurvedic, anabolic-catabolic, endocrine, blood-type, and acid base diet systems. In personalizing a diet, the individual needs to answer these questions:• Am I emotionally stable after eating?• Do I have increased physical energy after eating?• Am I craving any foods?"Cousens details studies where poor diets were fed to indigenous groups such as the Kurds, Yemenites, and Zulus. The indigenous people studied had been introduced to highly refined carbohydrate foods and suffered from degenerative conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. He points to a diet of fast, frozen, and processed foods, adopted by Americans and peoples of most industrialized nations, as one that is inadequate. He characterizes this diet as one loaded with refined sugar, white flour, and pesticides."The author establishes guidelines for healthy eating by recommending that people consume natural, whole, and organic foods and that the diet be primarily fresh, live raw foods. He advocates a high-complex-carbohydrate, low-protein, and low-fat regimen with attention to receiving adequate sunlight. Deep breathing, bathing, and contact with nature in the form of gardening or hikes all have therapeutic effects."In this era where so many things are condensed or encapsulated, reading a book with 850 pages is a daunting task. In this case, it's worth the effort. In Conscious Eating Gabriel Cousens has compiled a handbook that emphasizes the benefits of a raw food diet. He has woven together many philosophies from around the world and incorporated them into a body-mind-spirit program that will be beneficial to the individual and to all mankind. The book is a valuable reference tool that belongs in every vegetarian's library."—Vegparadise.com