(Judith Matz, Amy Pershing, and Christy Harrison. PESI Publishing, Inc, 2024.)
Despite decades of research demonstrating that the majority of individuals who pursue weight loss will regain the lost weight, if not more, by the five-year mark, the influence of the diet industry and diet culture remains strong and pervasive. The authors share that dieting is one of the biggest predictors of weight gain, and while they note that there is nothing wrong with weight gain or having a larger body size, they do seek to share with the reader the true impacts of dieting from a nonjudgmental, trauma-informed and research-based stance.
In Part 1, the authors examine the impacts of diet culture on mindset and eating behaviors, while also educating the reader on the diet-rebound cycle to emphasize why diet failure is not the individual’s fault. Part 2 offers strategies the readers can use to heal their relationship with food and their body, with guidance on attuned eating, and ways to respond to emotional eating and binge eating. Part 3 then shifts to finding solutions with an examination of weight stigma, the myths about weight and health and touches on topics related to nutrition, media literacy and navigating conversations about diet and weight for example. The authors also provide extremely helpful recommendations for books, card decks, podcasts and newsletters, as well as an extensive reference list.
The workbook’s primary audience appears to be those looking to start, or continue, their journey to heal their relationship with food and their body. Additionally, at the end of each chapter, the authors offer a “Clinician’s Corner” to support professionals in exploring their own food and body concerns, concepts to share with their clients and an opportunity to shift to an anti-diet approach in their clinical work. Each chapter offers a number of writing prompts to guide readers in exploring and applying the ideas presented to their own lived experience.
The authors’ expertise on the subject matter is unparalleled, and they have crafted a workbook that is well-written, approachable, compassionate, comprehensive and evidence based. This book will serve as an invaluable resource for individuals seeking to heal their relationship with food and their body, and for all those who seek to support them along the way.
—Reviewed by Maryrose Bauschka, MD
Janice Goldschmidt
Has worked with individuals with IDD for the last decade, and written and presented her work in a range of professional formats. She received her Master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of Maryland-College Park, where she initially developed her program for development of food preparation skills, Active Engagement. As Director of Nutrition Services at Community Support Services, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD), she has continued to build on Active Engagement, which now includes many differing contexts for guiding individuals with IDD and autism to independent cooking skills. She has also worked on the identification, classification, and treatment of eating disorders for this population.