This volume explores our cultural celebration of food, blending lobster festivals, politicians' roadside eats, reality show "chef showdowns," and gravity-defying cakes into a deeper exploration of why people find so much joy in eating. In 1961, Julia Child introduced the American public to an entirely new, joy-infused approach to cooking and eating food. In doing so, she set in motion a food renaissance that is still in full bloom today. Over the last six decades, food has become an increasingly more diverse, prominent, and joyful point of cultural interest. The Joy of Eating discusses in detail the current golden age of food in contemporary American popular culture. Entries explore the proliferation of food-themed television shows, documentaries, and networks; the booming popularity of celebrity chefs; unusual, exotic, decadent, creative, and even mundane food trends; and cultural celebrations of food, such as in festivals and music. The volume provides depth and academic gravity by tying each entry into broader themes and larger contexts (in relation to a food-themed reality show, for example, discussing the show's popularity in direct relation to a significant economic event), providing a brief history behind popular foods and types of cuisines and tracing the evolution of our understanding of diet and nutrition, among other explications.

Weight Loss/Personal Growth Have you lost the weight only to gain back more over and over again? Food, although intended to sustain us, has become a source of fear and judgment cascading into a widespread constant anxiety. For many of us our own body has turned into a cause for self-loathing as weight creeps up despite our best efforts. Desperate to get rid of the weight, we search for someone to tell us the right way to eat. As these solutions continue to fail we blame ourselvesThere must be something wrong with me. The truth is there is nothing wrong with you! This pattern is simply a result of our conditioning around food, diet, and body image. Once we get stuck in this pattern we lose trust in ourselves and look out there for the answer. Throughout the pages of this book you will: Explore making peace with food Change limiting thoughts and beliefs around food, diet, and body image Learn to go within to find the healthy eating style that is right for you Find a sustainable way to lose the weight for good See how making peace with food can spill over into all areas of your life Gwen Irwin tells a compelling story of her journey to weight loss and health. She understands the most important part of any transformational journey; it all starts with changing your thoughts and beliefs. A must read for anyone who has been on the dieting roller coaster for too long! ~Andy DooleyCo-founder oftut.comand Creator of Vibration Activation

Named a Best Cookbook of the Year by Martha Stewart Living "Magnificent illustrations add spirit to recipes and heartfelt narratives. Plan to buy two copies—one for you and one for your best foodie friend." —Taste of Home This collection of intimate, illustrated essays by some of America’s most well–regarded literary writers explores how comfort food can help us cope with dark times—be it the loss of a parent, the loneliness of a move, or the pain of heartache. Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes her growing pains as she learned to feed and care for herself during her twenties. Claire Messud tries to understand how her mother gave up dreams of being a lawyer to make “a dressed salad of tiny shrimp and avocado, followed by prune–stuffed pork tenderloin.” What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the story: the taste of hope. "If you've ever felt a deep, emotional connection to a recipe or been comforted by food during a dark time, you'll fall in love with these stories."—Martha Stewart Living “Eat Joy is the most lovely food essay book . . . This is the perfect gift." —Joy Wilson (Joy the Baker)

The 2014 Christianity Today Book Award Winner (Christian Living) Food is the source of endless angst and anxiety. We struggle with obesity and eating disorders. Reports of agricultural horror stories give us worries about whether our food is healthy, nutritious or justly produced. It's hard to know if our food is really good for us or for society. Our relationship with food is complicated to say the least. But God intended for us to delight in our food. Rachel Stone calls us to rediscover joyful eating by receiving food as God's good gift of provision and care for us. She shows us how God intends for us to relate to him and each other through food, and how our meals can become expressions of generosity, community and love of neighbor. Eating together can bring healing to those with eating disorders, and we can make wise choices for sustainable agriculture. Ultimately, redemptive eating is a sacramental act of culture making through which we gratefully herald the feast of the kingdom of God. Filled with practical insights and some tasty recipes, this book provides a Christian journey into the delight of eating. Come to the table, partake of the Bread of Life—and eat with joy.

Imagine what it would be like if you could eat all the foods you love—from General Tso’s Chicken and Buffalo Wings to Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. But instead of feeling bloated, heavy, and lethargic, you felt light, alive, and healthy. It sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? This dream is, in fact, reality, and New York Times best-selling author Joy Bauer is here to prove it. In From Junk Food to Joy Food, Bauer lays out the secrets to transforming everyone’s favorite comfort foods into healthier versions of themselves—just like she does in her popular segment on the TODAY show. With a few simple tweaks, readers can create sumptuous dishes with the flavors and textures they crave but without the negative side effects. Instead of making them feel tired and weighed down, these foods will help readers lose weight, alleviate arthritis pain, boost energy, enhance heart health, normalize blood pressure, minimize wrinkles, and so much more. Packed with more than 100 recipes and stunning four-color before-and-after food photography, this book presents some of the most delicious (and typically fattening!) meals, snacks, desserts and drinks—but with a healthy twist. So get set to gobble down Chicken Parmesan for dinner and top it off with Boston Cream Pie, and still drop two dress sizes in a few weeks. It’s all possible when you turn your favorite junk food into Joy food.

Rowena will inspire you to truly get naked with the magic of food by squeezing the juice out of every possibility! A brilliant book written by an extraordinary human being! Carren Smith - Author, Presenter, TV Host and Raw Food Lover In The Joy of Real Food, Rowena shares her journey from anorexic and binge eater to health and wellness ambassador. Hospitalised with a bleeding colon at twenty-eight from years of self sabotage and struggle with an eating disorder, Rowena knew this was her wake up call to transform her life or self destruct. Twelve years on, Rowena is now a leader in the fields of Yoga, Raw Food, and Healthy Living. Combining everything she has learnt about health and wellness through professional and personal platforms, Rowena now shares her philosophies, insights, and passion for bringing back the joy of real food and using it to tap into your human potential. A Story of Courage, Determination and Inspiration!

Anyone who’s tried to lose weight through sheer will power knows how difficult, if not impossible, it can be. In this practical and paradigm-shifting book, Dr. Jean Kristeller presents a new alternative--a program for weight loss based on her successful Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training Program. Instead of frustration, depravation, backsliding, guilt, and a lack of results, The Joy of Half a Cookie provides simple, proven ways to lose weight and keep it off, using what we now know about the power of the mind. The first book to bring mindfulness to the dieting space in a truly accessible and mainstream way, The Joy of Half a Cookie will show readers how to lose weight while: ditching willpower, guilt, and cravings loving every bite, including favorite and previously “forbidden” foods tapping into the body’s satiety signals Written for anyone who wants to lose weight – not just the mediation and yoga crowd – this accessible book delivers a proven way to find peace of mind and a healthier relationship with food, for life.