Food Freedom Forever: Letting Go of Bad Habits, Guilt, and Anxiety Around Food

I love this book. Easy to read. Not boring. Helps keep me on track.

This book happened to come out just as I was finishing a round of the Whole30. I ordered it to help me with life after I had reintroduced the off-plan foods and bottom line: I am glad that I did. However, don't be dissuaded if you have not completed the Whole30. This is a great book to read in preparation for a Whole30 or another type of dietary reset. The Author, Ms. Hartwig, does encourage you to try the Whole30 in this book but also gives several other options if the Whole30 doesn't seem right for you. What I like most about this book is her approach to the "psychology of food". What I mean by that is in our society we tend to shame junk food or "bad eating", yet we also tend to eat for psychological comfort (guilty!) which leads to a pattern of self-deprecation when you eat a "bad food" and shame yourself for it. Ms. Hartwig's goal is to help you find a way of thinking about food in a more cyclical manner instead of a black and white manner. This book teaches you that you will overeat, make poor choices, and essentially slip into more bad than good eating habits....and this is OKAY. It is part of the process. Learning what works for you is cyclical. You'll go through times where you eat really well consistently and other times where you don't and it's all part of the process. The goal is to let go of the guilt, forgive yourself, and periodically reset your diet. It's a very healthy approach, in my opinion. It's a fresh way of looking at your diet that I haven't come across before.

I have 2 more meals to complete the Whole30. It has not been difficult at all. I am 75 in May and and lost and gained weight sooooooo very many times but had never found a plan that could be a way of life. This might not have been the plan either but I feel like a million dollars and years have been added. I totally agree that at some point I may try ice cream or really good homemade bread or wild rice again but this is too wonderful and so much fun and with excellent support that I can happily stay with it for the rest of my life. I happened upon the Whole30 shortly after the beginning of Lent when I was already giving up the White Stuff (sugar , pasta, dairy, bread). The Whole30 was just the ticket. It is reasonable , well thought out and explained. I haven't even tried the recipes yet. Just used my own with ghee and olive oil. My cook book comes tomorrow. Thank you Melissa. Yes I've lost weight but, goodness, I am healthy and full of energy.

This really is a great book to either start a truly healthy lifestyle or to refine a program that you may have already been pursuing for decades. While many of us don't agree with some of the advice, like adding back in all milk products, and definitely not grains/lectins (check out Dr. Gundry's book The Plant paradox, and dig into the scientific studies on my lectins are long-term toxic), the book itself has a great program that many people should be confortable following as a lifestyle.I'd also found Dave Asprey's "Head Strong" and Darin Olien's "Superlife" to fill in some gaps in Whole30, adding some useful improvements. Pretty much all modern research recognizes that spiritual, mental, emotional, social, and physical health all need to be strong.Some additional critical points for me have been:1. SLEEP: I was diet and exercise controlled on Type 1.5 diabetes (yes, Insulin-dependent due to lowered pancreatic output can be managed!) with chronic kidney disease and Hasimoto's Thyroiditis ... but then I went through a year-plus period of very little sleep due to travel schedules and new train routes past the house that woke me up all night long. Diabetes sky-rocketed, and I learned that sleep is JUST as critical as diet, exercise and general stress management.2. Type of exercise: "aerobics" actually hurts your body when overdone; emphasizing weight training and augmenting with movement/flexibility lends to better health-span. Tim Ferris' books "4 Hour Body" and "4 Hour Chef" can give some insights, but as a 50+er I have struggled to find a really great program for my health and goals. Almost everything is outdated or aimed to the 20-30 crowd (and often contain advice that will have long-term negative impacts.) I've use Ben Pakulski's weight and diet programs for years, but always need to modify it for my dominant type-II muscle fibers and diabetic/thyroid/kidney management. For flexibility, Dr. Stuart McGill's "Beck Mechanic" and work by a student of his, Eric Wong, on flexibility and functional movement, have been life-changing for me. All of these people have multiple YouTube videos for learning more.3. Home-grown foods: farmers' markets and locally sources healthy stores help, but there's nothing like picking your own food as it's ripe, year round, as the main part of diet. Canning that harvest-ripe food takes time, but what is your health and life worth?4. Finally, and again, these are my personal experiences, comes bio-hacking. Dave Asprey and Time Ferris are several of my go-to bloggers, but there are dozens of informal and scientific publications are very important. What we know changes as research discovers new things about the genome, epigenetics, gut health / holobiome, exercise and more. Some big items that have made improvements for me personally include reducing or filtering blue light in the evenings, advanced energy/brain supplements, sauna sweating, sleeping using sound (the Pzizz app, for example) and "hobby time" to relax.A final comment to several other reviews: yes, having the original book(s) helps, but almost all the really import information is free on blog posts. Deep reading is a good thing!Wishing you the best of health and life!

This has been the best experience with food I have had in a long time. I am always willing to try new things because I feel we are constantly learning. I once thought I should go vegan and that would cure my aillements such as constipation, poor sleeping, acne, losing those last stubvurn pounds, irritability. I found it's extremely difficult for a working woman and athletes to become a vegetarian. This book actually steered me in the complete opposite direction and I couldn't feel better. Well actually I hope to feel even better as time goes on since my gut is now constantly healing. This book is a no-nonsense, tough love, guide to feeling your best. I have two friends who did it with me and both also have made huge gains in their health. If you want to find out how to sleep better, have more clarity, have more energy, have a sunnier disposition in general, have better workouts, clear skin and several other non scale victories try this program. Kudos to Melissa and Dallas.. thank you thank you thank you!

Excellent book... My husband and I have done our Whole 30 and are carrying on with it, doing our reintroductions. Melissa is a fabulous writer --lots of humor injected throughout. I see where someone doing any diet or lifestyle change can benefit from the information and support within these pages!

This book was a great and insightful read - definitely recommend to anyone working through the whole 30 and their food freedom reset. Practical guidance and interesting perspectives

Along with her first book, "It Starts With Food" this is the only resource you need to understand how food is THE source to all healing (or pain) of the body, and happiness in your life.Well written and easily understood. I run a residential holistic and recovery program and every client, and their families begin with the Whole 30 education. Our long term client success is beyond 90%...the families that continue with this lifestyle are the ones that thrive!!We couldn't do what we do to help people recover from physical or emotional trauma without this teaching.Thank you Melissa!

I have spent 40 or more years counting calories, macros, weighing, measuring, with a very unhealthy relationship with food and many health issues. This way of living has freed me from food anxiety, fear, hate and loathing to myself, my health issues are going away. I am moving towards a life of better health, relaxation and slow steady weight loss. I recommend it to anyone who needs to find freedom from food, improve their health.

Me resultó aburrido, me sentí como si intentasen comerme el coco.Muy a mi pesar, no me gustó, soy seguidora de Melissa desde que leí "it start's with food", y este libro me decepcionó bastante.Solo hice la Whole30 una vez, y no me gustó nada, prefiero una dieta paleo baja en carbohidratos, pero el concepto general de la Whole 30 me gusta, gracias a ella descubrí alimentos que me daban alergia en la piel.

Amazing, has really helped me kick some habits to the curb. Still some way to go but with the other two books really really useful.