Book Review: Artful Eating: The Psychology of Lasting Weight Loss by Karina Melvin

It’s summer so naturally, the internet is saturated with articles with advice on how to get a bikini body. 99.9% provide some sort of diet or another as the answer. I’m not here to promote diets; the majority are not helpful and can even have damaging results (physically and mentally). Still, diet is a hot topic in many circles, including my own. That is why I jumped at the chance to review this book. Let me tell you why.Artful Eating: The Psychology of Lasting Weight Loss by Karina Melvin help readers to rediscover their love for eating, and find a balance in consumption that won’t leave a sense of longing or guilt.Maybe you can guess why I liked this book over other food-related books? Clue: the reason is in the title. Yes, psychology! I’m not on a diet, nor am I looking to be. I’ve known many others who have achieved good results from diets but overall, I am pretty wary. That is because mental health is important to me and I feel that many of these diets play with a person’s mental health, leading them to restrict, feel they are not good enough no matter how much weight they, feel guilty for eating something like an avocado (high-fat content but good fat), etc. Therefore, I wanted to share a book that encourages healthy eating and self-love. I feel Artful Eating does that.Artful Eating is really backed up by scientific fact. Don’t panic; the book is still very easy to read and you won’t be overwhelmed by the jargon. All it will do is give you a better understanding of why crash diets or reduced-fat foods don’t really work.The scientific element also gives a good insight into the mind and the important role it plays in losing weight and losing it for good. What I liked most about this aspect of the book is that Melvin just doesn’t spit facts and advice at the reader. There are various exercised included which gets the reader to reflect on themselves and help understand why they have the relationship they do with food. These exercises also help with developing self-love because if you can’t love yourself you will never be happy – no matter what size you shrink to.At the same time, there are elements of this book I don’t agree with. For instance, there is a kick starter menu, which only lasts for two days, but it just includes soup and smoothies. Trust me, this menu will just clear you out, if you know what I mean. Melvin acknowledges that the menu will only really get rid of water weight but the inclusion of it made me uncomfortable. So did the suggestion of never finishing what is on your plate. I get the idea behind it but I find it wasteful. There was one area where I would like to learn more about. Melvin emphasises spending more on food. I agree but what happens if somebody can’t afford to spend more, especially on bioproducts? Also, does a higher price tag automatically mean better quality?Overall, I enjoyed this book. You really don’t have to be on a diet to get something from reading it. It inspires self-love and eating well. Those things alone can lead to a happier life even without losing any weight.