The Hunger Habit: Why We Eat When We're Not Hungry and How to Stop

by Judson Brewer MD, PhD

Overview

A program proven to heal our relationship with food and our bodies from New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety.

Sometimes it feels as if there are as many ways to struggle with food as there are foods to eat. Craving, habit, emotions, boredom, stress, anxiety, or just the simple fact that a box of donuts seems to be omnipresent in the break room (free food!) can lead to feeling out of control around food. While anxiety feels like something that happens to us, the pull of food seems like something we should be able to handle. After all, we have to eat! But it’s not that simple. The result of this constant struggle—and then giving in or giving up—is a toxic cocktail of shame and self-judgment that makes it feel like it is impossible to change our behavior.

The Hunger Habit is based on Judson Brewer’s deeply researched plan proven to help us understand what is going on in our brains so that we can heal the guilt and frustration we experience around eating. This is not a diet book pretending not to be a diet book. The step-by-step program focuses on training our brains to tap into awareness to change our relationship with food and eating—shifting it from fighting with ourselves to befriending our minds and bodies. There is no willpower, calorie-counting, or restricted eating. Setbacks are a good thing! The key is to learn how to work with our brains rather than resisting our impulses, and to adopt an attitude of self-kindness rather than self-judgment.

Grounded in cutting-edge neuroscience and Brewer’s several decades of clinical practice as a psychiatrist, The Hunger Habit is both accessible and compassionate. It will finally help you break out of food jail and reclaim your life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593543276
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/30/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	20,245
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Judson Brewer M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally renowned addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist. He is a professor in the School of Public Health and Medical School at Brown University. His 2016 TED Talk, “A Simple Way to Break a Bad Habit,” has been viewed more than 19 million times. He has trained Olympic athletes and coaches, government ministers, and business leaders. His first book, The Craving Mind, was published in more than sixteen languages. His second book, Unwinding Anxiety, was an instant New York Times bestseller.

Editorial Reviews

11/20/2023

Brown University neuroscientist Brewer (Unwinding Anxiety) presents a sensible guide on how readers can feel more in control of their eating. Brewer explains that strong negative emotions can cause the rational prefrontal cortex to go “offline,” leaving evolutionarily older brain networks in charge of improving one’s mood, which they usually do by prompting the person to seek out food they have fond memories of eating. The brain then comes to associate food with comfort, turning “emotional eating” into a habitual way of dealing with negative feelings. To break this connection, Brewer recommends practicing “mindful eating,” which involves savoring each bite and focusing on “being present” during mealtime. He suggests that doing so forces people to pay attention to their bodily signals, which will let them know when they’ve had enough to eat or when they’re eating too much of an unhealthy food. Lay readers will appreciate the accessible science (“When you get stressed, your survival brain grabs the steering wheel from the , which has only recently gotten its learner’s permit, aiming to steer you to safety until the danger has passed”), and the practical guidance is easy to implement. The result is a competent manual for cultivating a healthier relationship with food. Agent: Melissa Flashman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Stop fighting with food and read this book!”
—Arianna Huffington, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thrive
 
“If you're looking to heal your relationship with food, the solution rarely lies entirely in changing what you eat. Jud Brewer empowers us to let go of our unhelpful habits and trade them in for helpful, long-lasting ones using cutting-edge neuroscience, practical mindfulness, relatable stories, and real-life examples. This book isn't about restrictive diets or obsessions – it's about finding hope, empowerment, and real, lasting recovery.”
—Molly Carmel, author of Breaking Up With Sugar

“Judson Brewer offers a potent recipe for healing unhealthy eating habits: Blend together an understanding of how the brain works with the power of awareness itself. For the countless humans who struggle with craving, this book is filled with life giving insights and tools!”
—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion

“A game-changing plan to change your relationship with food.  Judson Brewer gets at the heart of our struggles with advice, analysis, and inspiring stories based in science but also full of compassion and understanding. This is the book we need right now!”
—Annie Grace, author of This Naked Mind

“This book takes a radically new approach to understanding overeating.  It counters shame for overeating by emphasizing how our brains engage in habit formation outside of our conscious awareness.  More importantly, it shows readers how to become more conscious and self-compassionate about what’s happening and learn new, healthier eating habits. A significant contribution to understanding how to counter overeating.”
—Kristin Neff, PhD, author of Self-Compassion

From the Publisher