by Jud Brewer, MD, PhD
It’s no secret that relationships are one of the key elements of a satisfying retirement. But one of your longest running relationships may need a reset – your relationship with food. Getting ready for retirement, and the lifestyle changes that come with that transition, offers a catalyst to build new habits for the life you envision. You’ll have more freedom and more time, so you’ll want to be mindful and intentional about food. It’s an area of life we can take control of and enhance our well-being.
In his new book The Hunger Habit, Dr. Jud Brewer, a renowned psychiatrist and neuroscientist, provides a groundbreaking approach to understanding and revamping eating patterns. He leverages his extensive research and clinical background to unlock how our brains work with food and and how to redesign our habits and relationship with food.
The heart of the book is the practice of “mindful eating,” with a foundation in mindfulness meditation and behavioral psychology. Unlike traditional dieting, this approach doesn’t rely on willpower, which is fickle and unreliable. Instead Dr. Brewer anchors his approach in the underlying psychological workings and thinking that tends to drive cravings and mindless overeating. He takes you back to Psych 101 class to revisit the principles of positive and negative reinforcement and how you can hack and rewire your reward systems to take advantage of intrinsic motivation over external cues. In addition to the compelling science and practical steps that book provides, Dr, Jud shares his own personal experiences and challenges with cravings (a gummy worms addiction), which make the book very relatable.
I especially found his emphasis and on self-compassion and self-acceptance to be very interesting and useful in reframing setbacks through curiosity and kindness. In his view, perfection is not the goal, but the journey includes valuable opportunities for reflection and learning throughout.
The book is structured as a 21-day challenge that starts small and educates you along the way. There’s a well-designed robust companion app for additional resources and support.
It’s a valuable roadmap to kickstarting your new life ahead. The Hunger Habit offers insights that will lead you to think differently about food choices and powerful science-based tools to create sustainable change.
___________________________
Listen to my podcast conversation with Dr. Jud Brewer
Buy The Hunger Habit book by Dr. Jud Brewer
___________________________
Related Podcast Conversations You May Like
Self-Compassion – Dr. Kristin Neff
The Mindful Body – Ellen Langer
Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg
From Wellness to Wonderful – Dr. Alona Pulde & Dr. Matthew Lederman
___________________________
