Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens M.D. Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Conscious Eating
Book Review: Would not recommend
Summary: 1 Stars
If you are just beginning to learn about raw food or living food - leave this book on the shelf for a few years. It's long. It's boring. It's in depth. It reads a like a text book.Book Review: a few small problems and one very BIG problem; otherwise...
Summary: 4 Stars
i'm studying to be a naturopathic doctor and this was a required text.
i was already vegan when i read this book and i was considering moving to a raw-food diet. this book did further convince me of that choice, and my family is transitioning now.
however, i did have a few problems with the book. they are certainly easy enough to gloss over in favor of the solid knowledge that it does in fact contain, but they were there nonetheless.
first of all, there was one GLARING error in his discussion of breastfeeding toward the end of the book. he says that the two circumstances under which a woman should not breastfeed are in the case of certain medically-necessary medications, and if the baby is jaundiced. sadly, cousens is extremely misinformed about jaundice and gives very bad, completely false information in this case. i was a student midwife for three years and i am a certified lactation educator now. if a baby has jaundice two things are most important to help it pass: to expose the baby to natural light and to NURSE NURSE NURSE. fluid will help the bilirubin pass faster and if a baby is given water or formula instead, it can cause health problems and interfere with breastfeeding. one potential problem resulting from jaundice is lethargy. if jaundice isn't caught early and breastfeeding isn't established well, then serious problems can occur because the baby is not awake enough to take in the necessary fluid to help the bilirubin pass. as a result, jaundice may persist and bilirubin levels may raise to dangerous levels. this is why it is of paramount importance that breastfeeding is established early and babies are breastfed exclusively, on-demand from birth. breastmilk is absolutely the best healer for jaundice; if breastfeeding is not established and the baby is deprived of the breast, jaundice is much more likely to occur and to persist to a critical level. while every breastfeeding expert and supportive organization in the world says that breastfeeding is the best thing you can do to prevent and correct jaundice, cousens claims that breastmilk contains "substances" that supposedly prevent bilirubin from passing. but he doesn't say what these substances are, and he gives no references, and i have not been able to find a single piece of scientific literature supporting his assertion. universally, the fact stated by experts is that except in the case of a few extremely rare metabolic diseases, breastfeeding can and should continue when a baby is jaundiced. please overlook cousens' inaccuracy and look to your midwife, lactation consultant, LLL leader, or BREASTFEEDING-FRIENDLY doctor for more accurate information if your baby is jaundiced.
with that long diatribe aside... :)
i found some of his spiritual commentary off-putting. as a casual pagan who is vegan in part due to spiritual reasons, i am certainly open to considerations of spirituality in diet, and i consider myself very tolerant of religious beliefs. but in this case i found most of his comments irrelevent and even somewhat nonsensical. again, this is easy enough to overlook, but it might be a serious bother to some people. the sections on jesus, the apostles, and the bible, while interesting, were especially confusing in context.
this book is dense with intense information. it is really a scholarly work and was quite difficult for me to get through in a timely manner with a toddler and a newborn. but i did come away with a ton of really excellent insight and understanding. some parts i discarded, but other parts i found surprisingly enlightening. i went in very skeptical about the ayurvedic diet system that he describes, but i was amazed at how specifically true, and positive, it ended up being when i adjusted my eating habits to fit his recommendations for my "dosha."
i didn't feel that the book was laid out very well. i felt that many chapters were stuck in at random. and i found a lot of his commentary saccharine and condescending - such as looking at food as "love messages from god." gag.
he also plugs his own health resort regularly, which is a great option for the rich who have money to burn on such luxuries.
i was also thoroughly disappointed that he didn't have any advice whatsoever for applying a live/raw-food diet to babies or children.
i did find the book basically informative and enlightening and i found most of his principles easy to apply, despite the aforementioned problems.
-chandelle
Book Review: changed my life - wish I had stuck with it
Summary: 5 Stars
this, along with essence by a.h. almaas, living in the mountains near a lake, meditating, listening to meditation inducing cassette tapes, hiking in a beautiful place, working from home and learning and loving my job, all helped me cure anxiety. I went from panic attacks to blissful gratefulness, the most sublime state of being.Book Review: conscious eating
Summary: 5 Stars
I belong to a raw foods group and shared this book at the last meeting Everyone viewed the text and said this was one of the most detailed fully correct books out there on this subject. I would suggest anyone wanting to be guided in raw foods to buy this book.Book Review: good tackle
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this book for a few years and regularly refer to it. After reading the reviews I decided to post.
First of all, I think this book would be difficult to swallow if you don't have raw food experience. Primarily because this book is about adjusting the dials. Most of us have little knowledge of how our own unique bodies function, or what's required to funciton optimally. Conversely, one may have a lot of knowledge about the body, but experience trumps info. Apply what you know to your own body and see how much it bears out in experience. It is then we realize that much of our knowledge is theoretical, no matter how sound, and doesn't necessarily bear out in reality.
This book, then, is a manual for the experience of one's own body and is based on decades of experience, study and practice with hundreds of people. The information is astoundingly refined. If you are just begining raw not only will the information be too complex, it won't be all that relevant - even though it's good. It's important to have refined information when you need refined information and to have more general information when you need that.
I say take what's useful and stay raw. Keep the book as a resource. Don't make up your mind in one or two reads. You'll come back again and again and gain new insight or new perspective. This book will grow with you.
On a personal note: I often hear or read comments about Dr. Cousens' arrogance or that he's condescending. I'm not a "fan" but I do respect his work. He has an educational background that is astounding, a spiritual background that is shockingly diverse, feeds people, houses people, heals people, educates people and is utterly commited to helping save our planet. Dr. Cousens couldn't be self-serving or self-absorbed - or he wouldn't be willing/able to do the huge amount of work he does, tirelessy, for others. (there are MUCH easier ways to stroke one's ego) I think it's important to view him in the context of his work and his life to gain an understanding of his language and tone. Plus, he's human. Just please don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. This really is a great book.