The Sunday Book Review: March 23, 2014: The Craving Cure

Author Rena Greenberg, founder of Wellness Seminars, Inc., wrote "The Craving Cure: Break the Hold Carbs and Sweets Have on Your Life."

Madame L hasn't finished reading this book yet, but is still enjoying it. It seems to offer some real help, much like you would get in a seminar or workshop offered by the author, for figuring out why you experience those cravings and how to replace them with more healthy behaviors.

Oh, dear, Madame L finds herself writing like those self-help authors when she's reading these kinds of books. What Madame L meant to write was, "...why you want that sweet treat and how to want something better." Or something like that.

As always, with these books (if they're not the faddish ones), "The Craving Cure" has a lot of plain old normal and healthy ideas---they're just the ones you keep forgetting about---like eating some leafy vegetables and protein along with that healthy carb-filled root vegetable you like so much. Another obvious but obviously needs-to-be-repeated idea is amping up your own motivation to eat a healthy diet. Another is getting exercise, and another is getting enough sleep.

But that's the point of the self-help books, isn't it: You can't afford the time and/or the money to attend some seminar, but you can get the book, used, from Amazon.com, and re-motivate yourself on your own schedule.

One reason Madame L chose this book over the hundreds of possible books on the topic of food addiction is that the author has struggled with food addiction herself. Another reason Madame L likes it is that she doesn't just go through the usual exercises (uncover your negative beliefs, be more aware of foods' effects on you, deep breathing, hypnosis, etc.) but also recommends a two-week "cleansing" which appears to be a healthy one, not like the faddish baby-food or juice-only diets that don't work and make you feel horrible besides. (However, Madame L is never going to drink a smoothie made with kale and spinach leaves. Never. Ever. Not in anyone's dreams.)


Madame L does recommend this book (which offers many choices besides kale and spinach for the fresh-vegetable section of the two-week cleanse). She is hoping its insights will help her in her own journey to fitness and healthy eating.