Reviewed by Mireille Delman, Suppers Facilitator
This book, by Nadya Andreeva, is based on the Ayurvedic principle to create balanced internal and external environments, and is full of wisdom and very practical tips for challenges such as emotional eating, bad habits, poor food combinations or stress (the latter which is the worst enemy of digestion). I found it very easy to read and use as a guide.
Happy Belly addresses concepts such as:
- Reducing and preventing post-meal bloating and help your stomach be regular
- Overcoming emotional eating, overeating, and binging, all which can overload digestion and create a negative internal dialogue
- Learning about easy-to-digest foods that help to soothe a sensitive and irritated gut while providing a nutrient-rich source of energy and satisfaction
- Treating food with love and being able to treat yourself to any food as long as you know how to balance it out
- Using your mind and emotions to help your body heal
- Deal with one of the main enemies of efficient digestion: stress
This book helped me greatly to organize my thoughts and actions and especially to troubleshoot gut issues associated with adrenal stress. The emphasis is on "how" we eat just as much as on "what" we eat. Nadya carefully details all the small actions we can take every day to be able to digest not only our food but also ... our life. I think it’s a good book for Suppers members, as we need reminding that we are not what we eat but what we absorb of what we eat. So even beautifully-sourced food is not going to help us achieve our health goals unless we do what we need to do to digest it well.