on eating by susie orbach
a feminist take on eating properly
on eating by susie orbach is a 128 page book published in 2002 that lays out 5 simple guidelines for a healthier way of eating.
some context: susie orbach is a psychotherapist and feminist, amongst other things, and also wrote the book fat is a feminist issue which focuses on feminism, over-eating, and binge-eating disorders. i read this book in april and have kept the advice in the back of my mind ever since (i wrote the advice onto a piece of paper and thumbtack-ed it onto my bookshelf). susie orbach was also the therapist for princess diana and was married to jeannette winterson, so her reach knows no bounds.
i’ve been reviewing all of the books i read this year to make a substack post (as everyone surely is) and thought i’d share this book because of the insight it gave me. the advice susie orbach gives isn’t about being healthy in a weight-loss, all-organic, improve-your-diet way, but in a develop-healthier-habits way.
her key number 1: eat when you are hungry. now, i never said the advice she gave was complicated. but eating when you aren’t hungry, as dumb as it sounds laid out in text, is a pretty common problem. we eat when we’re bored or upset or snackish all of the time, we wait to eat because we don’t feel hungry enough; so susie recommends relearning how your body tells you when to eat and eating when it does so. this advice continues into key 2:
eat the food your body is hungry for. susie orbach does not support the idea of bad foods and good foods, as designated by popular culture, and believes you should eat what you feel like eating whether it’s a treat or not, whether it’s ‘healthy’ or not. in fact, she encourages you to enjoy eating treats when you fully want them and not to feel shame for having them, as she writes, “When you eat what you really want and the food fits your hunger and satisfies you, it is good. Chocolate cake eaten because you are hungry for it in your mouth and in your stomach can be relished. It answers that hunger and you won’t need anything else until you are hungry again.” (there is so much of this book i am tempted to quote but i’m trying to limit myself). cherish your little snacks!!! it is much better for you than agonizing over them. get rid of these rules about food that exist inside your head! susie orbach says so and she knows way more than we do.
key 3: find out why you eat when you aren’t hungry. this chapter starts with the following sentences: “Find out why you eat when you aren’t hungry. Address the reasons directly. Food can only satisfy stomach hunger. It cannot make other hungers go away.” this is a continuation of her key #1, as she recommends that it is always best to eat because you’re hungry and not for anything else. i dislike this idea myself but i can’t find any fault in her logic, eating because i was sad or bored has never helped me and has often led to me feeling worse. now getting to the source of these problems that are leading to eating as a distraction is more difficult and she acknowledges this and recommends acknowledging how you’re really feeling is the best route.
key 4: taste every mouthful. i don’t know about you guys, but i have a tendency to eat way too quickly, so this particular piece of advice is one i think about a lot. susie recommends tasting and enjoying every bite no matter the circumstances; she wants us to enjoy our meals to the fullest extent. she says “Don’t cheat yourself of the deep pleasure of eating well” and i want to follow that like it’s the bible. she also recommends focusing on how different foods make you feel and make note of it. she says to fully focus on your food and be aware of what you’re eating, something i find incredibly difficult since i at some point decided i need to watch a youtube video with every meal.
her final key: stop eating the moment you are full. another tricky one. my parents were and still are pretty strict about the amount of food eaten at dinner, and while i won’t get grounded anymore for not eating enough, i still face disappoint from them if i don’t eat all of my food at dinner (partially due to the fact that my family is poor and dislikes waste) so i still find myself trying to clean my plate even when i am full and i can see why susie orbach recommends against this. she also refers back to key 4, about how when you enjoy every bite, you won’t feel the need to keep eating because you want to taste more of it even when you are no longer hungry, which is easier said than done.
this advice, while simple, is still difficult to follow but it’s something i like to keep in mind on a day-to-day basis and with the upcoming-new-year, i thought maybe some others would like to incorporate it into their lives. to 2025: let’s enjoy food!