Raso, a dietician, sets out to expose the pseudo-science and the profit motive behind various nutrition schemes. There's plenty to debunk, of course, but Raso's scattergun, these-guys-are-jerks attacks don't make a convincing case for or against much of anything. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Mystical Bodies, Mystical Meals is the first book-length study of mystical eating practices and experiences in the kabbalah. Focusing on the Jewish mystical literature of late-thirteenth-century Spain, author Joel Hecker analyzes the ways in which the Zohar and other contemporaneous literature represent mystical attainment in their homilies about eating. What emerges is not only consideration of eating practices but, more broadly, the effects such practices and experiences have on the bodies of its practitioners. Using anthropology, sociology, ritual studies, and gender theory, Hecker accounts for the internal topography of the body as imaginatively conceived by kabbalists. For these mystics, the physical body interacts with the material world to effect transformations within themselves and within the Divinity. The kabbalists experience the ideal body as one of fullness, one whose boundaries allow for the intake of divine light and power, and for the outward overflow of fruitfulness and generosity; at the same time, the body retains sufficient integrity to confer a sense of completeness, as the perfect symbol for the Divinity itself. Nourishment imagery is used throughout the kabbalah as a metaphor signifying the flow of divine blessing from the upper worlds to the lower, from masculine to feminine, and from Israel to the Godhead. The body's spiritual continuity allows for unions between the kabbalistic devotee and his food, table, chair, and wine and is exemplified in the practices and experiences surrounding the consumption of food; this continuity is also applicable to other aspects of embodiment, such as the kabbalist's union with his fellow man. Mystical Bodies, Mystical Meals underscores the homosocial quality of the kabbalistic fraternity, in which gendered hierarchies of master and disciple are linked to the imagery and dynamics of nourishment and sexuality. Bringing this entire spectrum into focus, Hecker ultimately considers how the oral cavity and stomach, even the emotions associated with festive meals, are mobilized to produce the soul of the mystical saint in medieval kabbalah.

Mystical Bodies, Mystical Meals is the first book-length study of mystical eating practices and experiences in the kabbalah. Focusing on the Jewish mystical literature of late-thirteenth-century Spain, author Joel Hecker analyzes the ways in which the Zohar and other contemporaneous literature represent mystical attainment in their homilies about eating. What emerges is not only consideration of eating practices but, more broadly, the effects such practices and experiences have on the bodies of its practitioners.

Jewish esotericism is the oldest and most influential continuous occult tradition in the West. Presenting lore that can spiritually enrich your life, this one-of-a-kind encyclopedia is devoted to the esoteric in Judaism—the miraculous and the mysterious. In this second edition, Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis has added over thirty new entries and significantly expanded over one hundred other entries, incorporating more knowledge and passages from primary sources. This comprehensive treasury of Jewish teachings, drawn from sources spanning Jewish scripture, the Talmud, the Midrash, the Kabbalah, and other esoteric branches of Judaism, is exhaustively researched yet easy to use. It includes over one thousand alphabetical entries, from Aaron to Zohar Chadesh, with extensive cross-references to related topics and new illustrations throughout. Drawn from the well of a great spiritual tradition, the secret wisdom within these pages will enlighten and empower you. Praise: "An erudite and lively compendium of Jewish magical beliefs, practices, texts, and individuals...This superb, comprehensive encyclopedia belongs in every serious library."—Richard M. Golden, Director of the Jewish Studies Program, University of North Texas, and editor of The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition "Rabbi Dennis has performed a tremendously important service for both the scholar and the novice in composing a work of concise information about aspects of Judaism unbeknownst to most, and intriguing to all."—Rabbi Gershon Winkler, author of Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism

?Imagine achieving your ideal weight and not regaining! ?Imagine growing spiritually while transforming your body! ?Imagine connecting with God each time you eat! ?Imagine Holy Eating making this process joyful! ????????????? Imagine achieving your optimal weight and not regaining. Imagine growing spiritually while transforming your body. Imagine connecting with God each time you eat. In Holy Eating: The Spiritual Secret to Eternal Weight Loss, author Dr. Robert M. Schwartz offers a powerful guide for transforming both your physical and spiritual selves. He presents practical strategies, applying wisdom from the Bible and spiritual practices from the Kabbalah to the universal struggle for weight loss. Holy Eating captures a simple, but unique message: God cares about how you eat and wants you to be holy, healthy, and trim. This guide will help you understand and internalize the concept of holy eating so it comes alive with spiritual force. Schwartz leads you through practical steps toward experiencing the ultimate pleasures of holy eating with its benefits of reduced shame and improved fitness, beauty, and health. Holy Eating is a God-help book because it relies less on self-focused motivation than on drawing strength and guidance from God. In the battle against obesity, personal power alone is not strong enough for most people to achieve lasting victory, but spiritual inspiration and practices can yield lifelong weight transformation. Praise for Healthy Eating Holy Eating is a unique approach that involves an overall shift towards a more spiritual life. Taken seriously, this method can yield not only sustained weight control, but also a happier and more purposeful life.Rabbi Abraham Twerski, MD, Author of more than sixty books on spirituality and self-improvement

A two-volume set which traces the history of food and nutrition from the beginning of human life on earth through the present.

A wide range of essays from English, American and overseas scholars who ponder contemporary questions such as eating foie gras.