The Eden Diet

I first heard about The Eden Diet from MizB over at Should Be Reading. At first I thought it was just another fad diet book, but after researching it a bit I found my initial assumption might have been wrong. So… I gave it a try.

In The Eden Diet, Dr. Rita Hancock promotes a manner of eating that is both incredibly freeing and ridiculously simple. Are you ready for it? Here it comes…

If you’re not hungry, don’t eat!

I’ll give you a second to digest that one.

Okay, back with me? So, how are you able to write a 200 page book around that simple concept? Well, Rita doesn’t just address what you should eat, she instead encourages you to try to understand how you should eat. Her solution to understanding this is to look to the Bible, in which we are told…

1. We shouldn’t be gluttonous (Proverbs 22:2, 20-21)
2. We shouldn’t worry about or think too much about what we will eat (Matthew 6:25).
3. We can eat any type of food (Mark 7:15-19)
4. We should eat to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)
(page 38, The Eden Diet by Rita Hancock)

The Eden Diet is no diet at all. Instead, it is a call to trust this area of our lives to God instead of trying to go it on our own. Instead of eating foods that bring you no joy or being caught in a calorie counting loop, we should instead be eating foods that we love and not worrying so much. When you’re hungry: eat. Eat something you enjoy until you’re full and relish every bite. When you’re not hungry but crave something anyway, just wait. Once you’re hungry again, eat it! Treats are not forbidden; instead they should be joyfully accepted and enjoyed with no feelings of guilt.

The goal of this book is to remove the reader from bondage to food. Instead of looking to food for acceptance, love, or consolation, the reader is encouraged to look to God. Food gets put on the back burner (pun only kind of intended) and God is put first. The Eden Diet is no diet at all, but a call to adjust your attitudes.

Of course, Rita does caution us not to throw common sense out the window. While treats are allowed, put some thought into what you’re eating and don’t live on chocolate cake just because you can. She also is a big supporter of regular exercise, citing it as the number one tool of keeping lost weight off.

So, has it worked for me?

I finished the book about a month ago, and eagerly put it into practice. I’d be lying to say I’ve been 100% successful at eating only when my body tells me I need to, but it has caused me to put a lot more thought into my portion sizes. It’s been paying off, though. I’ve lost four pounds in the past month, which for me is hugely exciting.

The Eden Diet presents a solid, Godly method for weight loss. It is not preachy, but it is written with the assumption that the reader is living with a Christian mindset. For me it’s been a wonderful way to evaluate my eating habits and get my mind back to where it should be.

The Magicians

I picked up The Magicians on a whim one day. The cover was pretty and I had read all the other offerings on the shelf, so I thought I’d give it a go. I assumed I’d be transported to a world of whimsy and wonder that I’d never want to leave. Instead, I was transported a few states over to a place that I could really do without.

“Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable,” the back cover says. It’s true. Mopey Quentin is smarter than his friends and feels like an outsider. The only place he feels at home is Fillory, a Narnia clone that’s the main focus of a series of books he loves. His giftedness does make him a perfect candidate for Brakebills, a college for magicians. There’s no wand waving here: instead, students are treated to five years of finger breaking, mind numbing repetitions of hand gestures and spells. Languages are learned and conditions are considered. It is not very exciting.

And perhaps that’s the whole point. Taking the wonder out of magic leaves room for drama, and there’s lots of that. Quentin falls downward into a pit of personal drama and moral decay. He drinks, he cheats, he does whatever he feels like. Through it all, though, he keeps Fillory in the back of his mind. If magic is real, he thinks, then Fillory must be too.

So it’s not much of a shock when we learn that Fillory is indeed a real place and is in need of help. Quentin finally gets a chance to put his magic to practice and do some good. This side of the adventure is disappointingly short, however, and feels just as depressing as the rest of the story.

And that’s really the problem for me. I don’t require a happy ending, but I couldn’t help but feel completely alienated by the entire book. The Magicians is extremely aware of its influences, but instead of embracing them Grossman has chosen the path of dismissal. Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings are all referenced, but in such a way that you feel foolish for ever liking them. There’s no slow unfolding of a new world fraught with adventure and meaningful journeys. Instead there’s a bunch of drunk college kids doing something with their hands. Who cares?

While the story was certainly well written and engrossing, by the end I just felt discouraged and empty. There is certainly a sense of realism here that is hard to find in the traditional fantasy genre. I appreciate the unflinching portrayal of what an average teenager might do if faced with a magical world, that’s not what I’m reading a fantasy book for. Give me hobbits, Quidditch, and giant talking lions. Keep the drunken orgies to a minimum. Thanks.

There's a sequel coming out next summer called The Magician King. Rumor has it there will be more emphasis on the fantastical element. Grossman does have an interesting style, so I'm looking forward to seeing if a bit more of the fantastical will lighten the story a bit. Time will tell.

The Final Word:

The Magicians managed to take the magic out of magic. If you’re looking for the next Harry Potter, don’t expect to find it here.