Integrative Nutrition: Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness

by Joshua Rosenthal

Every year, healthcare costs increase while overall health decreases. People continue to eat poorly, to gain weight, and to depend on medications and operations to maintain their health--all while attempting the latest fad diets promising miraculous results for their outward appearance.
It's time for a reality there is no one-size-fits-all diet. Stop judging your own health, weight, and way of eating and living, and strive to understand who you are as an eater--and WHY. Integrative Nutrition is loaded with valuable insights into your relationship with food, nutritional theories, and holistic approaches to maximizing health. Integrative Nutrition offers a play-by-play for proper nutrition and is packed with background research and delicious, easy-to-follow recipes.
More than two decades ago, Joshua Rosenthal created the Institute for Integrative Nutrition a school at the forefront of the health and wellness movement in New York City to teach people his effective, straightforward Integrative Nutrition® method for living a life of total health and satisfaction and for helping others achieve the same. Joshua is a trained therapist with a Masters in Science in education, and with over twenty-five years of work in the field of whole foods, personal coaching, curriculum development, teaching, and nutritional counseling. He has reinvented nutrition education, teaching in a style that is revolutionary in the field of adult learning.

Genres: Health, Nutrition, Nonfiction, Self Help, Food, Cooking, Diets

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[seema patel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A noble effort, but in many ways just a "bound" version of an advertisement for the author's Integrative Nutrition institute in New York. I appreciate good advice in a book--that's why I buy the book; I don't appreciate the blatant attempt to sell yet another product besides the book. That's what newspapers & billboards are for. That said, three stars for the helpful advice to pay attention to one's cravings to observe from where in your body they actually stem; and another handful of small tips like that (that easily could've been condensed into a short pamphlet).

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rosenthal's concrete tips on diet boiled down to common sense. And the rest of his philosophy was not grounded in science.

But when he asserted that people start to look and behave like the animals they eat... he lost all credibility.

Don't waste your time.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has life-changing potential for anyone who is thinking about the food they eat and how this basic elemental drive shapes us. The key to it all: bio-individuality. If you can accept that concept as an incontrovertible fact, they you're on your way to a life of balance, health and peace. LOVE this book.Integrative Nutrition: Feed Your Hunger for Health and Happiness

[June Milner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave it a 4 star for all the practical and useful information. We'll written however author does not practice what he preaches when advertising his business. I would have preferred a separate section in the book dedicated to his business information where the profiles would be found rather than placed in each chapter.

[Nicoleta Fedorca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of information in the book and it reads like a novel. The book starts with food theory what to eat why we crave certain foods etc. which the author calls secondary food and after, he goes to explain that primar food it's even more important than secondary food. Primary food is the fulfilling sensation that love, exercise, romance etc gives us. He gives plans and advices you can use to be more happy and healthy in life.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Institute Integrative Nutrition rocks - They're actually now giving away this book as a free download to kindle, ipad or just as a pdf to your computer. Visit http://bit.ly/FreeNutritionEbook to download it off their website.

My friend went through IIN's health coaching training program and said it changed her life and that this book was a big part of it. I was impressed when she sent me this link to download it for free and have been really enjoying it. It's cool that instead of just telling you what to do, they basically train you to listen to your body, mind and heart to learn what it really wants to eat and what other types of "primary food" like social, spiritual and physical activities that will make you really "full". I also really like their focus on the way you eat being as important as what you eat. I definitely have found that eating with more awareness has made me feel like I digest it better, know more when I'm actually full, and enjoy it better too.

[Ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to improve your eating habits, this is the book for you. He nicely goes over each fad diet that America loves and states his problem with each one. All the while he offers suggestions on how to eat healthy foods and suggests that not any one way of eating is right for everyone. The main point of Integrative Nutrition is that food is only part of your nutrition, the rest is your surroundings and life. That seems obvious, but somehow many of us forget about it.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its very refreshing to finally read a nutrition book that integrates all the most popular diets and combines it with some philosophy to effectively communicate the fact that we are all different so each diet would most certainly affect us individually in different ways. Great read.

[Margarita Ventura]

So far so good...

[Michelle Hoogterp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great reminder that healthiness is more than just eating well and mindfully, but also includes spirituality, relationships, etc.

[Michael Gajda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very holistic approach to food, eating, and life. I like his distinction and integration of 'ordinary food' along with 'primary food'. Primary food includes relationships, work, physical activity, and spiritual practice. Primary food is the circle which includes the ordinary food pyramid. The only way it should be. There's a lot of miserable people out there who eat 'right'. And then there's a lot of happy and contented people who don't eat in search of perfection. I like the tone and the approach. Happiness includes 'being bad' once in a while and being authentic, which means having the courage to go against the grain or against the sprouts or against sardines and maybe have a little fun while your at it. But overall trying to live a balanced life while eating healthy stuff most of the time.

[Jessica Romrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fantastic book! Joshua Rosenthal really challenged me to reevaluate my long-held beliefs and look into a more elevated way of living. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in holistic health and wellness and who is open to the seemingly controversial (but undeniably true) truth that we are all different, and embracing our unique differences within ourselves will allow us to achieve optimum health and wellbeing. I also highly recommend this book to all current, previous, and prospective students for the Institute of Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Training Program.

[RSette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting !

This book should be required in Jr high school (Middle). Or parts of it. I think it would help our future children to build healthy relationships with people and food.

[Jeff Launiere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book thoroughly as it covered areas of nutrition and health some of which I never heard of before. Most things in the book made sense to me, but some did not. This was a good read that kept me interested in the material throughout.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas but also some poorly supported arguments. The overall principles of primary foods (exercise, spirituality, career, relationships) affecting our health make sense, and I think everyone can benefit from that theory.

[Ana Liz García Meriño · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro excelente, lectura obligatoria para todos los interasados en comer de una manera saludable. Me encanta el enfoque de la bio-individualidad.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, practical explanation of Integrative Nutrition written by the creator of this concept.

[Maxim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is much more esoteric than scientific. It propagates anti-GMO sentiments too. Nevertheless, it has some interesting points and it's very easy to read.

[Brian Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The more I observed human behavior, the more convinced I became that the key to health is understanding each person’s individual needs, rather than following a set of predetermined rules. I saw plenty of evidence that having happy relationships, a fulfilling career, an exercise routine and a spiritual practice are even more important to health than a daily diet.”

~ Joshua Rosenthal from Integrative Nutrition

Imagine a book that gives us an overview of the politics surrounding the food industry, the challenges of breaking our conditioned eating habits plus a great look at the pros and cons of all the major diet/nutrition plans out there (from the Atkins and South Beach Diets to macrobiotics and raw food lifestyles).

Then throw in tools to help reclaim our connection to our body’s innate wisdom on what we should be eating and a comprehensive set of strategies on how we can nourish ourselves with not just the food we eat but also with the “primary food” of loving relationships, meaningful work, physical exercise, and a deep spiritual practice.

Mix all that together and you have a very cool book.

… And it’s called Integrative Nutrition. :)

I was introduced to Joshua Rosenthal and his great book by my Goddess, Alexandra, who’s currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition Joshua founded. (Learn more at IntegrativeNutrition.com.) I’m truly blown away by his wisdom—particularly the grounded way in which he shares the partial truths of various traditions while encouraging us to discover what works for us as we experiment with a set of 12 general guidelines.

Here are some of the Big Ideas:

1. Startling Health Stats - Yowsers!
2. Integrative Nutrition - 12 steps plan.
3. The Food Pyramid - Integrative Nutrition-style.
4. The Basics Are Simple - So rock ‘em.
5. The “90-10 Diet” - 90% healthy, 10% splurge.

How true are YOU to yourself? Can you practice being more and more authentic as you honor the primary and secondary “foods” you consume and optimize your rockin’ life?!?

Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOAns...

And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews

Brian

[Andrea James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems like a very well-balanced and sensible approach to nutrition. I suppose it is speaking mainly to an audience for whom money is not a serious constraint as organic food is heavily recommended. I didn't realise that the book was promotional material for the school so it was quite peculiar to have testimonials of previous course attendees regularly featured as one-page "ads".

But I liked that the author wasn't fanatical about any one system and came across quite level-headed in this respect. However, he did have a couple of bizarre viewpoints like we end up looking like the animals that we eat. I was pretty sure he was saying in jest until his anecdote about the guy who grew up eating elephant meat. If the author had been British, I would have taken to be light humour to make a bigger point that we should have variety and balance in our diets where possible but I get the feeling he wasn't joking about it.

While I like to romantically think that food tastes better when it is made with love, and generally one's energy is much better when one has a positive approach to doing anything (including cooking and eating), the author seemed to take this concept quite seriously. He even made the point that restaurant food might carry frantic energy as that is commonly the environment of commercial kitchen. In the same way that I don't think I'll look like a fish just because I eat a lot of fish, I'm not quite sure about the validity of this claim either.

Nevertheless it was good to get an overview comparison of the main features among the common diets being promoted and in the main the advice seems reasonably sound.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can only give this four stars, because it is, after all, a diet book. I think Mr. Rosenthal would take exception to that, but that's what it is. Okay, maybe it's a "Lifestyle" book, but still.

His discussion of "primary food" (how our relationships, career, spirituality feed us) v. "secondary food" (the stuff you actually put in your mouth) is pretty interesting. However, much of the book reads like a big commercial for his elitist New Yorkese institute for integrative nutrition. I'm probably just bitter because I can' attend.

All this bile being spewed, I still liked the book and found it helpful/motivational. It details the pros and cons of popular diets out there, and places an emphasis on doing what feels best for YOU, the individual. It's less of a book and more of a soothing, cool compress. I like cool compresses.

[Erinina Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Integrative Nutrition by Joshua Rosenthal

This book is a wonderful read for anyone who is interested in improving how they treat their body. It breaks down the basic 'diets' out there and how each can be effective and/or damaging. But, it does not advocate any of them, nor deny any of their viability completely. The book is designed to help people begin to understand and listen to the messages their own body is telling them. While the author takes extraordinary leaps at times, without any scientific citations (such as his theory that people look like what meat product they most consume in life), mainly the book is informative and helpful in gaining a new perspective on nutrition as a wholistic life choice.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Rosenthal's more holistic take on nutrition. The author's descriptions of primary foods (relationships, career, etc) vs secondary foods (what we actually eat) rang true and his acceptance of the positive aspects of many different nutritional theories was refreshing. This is a no guilt approach to nutrition with emphasis on listening to your body and being willing to experiment for yourself. The recipes weren't particularly useful, and I wasn't into the "case studies" (felt too much like ads for Rosenthal's IN school) but in general I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a different, perhaps "new age" look at nutrition.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a pretty basic overview of holistic health and nutrition concepts. For someone who is already even somewhat familiar with these ideas, the majority of the book will seem repetitive. The writing quality is slightly subpar - some simple sentence structure errors and such - that I find quite distracting and frustrating when reading a published book of any kind. I gave it three stars because the ideas inspiring the book are good ones (there is no one diet that is right for everyone, what you put into your body affects you spiritually as well as physically, etc.) and some of the recipes included in the back look lovely and simple - I'm eager to try some of them.

[Evan Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book overall. I'm a graduate from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition so I'm certainly a little biased towards the principles taught in this book. Really I think the key takeaway from this book that your health is a reflection of so much more than what you eat. It's more about ALL of the inputs in your life or your overall lifestyle. Health is not a separate concept. It's a mindset, a way of living, that you integrate into your own life.

I'd recommend this book for anyone who is lost in their health journey or is just starting out. It doesn't have all of the answers but it helps put you in the frame of mind that you'll need to discover what truly makes you thrive.

[Summer Bock, Holistic Nutrition & Herbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me during one of my final papers I was writing for my bachelor's degree. I was writing about the path to healing and how to shift the mindset to adding good things in and letting them crowd out the unneeded junk without even trying. This book expertly articulated everything I had been trying to say for months. Less than a year later, I was at this man's school in NYC acquiring my certification in Holistic Health Counseling. I recommend this book to everyone. It changed my life.

[Debra Brunk · Rating 3 out of 5]

As other reviewers have noted, there is nothing new here; however, it's a good overview of the current state of nutrition/diet all in one place. I hada two issues with the book. First, although the author mentions multiple times that everyone's body is different and diets must differ, the examples he provides of his life come across as the 'right' way to go. Second, the book is an advertisement for the author's school, IIN. I appreciate that I received the book free of charge from IIN, but I think the testimonials don't belong in a book like this.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book last spring to critique IIN and see if it was a school I could get on board with - I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the theories and ideas in this book. The thing is, nothing is mind-blowing about the theories, and some are just, plain common sense. But it takes a bit of a paradigm shift to see health as a holistic issue. Joshua does a good job breaking it down and ushering the reader into this new way of thinking.

[Gisela Claveria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on a recent health kick and, though I bought this book over the summer, finally decided to read it this Fall. It was a really good intro to healthy eating and even though it is full of common sense habits we should all have, the book somehow puts it all into perspective. My husband is reading it now, and I am waiting for him to finish it so I can read it again more carefully. Also has a few healthy recipes in the back.

[Tamara Tamburro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm off and running, started the holistic health counseling program last week. The book is a great reference for holistic nutrition. I love the idea of learning about all the different nutritional approaches to health and being encouraged to find out what works best for me. One type of diet may not work for everyone, we are all unique. It's a great launching board for the program or for anyone wanting to find out more about the vastly under appreciated world of whole foods and well being.