10 soulful books for eating disorder recovery and other food, weight and body image concerns
There are hundreds of books on eating disorder recovery but how do you know which ones are the most useful for seeing the whole person?
After 20+ years preoccupied with yo-yo dieting and disordered eating, a recovery journey and then completing my training as a psychotherapist – in 2008 – I completed my Master’s thesis, Call off the Search: Eating Disorders, A Symptom of Psychospiritual Crisis.
The context that I hold throughout my research is that eating disorders are a serious sickness of the soul – not a disease, mental illness or mental disorder – these are terms that are widely used within a disease and medical based model; a model that is seriously pathologising at times and failing many who suffer not only with eating disorders but those who struggle with other food, weight, exercise and body image concerns.
Viewing eating problems in this way is not a new phenomenon – transpersonal and psycho-spiritual schools of thought have held this context since at mid last century! The great news…there is an increasing base of evidence to support this way of healing and working with food, weight and body image issues.
As part of my own recovery journey and subsequent research, I have read countless books for eating disorder recovery and other food, weight and body image concerns. The tips you will find in these books for recovery are based on depth self-exploration, care of the soul, intuition and mindfulness.
Eating In The light Of The moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship With Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling
by Anita Johnston Ph.D.
Anita Johnston has helped millions of women around the globe through her eating disorder recovery treatment programs, conferences, retreats, online women’s circles and her soulful book, Eating In the Light of the Moon. She weaves together multicultural myths, folktales and legends with depth of insight and practical, transformational exercises. Eating In the Light of the Moon will nourish your body, mind and spirit.
You can participate in the Light of the Moon Café online.
Women, Food and God: : An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything
by Geneen Roth
Geneen Roth, one of my favourite authors on eating difficulties, writes that food, diet and weight related issues are an attempt to fix something that has never been broken. I couldn’t agree more – we are already good and whole; our journey is to realise this!
Women Food and God comes with guidelines to help you change your relationship with food for good. This book is a great resource regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs.
Addiction to Perfection
by Marion Woodman
I first heard of Jungian analyst, Marion Woodman throughout my psychotherapy training and have personally attended her BodySoul Rhythms® Intensives. Woodman’s work holds the context that a hunger for spiritual fulfilment is at the root of all addictions and eating disorders.
Addiction to perfection addresses the hidden causes of compulsion through case studies, dreams and myths. Woodman teaches that through discovering the wisdom and power of the feminine, it is possible to find freedom from addiction and eating disorders.
It’s Not about Food: End Your Obsession with Food and Weight
by Carol Normandi & Laurelee Roark
If you are struggling with worries such as what to eat on a daily basis, dieting, loathing your body, looking outside of yourself to feel better – then this book is for you. It’s Not About the Food will help you to understand your relationship with food, your feelings and your thoughts. You will learn how to honour your physical body as well as your spiritual self.
The Hungry Self: Women Eating & Identity
by Kim Chernin
A thoughtful and deeply reflective exploration of women’s relationship with food, this book looks beyond eating behaviours to the inner life shaping them. Kim Chernin weaves together psychology, culture, and personal narrative to examine how hunger can reflect a deeper longing for identity, meaning, and self-connection. Rather than focusing on control or correction, it invites a more compassionate understanding of the “hungry self” and the emotional and relational experiences that sit beneath struggles with food.
What Are You Hungry For?: Women, Food, and Spirituality
by Mary F. Taylor and Lynn Ginsburg
This book takes a more soulful and reflective approach to women’s relationship with food, exploring hunger not just as a physical experience, but as something deeply emotional and spiritual. It invites you to consider what you may truly be longing for beneath patterns of eating, whether that be connection, meaning, comfort, or a sense of self. Gentle and thought-provoking, it moves beyond dieting and behaviour change, offering a space to reflect on the deeper relationship between food, identity, and inner nourishment.
Father Hunger: Fathers, Daughters, and the Pursuit of Thinness
by Margo Maine
Many books on eating disorders have largely focused on the relationship with the mother – this is only part of the story. In Father Hunger, Margo Maine explores the emptiness experienced by women whose fathers were physically or emotionally absent—a void that leads to unrealistic body image, yo-yo dieting, food fears and disordered eating patterns. I love this easy to read book!
Intuitive Eating
by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
This book is full of feminine spirit; it is nurturing, compassionate and provides essential tips for overcoming your obsession with dieting, weight and food. Written by two nutritionists with over 30+ years of experience, Intuitive Eating will guide you towards rebuilding a healthy body image, making peace with food, honouring your hunger and coping with your emotions without using food.
50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food
by Susan Albers PsyD
50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, is jam packed with mindfulness skills, practices for relaxing the body in times of stress and ending your dependence on eating as a means of coping with difficult emotions. This book will help you to distinguish between emotion-driven hunger and physical hunger. The layout makes it a great book for snacking on!
Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight
by Linda Bacon
‘Fat isn’t the problem. Dieting is the problem. A society that rejects anyone whose body shape or size doesn’t match an impossible ideal is the problem. A medical establishment that equates “thin” with “healthy” is the problem. The solution? Health at Every Size (Amazon).’
Based on scientific evidence, this book will show you how to give up the battle with fat, tune in to your body, boost health and self-esteem, find joy in movement and feel good in your body right now…regardless of your size.
Health at Every Size turns what you think you know about health and weight on its head.
Do you need support for your eating problems?
For many years, people struggling with eating disorders have been told they are “difficult,” “stubborn,” or that their condition is something they will live with for life. This has not been my experience, either personally or professionally. Over the past 25 years, I have witnessed many women heal, grow, and come into a more connected relationship with themselves.
If you are struggling, it matters that you find support that looks beyond symptoms, a space with depth, care, and an understanding of the underlying issues. If this resonates, you’re welcome to reach out. I’d be glad to support you in your recovery.
