Fork in the Road: A Hopeful Guide to Food Freedom

Having struggled all my adult life with overeating i am on a journey to better health. I’m fully aware i can’t moderate some “foods”. What i have learnt is that if you control the hunger, life is simpler. Real food is the answer. Eat to nourish, not for instant gratification. Yes, lots of people can moderate but so many cannot and it’s not their fault. The food environment is broken, a true pandemic caused by food corporations causing huge numbers of ill health in most populations that needs addressing urgently. This book offers good, sensible and clear advice. It’s not about restriction or diet wars. Nutrition is highly individual but follow the advice in this book and you will very quickly see and feel the benefit. I’m thankful for the simple recipes and look forward to trying some. Covid has highlighted the importance of good metabolic health and lockdown has been a great opportunity for self improvement. I for one am determined to continue striding forward long after it’s over.

In her introduction Dr Jen Unwin writes "I have tried to write the book I wish I had stumbled upon 46 years ago. If only I had this knowledge at the age of 10 it would have saved a lot of heartache." My goodness has she succeeded. Every page contains wisdom, insight and guidance to put the reader on the path to food freedom. Is it a magic bullet? No. Is it a Quick fix? No. Is it a comprehensive guide to changing your thinking about food and your relationship with it? Yes! Definitely Yes! on both counts. I have been low-carb since 2018 and have already had a lot of success with it (over 20Kgs lost) but I still have a way to go and recently have lost my way a bit - I've maintained my weight loss but have been unable to shift any more. Re-focussing following Jen Unwin's guidance has certainly revitalised my enthusiasm and my commitment to meeting my health and well-being needs. This book, along with The Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung should be required reading for every Doctor in training - and should certainly be on every GPs bookshelf.Bravo Dr Unwin - you've definitely given me hope and a way forward - I sincerely hope that "Fork in the Road" is the huge success it deserves to be. Thank You.

Downloaded and read straightaway. Very interesting and thought-provoking. I've been low-carb since last Spring and have lost weight and feel better, bloods improved etc, however, it requires daily obsessive monitoring and control so I wanted to understand how to move away from that and feel more comfortable with my new (and successful) way of eating. The advice from Jen and her colleagues confirmed I'm on the right track but I realise that I need the strength to move to the next phase. Not sure if I 'm ready for that yet, maybe in the summer. I will read the book again, take notes and form a plan for the future. Really helpful to have this book with clear, researched guidance. Heartily recommend it for anyone struggling with progress or wanting to start a low-carb way of eating.

An excellent book about eating real food, and attaining good health.Succinct and on point sections packed with information and also references to other sources. Plenty of examples of stories from how real people have managed to overcome their carb addiction and how to maintain that recovery and ultimately regain your health and well being through eating real food.I can't recommend it enough.

First the physical book. I purchased the kindle version, but it is not a kindle book as we know it. It seems to be photographs of the hardback copy, which would explain the abnormally large file size. In itself that is no problem but it reduces functionality - no search function, dictionary, variable font size etc. There arevarious reasons these things might matter to you.The structure of the book is very anecdotal with short stories from various supporters, about 30 good recipes, plenty of line drawings and lots of photographs, most of which have no purpose although many are pretty. Of the 152 pages, I would estimate no more than 50 pages are Dr Unwin’s original writing.The content of the book poses a thought provoking possibility that there is an addictive quality to food/sugar/carbs. The argument to justify this theory is very brief and, surprisingly for a clinical psychologist, the explanation of addiction is also brief. Most of the book continues on the assumption that food addiction is a reality. There is some coverage of the hormones implemented in addiction and useful tips for helping you to maintain your commitment to an improved dietary regime. Too many of the claims about the impact different foods on our metabolism are asserted without any reference to the underlying research. Personally, I find eating simple carbs causes rapid weight gain, more so than higher calorie temptations such as nuts or cheese, so I am open to the thesis of the LCHF diet, but this book did nothing to secure my support. There are helpful lifestyle suggestions and a refreshing acknowledgement that people experience different foods in various ways. There is no hectoring or cheerleading so prevalent in much diet advice and it is encouraging to be addressed by somebody who has struggled and continues to struggle with weight management.In conclusion this book is more a doughnut than a steak. Briefly uplifting but not finally satisfying.

For me this book has three parts. The first part where you have informations about food addiction/carbs addictions. Second part are examples of recipes whitout carbohydrates and third part contains information about healing and support.Very interesting reading.

A brilliant support and model for recovery from food addiction! Written in an easy to understand style and very much like having a supportive hand right with you on the journey.

This book will be a welcome read for anyone dealing with sugar/carbohydrate addiction and binge eating. You are not alone! Sugar addiction (and addiction to high-starch foods and refined grains, like bread, pasta, pretzels, crackers, etc.) is so much more common than is acknowledged. People are ashamed and embarrassed, so they keep it quiet, afraid to let other people know of their "dirty little secret." But when you learn a little bit about how the brain works, and you understand that we are actually hard-wired to *want* to over-consume these foods, it takes away the guilt and self-blame, and opens up a world of strategies and tactics to make a dent in changing these behaviors.Fork in the Road was written *by* former sugar addicts and binge eaters *for* those who are still struggling. There is zero judgment or recrimination; only empathy, understanding, and education. It includes information from medical doctors who address the biological/physical issues involved, including a psychiatrist as well as a psychologist, plus several health coaches who overcame their own addictions, each with their own individual "story," and real-world advice to help people who still feel out of control with certain foods. It's written simply and is quick & easy to read -- you won't need to have a dictionary nearby or have a PhD to understand any graduate level science. It's down-to-earth and casual, as if you're having a chat with the writers in your living room, but rest assured the information is scientifically sound and based in fundamental human physiology.I'll spoil the surprise right here: the book is oriented toward a low-carb or ketogenic style diet, so if you're looking for something that will encourage you to eat "everything in moderation," this is NOT the book for you. If moderation worked, nobody would need a book about sugar addiction and binge eating in the first place. There are reasons why limiting or altogether eliminating certain kinds of foods (sugar and starch) and basing your diet instead on foods rich in protein and fat (plus non-starchy vegetables and lower sugar fruits) can be massively helpful, and these are explained in the book. There are also some very nice recipes to show you that you can enjoy very delicious food when you eat this way and you need not feel deprived or force yourself to go hungry.

it explains how sugar is harmful to your health and addresses the topic of carb addiction. contains inputs of many important experts in this field, plus has low-carb recipes to get you going

I find this to be a well written resource, but the Kindle version is "almost" unreadable due to a tiny font that can't be adjusted. Can't highlight or bookmark either. I like the content so much I just ordered a physical copy so I can use it as a reference more easily.

Very informative