For me there wasn’t a lot of new information in this book but for someone not to up to speed on nutrition it was a nice short easy read. Some good information without being too pushy.

I love that Alana shared her story so authentically and bravely! There are some things she mentioned that I don't think would be safe for folks deep in an ED - I'm not sure who the intended audience is, but I would definitely put some sort of disclaimer that a lot of the (very good) advice is a better fit for folks who are farther along in their healing journeys. That said, I always love seeing more literature about finding food freedom and ditching diet culture!

[I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

This was a great read. It was informational but not pushy. It was nice to read a book about nutrition that didn't come across as shaming readers for having a tenuous relationship with food and exercise.

Great, short read for those new to intuitive eating. Those who are familiar with the subject won’t get much new information.

This book would be best for someone just wanting to learn about intuitive eating. As someone that’s read a few books on the topic I didn’t glean any new information from it. The author speaks a lot on their journey and could be a helpful starting point at the beginning of theirs.

Diet culture is literally everywhere and can be difficult to weed out what is best for you. Like many, constantly trying the next be best thing sent me into a downward spiral creating unhealthy habits when it came to food. When I found “Freedom with Food and Fitness”, I knew I had to read it. Alana Van Der Sluys tells her recovery journey and gives article and book recommendations as well as citations for all of her research. She provides suggestions to help with find what might work for someone else. It’s not a replacement for seeing a professional, but it’ll definitely be a stepping stone to help me get a start.

Alana Van Der Sluys has traveled a tough road to peace with her physical being, suffering profoundly in the overwhelming and constant diet/fitness pressures of our culture. Much of her book focuses on her own hard-won, ultimately triumphant journey which is great, but what I most appreciated were her suggestions on how to be kind as you work toward the body you want to enjoy. Nothing was particularly new, but her voice is compelling and tips such as increasing reps when you don't want to increase the weights you use were very helpful. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I love this book. It's so clearly defines the issues with dieting and how to get out of the toxic loop and into eating intuitively. Any women that has grappled with weight, dieting and disordered eating, should read this. Bravo to the author, and thank you for teaching me so
Many ways to look
at food and my relationship with it.

A guide for intuitive eating and moving, the book is split into two parts, as these usually are.

This is a kind book, and if you haven't yet given kindness to yourself with regard to food, it's worth a read. If you've passed that stage, this won't give you anything new. This is the same as all other books on intuitive eating and didn't give me much new knowledge.

"If you've ever felt the pressure to live up to a certain aesthetic in order to be loved, happy, or sexy, this book is for you".

For referencing a study that mentions "overeating and obesity weren't the central problems, but attempted solutions", I round my 2.5 stars up to a 3.

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I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was truly a great read for anyone who struggles with diet culture, disordered eating and loving themselves as they are! I liked that it included fitness related information as well!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

When I picked this book honestly I was expecting a guide or something motivating to help me break the boredom of dieting and exercises, however all I found was a book that felt more of a conversation among two people when one of them just had a monologue that did not respect the rules of conversation at all. The author is quite honest when she says at the end that the book is not a guide and that you need to find a professional when you start your journey. It should be on the first page or the back before you buy it right? If you want to read pages and pages of somebody else’s journey then be my guest and by all means get this book because what you’ll get is the freedom to eat while being away from fitness when you sit and read somebody else’s experiences and “tips” with food and fitness.

I love the concepts of food freedom and “intuitive eating.” The author had personal experiences with eating disorders. This book addressed those issues quite a lot, but I think that the ideas in this book would apply to the general public as well.

This book resonated with me in very unexpected ways, and I hope that anyone who has had bad relationships with food or diets or body image issues could relax, rest, and trust yourself. Let your body heal, and rediscover your real needs and pleasures in nourishment. Same with exercising. Learn when and how your body really wants to exercise. Ditch all feelings of shame and guilt.

To anyone who needs it, I send you lots of love. I’m rooting for your recovery!

(I received a free review copy from NetGalley.)

Freedom With Food & Fitness addresses the unhealthy obsession that we have with food and dieting and its relationship to our lives and bodies. Our workplace has a health and wellness program that has courses that deal with a lot of the information that was covered in this book, so it felt kind of repetitive to me, but that was probably only because of the amount of courses I’ve taken on the topic. I honestly think that the toxicity of diet culture is something that should be taught and explored much more. This book is a great jumping off point for those conversations to begin. I enjoyed how the author wove her own experiences into the narrative as well.

I appreciated going through the journey with this author, especially with her candid and open experience with recovering from an eating disorder. It is definitely not another diet culture book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

I feel like this was more geared towards people with an eating disorder, and even though I felt that some info was and could be useful, something just didn’t sit right with me. I simply can’t recommend this book.

This book is a wonderful combination of practical lifestyle advice and Alana's first-hand, lived experience with food and fitness throughout her life. It is vulnerable, captivating to read, and is a powerful tool for eradicating diet culture in our society today. The guidance she provides is simple and allows us to embrace the human inside all of us and practice a little more grace and self-compassion. I would recommend this book to anyone who struggles with how to love themselves wholeheartedly, in the body they are, in right now.

Freedom With Food & Fitness is an indispensable resource for anyone looking to have a healthy relationship with their body (so... everyone?!). Alana's book is relatable, warm and welcoming, educational, and motivating, As someone who struggled with eating issues for years, I appreciate the balance between research-based information and highly applicable examples to really bring this content to life. I highly recommend this book!

I thought the title sounded good, but when I saw that the author is some kind of a "eat healthy" sales woman, I got very wary.
But this book is actually very nice. A lot of solid advice with sources to check and never the impression that she wants to sell you something. A great mix of anecdotes and science with a lot of useful tips. I enjoyed it, even though it wasn't that much new information for me, but I assume that this can be very eye-opening for some people, who are deep in the diet spiral.
I would give it a 4.5, but since that is not possible here, 5 it is :)

Edit: after seeing other people with much worse reviews, I want to add that I'm someone who has no ED and a very good relationship with myself and my body. I'm still very much overweight and want to lose some kilos, so my view is the one from a person, who struggles with weight, but not with health issues or disorders.

What woman doesn't have a complicated relationship with food? This book was well written and offered a fresh perspective on our relationship with food! I enjoyed it and will recommend it! Can't wait to get a physical copy, too!

Freedom With Food & Fitness is a book that every woman in today’s society needs to read. Whether you grew up with a mom who is a victim of diet culture or are affected by social media’s comparison culture around diet and exercise, this book will prove to you exactly why food isn’t your enemy, and how we can learn to trust our bodies and give them what they need and deserve.

Alana’s personal journey to recovery connects readers who have suffered the same struggles. She is living proof that by using intuitive eating principles and finding the “why” to every thought you have, you too can love your body for what it does, not how it looks.

Furthermore, she answers every “what if” and “but” that can arise on your journey to recovery and intuitive eating. You don’t have to follow a strict schedule or stop loving food to be an intuitive eater. Food can help bring people together, and the goal is to not let that joy go.

She breaks down how the idea of health and longevity has been falsely translated. Everything shown in the media has something else going on behind the scenes. She shares her own breakthroughs in recovery about realizing that “thin” doesn’t mean healthy, and you can struggle at any size.

Lastly, Alana makes a point that we are all here just living our lives, and we don’t know how much time we have left. Do we want to leave being remembered for someone who fixated on our health and weight? Or do we want to be remembered for our kindness, compassion, and memories we shared with others?

Alana has put her entire heart into this book, and it is shown explicitly. She knows how stuck people feel in the constant cycle of bingeing and restricting, because she has been in the exact same spot. She truly wants to help her audience achieve food freedom, so they can live the life they deserve, without being held captive to diet culture and dying to meet standards that are impossible to reach.