“Every item on the Joy Diet contributes something invaluable and delicious to the feast of your life. These aren’t exotic dishes you must struggle to obtain or concoct; each is made with simple ingredients you already have within easy reach. They don’t require huge sacrifices or character transplants, just a little courage and an unfaltering commitment to your own well-being.”
“The Joy Diet” by Martha Beck was a partner read over several weeks—one chapter per week. Each chapter outlines an ingredient in the diet starting at doing nothing and ending at feasting. There are accompanying exercises to every chapter and a review at each chapter’s end. Every chapter builds on the previous one.
The diet is one for the soul instead of for the body. The idea is that by integrating the ten ingredients, such as laughter, treats, and play, into your life, you can make your life’s journey more joyful.
I did well at the beginning of the book, integrating these practices daily, but over time I slipped out of the routine. So I think that the skills in the book need to be practiced over a longer period of time. One chapter a week was too fast for me to integrate the teachings. I will be reviewing the chapters again and practicing the skills at a slower pace.
You do need to actually incorporate the ingredients into your life instead of just reading about them. As Beck writes:
“I tend to nurture the delusional conviction that I can learn any skill by reading about it. I churn through books like this in a single sitting, thinking, ‘Yeah, yeah, I get it—I don’t need to do your damn exercises.’ If you share this tendency, I must reiterate that the ability to slide into nothingness, to tell and recognize the bare-bones truth, to locate and define your heart’s desires, to solve problems creatively, and to consistently take small, graduated risks are very different in action than in description.”
Many parts stood out for me, but here are a couple I will share with you:
On Desire—many of us have been taught from early childhood that to want something is dangerous. But there is a difference between false desire, which tastes of fear, and true desire, which tastes of love.
On Treats—Integrate treats daily to feed your animal self, but the treats that are best for you may not be food related. Look for other sensory pleasures in your life, such as sound (favourite music) or smell (favourite essential oil), otherwise you may just use food as a panacea.
Beck uses stories from personal experience to illustrate the benefit of incorporating the ingredients into your life. I often laughed out loud at her witty observations.
The book was published in 2003, but it is still relevant in today’s times, although I wonder how Beck would tweak the book to incorporate today’s social media and smart phone addictions.
Recommended for those looking for some tools to “feel better, especially when you don’t know what to do to feel better”.
Categorizing this under health.
Shoe’s Seeds and Stories
@Copyright 2024 Linda Schueler
Shoe's Seeds & Stories 
THis was a fascinating read Linda. I so agree that it needs to be a slow read, to take time with each chapter. Great review, as always.
Thank you.