By Susan Albers, PysD

Reviewed by Kristen Whittington, MS in Nutrition, Dietetic Intern

Eating Mindfully for Teens is not a workbook I would invest in. While the intention of the workbook is to be more mindful around food, there are undertones of diet culture that have potential to make clients feel shame. Additionally, the workbook encourages dieting/disordered type behaviors. For example, for cravings the workbook recommends substitutions for the food you may be craving, such as if you aren’t sure you are craving a milkshake, have a smoothie instead. A better option would be to get the Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens, by Elyse Resch, which takes a more “light and curious” approach to exploring the client’s relationship to food.

I would not recommend this entire workbook for any teen with an ED (or any teen in general, for that matter). There are a few good activities in it, but overall it has a ton of triggering language. It doesn’t really teach how to improve the relationship with food at all. My general impression is that it comes more from a guilt/shame and “don’t eat that” perspective than a compassionate all foods fit perspective.