PRO CONNECT
Sandra Elia is a Certified Food Addiction Counselor and a trailblazer in the field of addictive eating and food addiction. Sandra's pioneering approach has not gone unnoticed, as she has forged significant partnerships with leading obesity and addiction doctors across Canada.
At the forefront of practical application, Sandra has developed and leads Canada's first and only outpatient Food Addiction Recovery Program, which runs in medical clinics nationwide.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Sandra co-created Canada’s first 28-day residential treatment program for food addiction at the Renascent Addiction Rehab Centre, located in Toronto.
Sandra knows firsthand the struggle of living with obesity. She has lived two lives: one as a morbidly obese woman for 15 years. She experienced a world that was not made for her size, seeking assistance from biased healthcare providers, and dealing with fat-shaming. Since those difficult days, Sandra has transformed her life and her body, losing over 100 pounds.
As a best-selling author, Sandra has contributed significantly to the literature on food addiction. Her book, "Never Enough: Three Pillars of Food Addiction Recovery," encapsulates her profound insights and offers tangible strategies for overcoming food addiction.
Sandra's work has been featured on:
National Post Canada
Global News Toronto
Global News Edmonton
Global New British Columbia
CTV News - Atlantic
Radio Canada BC
Toronto Star
Toronto Sun
“'A powerful work by a recovering food addict that may help those going through similar struggles.'”
– Kirkus Reviews
A Canadian counselor seeks to help people struggling with food addiction in this self-help book.
In these pages, Elia aims to help suffering food addicts find a way to achieve peace—or a sense of neutrality—with food. The recovery program she developed, which draws on her own experience of significant weight loss and years of study and recovery, is based on three pillars: “Eliminate trigger foods” (“those that we are compulsively drawn to eat, even when we’re not hungry”), “Develop spirituality and mindfulness,” and “Belong to a support network.” The author gleaned these concepts and much of her program from her time as a member of Overeaters Anonymous, a program based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. She notes that although many levels of society have accepted the idea that alcoholics should abstain from drinking alcohol, she’s found that there’s great resistance to the notion of abstaining from certain foods that cause cravings—particularly processed sugar and flour. Throughout, Elia and those she’s helped effectively point out the food industry’s culpability in this epidemic, and “the way this industry has exploited—and continues to exploit—emerging science to create chemically-engineered substances designed to make certain foods more addictive.” To help readers hoping to overcome food addiction, Elia offers meaningful writing exercises, asking such questions as “Does the scale determine if it is going to be a good day or a bad day?” and “Does it dictate whether you are a good or bad person?” However, the book could have more strongly acknowledged that the 12-step program that boosted the author’s recovery may be a better solution for many readers than a self-help book alone.
A powerful work by a recovering food addict that may help those going through similar struggles.
Pub Date: March 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781990700187
Page count: 216pp
Publisher: Life to Paper Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
From Struggle to Serenity: Sandra Elia's Journey to Food Addiction Recovery and book "Never Enough"
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.