The Me, Without: My Year on an Elimination Diet of Modern Conveniences: My Year on an Elimination Diet of Modern Conveniences

At the age of thirty-four, journalist Jacqueline Raposo finds herself sick, single, broke, and wandering in a fog. Despite decades of discipline, her chronic illness is getting worse. Despite hosting a radio show about dating, she hasn’t been in love in years. And despite a successful writing career, she’s deeply in debt. Weary of trying to solve her problems by adding things to her life, she attempts the opposite and subtracts some of her most constant habits - social media, shopping, sugar, and negative thoughts - for periods of thirty to ninety days over the course of one calendar year. In this intimately curated search for self-improvement (a quest that readers can easily personalise for themselves), Raposo confesses to the sometimes violent and profound shifts in her social interactions, physical health, and sense of self-worth. With the input of doctors, psychologists, STEM experts, and other professionals, she offers fascinating insights into how and why our brains and bodies react as they do to our habits. She also sheds light on the impact of our everyday choices on our mental state. Part memoir, part case study, this book offers you an inspiring example of how to forge your own journey, expose your wounds, and help yourself heal. AUTHOR: Jacqueline Raposo received a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut. For over two years, she produced and penned the weekly chef interview We Chat With … column for Serious Eats. She has written long-running columns and features for Saveur magazine, Town & Country, Extra Crispy, Plate, Tasting Table, and Delish. In 2015, she started producing and co-hosting Love Bites, a weekly radio show studying why and how we love in all forms.